Antioch Fellowship Church | 19 July 2020

so so so so so good morning antioch family and friends and thank you for joining us for another worship experience whether you're at home or in the building in just a moment we invite you to join us in corporate praise and worship where you can sing and glorify god whether it be in his house or your own for those of you who are worshiping at home we encourage you to submit prayer requests online by using our app or leave us a comment and most importantly today we will continue our parable journey with pastor chris who has a series entitled picture this and just in case you've missed any of the series you can review it by using youtube the app or on facebook and now let's buckle up for a worship experience like none other which begins in three two one [Music] fellowship missionary for the kingdom of god [Music] [Applause] [Music] welcome welcome welcome [Music] praise the lord everybody come on praise the lord everybody come on if you're able can you stand to your feet with us we've come to make a simple declaration this morning all this says i know who i am do you know who you are says i know who i am jesus i am yours and i'm glad that you're mine know who i am i know who i am i know who i am i am yours i am yours [Music] i am yours i am yours and you are [Music] [Music] jesus [Music] praising me [Music] [Music] i know who i am do you know who you [Music] am are know who i am i know who i am who i am i know who i am i am jesus i was wrong [Music] i know i know who i am i know who i am [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] i am your friend [Music] [Music] that i am loved i know who i [Music] i am to you if you belong to me i know who i am [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] jesus [Music] you [Music] i'm so proud of who you are [Music] i know who i am i am yours i am yours do you believe it i know who i am i know who i am i am yours i am your say i know who i am can you say that with us i know who i am i know who i am i am yours come on i am who i am [Applause] [Music] [Music] am [Music] [Music] i know who i i am who i am but i know who i am i know whose i am i have victory because i know whose i am i know who i am i give praise because i know who he is can't praise because i know who it is i'm gonna lift them up this morning i'm gonna lift them up bless the lord o my soul and all that's within me bless his holy name anybody come to bless the lord on this morning i said did anybody come to bless the lord this morning [Music] belongs to you [Music] in my life [Music] everything i am [Music] [Applause] [Music] you did it again oh [Music] you helped me [Music] [Music] but you're say so many more all that i am of my prayers [Music] so you've been awesome [Applause] come on [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] that's why i praise you hallelujah that's why my heart [Music] is [Music] thank you jesus you've been so good to me lord [Music] i give you glory i give [Music] can anybody lift your hands and just say lord you've been awesome to me and the blessing in my life i gotta let you know all of my praise belongs to you come on and clap your hands [Music] truly all of our praise belongs to god i know we're so distant in the house but if you're in here can you just lift your hands right where you are come on just lift your hands all over the house and give god come and give him glory give him honor give him praise come on lift your voice the mask may cover your mouth but it can't stop your praise come on give god glory give him praise [Music] he's worthy he's worthy [Music] one good time one good time church come on just say i love you even in the stands come on i love you [Music] even online in your house [Music] let your neighbors hear you come on live your voice [Music] in such a special way say that's why i praise you [Music] come on say i lift you up [Music] boy you feel it one more time antioch one more time live your voice come on and say i love you lift it and say i love you in your homes i love you lord because you care for me [Music] in such a special way see that's why i praise you [Music] that's why my heart so much gratitude a heart [Music] last time that's why my heart god we love you we adore you we lift you we magnify your name god covet may have compromised our communication with each other but it has not compromised our communication with you god we lift our voices and we say thank you those of us in the sanctuary we say thank you those of us watching online say thank you because god even though we're the mr pandemic god you have proven your power and for that we say thank you because you continue to make ways out of no way you continue to deliver you continued to heal you continue to set free you continued to open doors you continued to close doors you continued to bring the right people in our lives you continued to take the people we don't need out of our lives god you have continued to be who you've always been and for that we say thank you people have changed culture has changed finances have changed situations have changed but you have remained the same and we say thank you lost loved ones you remain the same loss money you remain the same unemployed you remain the same and god we say thank you [Music] we tried to find resting places and so many other people and so many other places but god we found peace in you thank you for being our peace with calamity and chaos all around us you've been our peace truth is we should have lost our minds truth is we should be going crazy but in the midst of all it is we have a praise on our lips we have a praise in our spirit we still communicate with you because we realize you are peace [Music] so god go in the midst of that chaotic home in the midst of that chaotic situation whatever your children may be facing and cover them with your peace for the parents who are trying to figure out how they gonna make ends meet give them peace for the mother who is trying to figure out how she gonna feed her kids give her peace for the father who was wondering how you gonna feed his family because he got laid off give him peace peace that surpasses all understanding that even when we don't have nothing in our pockets we have a praise on our lips [Music] and god we just say thank you we ask you to forgive us of our sins give us repentant hearts oh god hearts that are willing to turn away from the things that don't please you from the things that don't honor you god we ask you to forgive us right now in the name of jesus god we ask you to continue to bless our family of faith here at antioch fellowship continue to allow us to be the church that continues to feed the hungry the god that continues to be there for the needy that continues to be a church that shines brightly in this dark situation god we actually continue to bless our pastor give pastor chris wesley strength mentally physically emotionally god where he's weak build him up when he cries wipe his tears god continue to pour into him as he pours out to us and god whenever he's empty fill him up with your love fill him up with your word fill him up with your wisdom so he can continue to lead our family of faith the way you see fit and god thank you for this service we fill you in this place god we brought our praise with us and we met you here thank you for your presence and as we go forward we open our hearts our minds and our ears to what you have to say let us only be hearers of the word let us not only be doers of the word let us share the word we hear and we will be careful to give you all the praise glory and honor because you're absolutely worthy of all of it it's in the mighty name of jesus we pray amen clap your hands all over this house [Music] hannah [Music] come on we want to make a declaration this this sunday that this will be a week of miracles that this will be a week that our response will change to some things that we're going through is there anybody that can lift their hands and say this will be a week of miracles yeah yeah yeah here we go y'all here we go y'all here we go sing it one time say it say i cannot say i i cannot explain it this may not make sense [Music] speaking something different say i'm claiming [Music] this week this week will be a week [Music] i [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] this week this week i don't have to wait i don't have to wait till i see it hey say i'm gonna praise him now praise him yeah cause i believe [Music] here we go everybody everybody say this sweet this week will be a week four weeks this week this week on week four miracles [Music] look down [Music] here we go [Music] [Music] [Music] i'm expecting a miracle i'm expecting a miracle i'm expecting a blessing one more time lift your hands with us and say hey you're [Music] this may not make sense this may not make sense [Music] [Music] one more time say i cannot explain it this may not make sense i know what it looks like come on y'all stay with us i know what it is [Music] what it looks like [Music] [Applause] here we go [Music] is [Music] speaking something different i will be [Music] here [Music] something different is [Music] expecting something this will be a week of miracles this will be a week of blessings yes [Music] yes [Music] [Music] good morning antioch family and friends and welcome to the experience of worship live thank you to our in-house audience for joining us this morning and to everybody tuning in online thank you for being a part of this experience we would love to take the time out to welcome all of our guests both online and in the house this morning so if you're here please give us a wave either down in the comments or across the aisle so that we can greet you back as a general reminder please remember you can give online via the app or by simply texting afnbc to 779-7777 here's what's happening this week only at antioch join us on tuesday for shop that sweet hour of prayer at 8 pm and on wednesday let's gather around for bible study streaming at noon and 7 p.m also this thursday you can join us for drive through thursdays taking place from 11 until 1 and from 5 until 7. also on thursday join us for checkpoint at 7 pm join us this saturday july 25th for serve saturday serve saturday is an opportunity for us as a church body to give back to our members and to our community from 6 until 9 a.m we will be doing lawn care for any of our senior saints that need it if you're a senior citizen who needs some lawn care service please email antioch cares at afmbc.org by wednesday july 22nd sounds good doesn't it well it doesn't stop there from 10 until noon we will be distributing food to our community if you're interested in serving please submit an email to serve afmbc.org so that you can be a part of this blessing experience we are blessed to be a blessing and we want to use every opportunity and resource we can to uplift our community hi antioch family i am ambry walker i am the director over children ministries i am so happy and honored to be coming to you guys today to let you know that we are creating some different pathways to keep you guys connected even though you can't come to us we are coming to you via streaming if you want more details you can contact me at awoker afnbc.org lastly it's conference season here at antioch stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks that's all i have for you my name is alex smith and as always have a blessed week auntie [Music] says the devil's already defeated [Music] my god [Music] he said i am [Music] [Music] [Music] century [Music] with us [Music] in the midst of the storm [Music] and i will have my way come on [Music] i will have my words [Music] [Music] he's already everybody believe me here we go anybody believe that he is is anybody believe he's defeated anybody believe that he's defeated the devil's all right in here [Music] that's good news this morning no weapon formed against you shall prosper no matter what the devil tries it's good news to know that it won't work anybody glad about that in the house at home it's a good thing to be excited about [Music] he tries every time but he loses every time i don't really care what lie the enemies told you or what plan he has to take you out i got better news and that news is the devil is already defeated that means before he starts he already lost and i don't know what plan he has or what he's attempting to do in your life or why he's discouraged you or made you feel overcome but i got better news he already lost [Music] you can be at peace in the middle of the storm in the middle of the conflict in the middle of the struggle because there are some uncertain things about this life there are some things we don't know there are some things we can't answer but we do know that all things work together for the good of those who love the lord those who are called according to his purpose and i feel impressed of the holy spirit to remind somebody this morning that you are more than a conqueror through him that loves you don't feel discouraged don't throw in the towel don't give up don't feel beaten or broken because you already win father how grateful we are this morning for that promise you have already won the victory you have conquered every enemy and because of that we know we overcome come against the spirit of weariness come against spirit of depression and heaviness and i thank you for the sweet exchange that you will give us the garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness would you lift every heavy burden this morning even before we get into your word would you lift every care and concern that will cause us to not receive the seed of your word on good soil turn our eyes from worthless things and give us life through your word as the psalmist declared whatever worthless thing that has our attention would you refocus us now and remove those things from our minds so that we can hear you clearly speak to our hearts now through your word and i thank you for it thank you for your word thank you for the promises of your word it will not return unto you void it will accomplish what it's set out to do the promises of your word are yes and amen we know it to be true and now god make our hearts the fertile soil necessary to receive your word in a way that will bear fruit that lasts in jesus name amen as we continue our series on the parables of jesus i want to turn your attention to a familiar passage of scripture in luke chapter number 15. beginning at verse number 11 it is so good to see those in the building this morning and even to you who are watching online welcome thank you so much for tuning in and joining us i pray that the service has been a blessing to you thus far luke chapter 15 beginning in verse number 11. again a familiar story familiar parable of jesus when you have it will you let me know with the sound of amen amen then he being jesus said certain man had two sons the younger of them said to his father father give me the portion of goods that falls to me so he divided to them being both of his sons his livelihood not many days after the younger son gathered all together journeyed to a far country and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living but when he had spent all there arose a severe famine in that land and he began to be in want then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country and he sent him to the fields to feed swine and he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate and no one gave him anything but when he came to himself he said how many of my father's hired servants have bred enough into spare and i perish with hunger i will arise go to my father and i will say to him father i have sinned against heaven and before you i am no longer worthy to be called your son make me one of your hired servants and he arose and came to his father but when he was still a great way off his father saw him had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him and the son said to him father i've sinned against heaven and in your sight i'm no longer worthy to be called your son but the father said to his servants bring out the best robe and put it on him put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet bring the fatted calf here and kill it and let us eat and be merry for this my son was dead and is alive again he was lost and is found they began to be merry this morning for a few minutes i just want to talk to you from this thought lessons from the lost and found lessons from the lost and found up to this point in jesus's ministry one thing is for certain jesus draws a crowd as his fame has grown and reached a near fever pitch throughout the region jesus has the attention of everybody and as luke 15 opens jesus has once again drawn a crowd however the first verse tells us that this crowd is made up of those that would be considered the lowest level of culture specifically the tax collectors and sinners in the roman dominated society a jewish tax collector was perhaps the most despised person in the entire culture because they had chosen to seemingly partner with the oppressive romans to collect unjust taxes to their own people those listed as sinners in the text weren't much higher up the social totem poll because this broad term suggests that these people were the outcasts in a highly religious society because of the contrary lifestyles that they had chosen to live in spite of the stigmas attached their lives they had gathered to hear what jesus has to say the presence of these people has drawn the attention and the disdain of the religious leaders of the day the scribes and pharisees aware of the presence of these people started to complain about them in this moment of tension between the religious leaders and the worst outcasts in society this moment of tension between the church and the culture jesus decides to tell a series of parables that ultimately highlight his purpose for pursuit of and passion for the lost he opens to tell the story of a shepherd who has 100 sheep but loses one of them and he leaves the 99 to pursue the one and then celebrates its recovery in the same way jesus says i joined heaven in celebrating one that was lost and is now found then jesus tells the story of a woman who had ten coins but lost one when she discovers what she lost she searches her entire house leaving nothing unturned or unclean to find the coin and when she does she celebrates and throws a party in the whole neighborhood because she found what was lost jesus again promises that heaven has the same type of celebration for that which was lost and found the first parables of luke 15 highlight a few important notes about lost things number one lost things are still valuable both both the lost sheep and the lost coin show that the value of the object wasn't diminished because of its distance from the owner so so even that which is lost still has its intrinsic value to god not only are lost things valuable but but these parables seek to teach us that lost things are worth pursuing the the lost sheep wanted away the lost coin was misplaced the person who it belonged to still decided to intentionally go after what was lost in the same way jesus suggests that his purpose is to do the same thing he said i came for the lost sheep of israel i came to preach the good news to the bound to the four poor to the lowest common denominator lost things worth pursuing because number three lost things can be found we don't know how far the shepherd had to go to pursue what was lost we don't know how long and hard the woman searched for was lost however we do know that they searched until what they lost had been found suggesting they it was never too far gone to be pursued and located in the same way jesus's presence in the earth suggests that you are never too far gone for him to come get you because he was there in the flesh because humanity was so separated from god that jesus took off his carnation to be incarnate into society to walk among us to pursue our very hearts whatever's lost can still be found finally lost things that are found deserve a party every single thing that has been found causes celebration in the one that it belonged to heaven throws a party over lost things being found after after clearly illustrating this point with the first two parables of luke 15 our uh chapter concludes with one more parable that is the subject of our text today the final story in luke 15 the story of the prodigal son is perhaps the most the most famous parable of jesus and it takes the lessons of the previous two parables to another level wow the first two parables of luke 15 highlight the value of the lost jesus is vigor to pursue the loss in the celebrate celebration of the return of the lost they do not explain the relationship between god and the lost this parable seeks to detail how the lost become lost this that is it details hear me uh the egregious and foolish nature of human rebellion a certain man jesus says has two sons and the man's younger son requested that his father give him his portion of the inheritance now while it's often said this is a sign of disrespect according to many scholars this is actually an option given to adult children in the ancient near east this wasn't necessarily a slap in the face to the father as we may presume it was however at best a foolish and vain request rooted in a desire to leave the provision and protection of home to pursue a life that wasn't acceptable in the father's house it was rooted in a desire to rebel from the culture that was established by the father in order to um live his best life and do all the things he couldn't do in the presence of his father this is the very root of sin since the beginning of time adam hebrew for humanity decided along with eve his wife that in order to live their best life they had to rebel against god's rules or the culture he established in the garden to pursue what the father told them wasn't acceptable in his house this pursuit led to humanity's corrupt nature and innate desire to pursue the very things that aren't acceptable in god's eyes the culture always rebels against what is acceptable in the father's house the father aware of the sons of foolish desires still grants the request he gives to both of his sons what it is that the younger son has asked for according to the text not many days later the younger son gathered all his possessions and left this is important to note because hear me much of what the sun had been given wasn't cash it was land and livestock and and things that belonged in the house so it's believed that the days between the request and the departure were spent selling what the father gave him for cash the younger son in his effort to pursue the things of the world didn't even realize he got a raw deal because the cash he got for what he gave could not have been equal value yet he was willing to exchange inheritance for money don't confuse or cheapen spiritual inheritance for things that the world says are valuable what what the father offers has more value than any amount of cash or worldly possessions you can get for it there is no premium for peace there is nothing you can pay for divine protection there is not enough you can gain for knowing that you were in the center of the father's will he was willing to sacrifice inheritance for worldly value the younger son then leaves and goes to a far country to live the life he wanted to live and he quickly learns that while it was fun it was short-lived and wasteful before he knew it all he had was gone the momentary pleasures of life were quick to fade and soon those good times and the resources that paid for them were long gone worldly pleasures will run up a bill that you don't have enough money to cover the son finds himself broke and if he didn't think think things could get any worse at the very moment he loses all of his resources a famine hits the land which suggests that life happened at the worst possible time some issues are rooted in riotous living other issues are rooted in the fact that life happens at unexpected times a combination of the two will leave you without anything it uh life was fun and games until the pandemic hit his his his course of action is interesting the sex says uh i love the way the new king james says it the text says that he joined himself or he united himself to a local citizen of a far country other translations say he hired himself out meaning his desperation didn't cause people to seek after him but for him to go to other people and be willing to accept whatever they gave him he convinced this man who to give him a job but the only job he could give him was feeding the pigs please note a couple of important things here first know that in the jewish culture this is the lowest of the low he was forced to feed this animal that was considered unclean secondly make note of the fact that the person he went to in his time of need thought it was more important to feed pigs than feed his help be careful who you are willing to join yourself to never mind the text makes it clear that the person he joined himself to wouldn't give him anything but would give pigs more isn't it interesting you find out your value in people's lives when you're in need you find out where you fall on their list when you're in need and it did interesting that we will subject ourself to the wrong people when we find ourselves in the wrong spaces to make matters worse the text reveals that he is god help in such a bad state that the slop he feeds the pigs looked desirable to him [Music] the most unclean things in the world look delicious this is what happens when you live an unquenched unyielded life the things that start to appeal to you are the very things you said you would never do the further you go from the father the more you desire things that are no good for you that's why you won't leave the relationship because you have been so beaten down by life that you started to desire nasty stuff i don't i don't have time to dig into this too much but what i'm trying to tell you is the results of not allowing your soul to be quenched in the father's house will cause you to find yourself close to or experimenting with things you said you would never do things that are not good for you things that are not healthy for you but they're delicious to you because you found yourself so far removed from everything god created you to be and do the son this younger son represents those of us who have departed from god to pursue to pursue uh uh human needs only to discover that those pleasures leave us empty and low if we had time i'm sure i could pass the mic around and invite some of you to testify about how your prodigal season left you at your lowest point because of your wild living in the natural circumstances connected to it but the good news for the sun and for us is that the story doesn't end at the pig pen according to the text the younger son comes to himself uh in hebrew and era made this this this idea of coming to himself literally means he repented repented and there is evidence of true repentance in the text because the text says one he felt remorse the the the beginning the beginning of repentance is contrition a broken spirit and a contrite heart but it is not all that is required for repentance you didn't repent just because you felt bad about it repentance starts with remorse but it does not end there because the text then says he prepared an apology or an acknowledgement of wrongdoing i feel bad about it so i need to acknowledge to the person that i wronged that i wronged them it started to morph into a repentance because he started to gain the humility to apologize if you feel bad about it but haven't apologized for it you haven't repented but then the text says he feels bad about it he prepares to apologize for it and then he gets up from where he is and goes back to where he needed to be here's the evidence of repentance he felt bad he had the humility to apologize and then he got up from the slop to go back to the father this friends is the truest evidence of repentance that you have not felt bad where you are not that you have felt a humility for where you are but you get up from where you are and go back to where you're supposed to be yes this story teaches us about human rebellion but that's not what it's about it shows that humanity is lost from god because of our own discontentment our prideful hearts and our worldly lusts and our unsatisfied souls but that's not what it's about it is about the love of the father one theologian comes here the depth of the sun's repentance is matched only by the depth of the father's love this parable teaches us about the loving nature of god for the lost when the lost recognize the state of their own lives and repent it gives an opportunity for god's loving nature to be on display what are you trying to say pastor chris here it is if you don't get anything else from this message here's what i need you to know it does not matter what you've done or how far you've gone god is not only willing to allow you to return but he's willing to restore you without wrath i don't know what you've done i don't know how far you've fallen i don't know what mistake you've made i don't know what it is people know about you it's not my business it's not my concern here's what i know god knows and he's willing to allow you to come home without judgment without wrath without punishment you can come home again you can come back to the place you were created to be and if i had time some of y'all could testify and say i was out there but because of the love of the father i found myself home and i found myself loved and i found myself in purpose because the father's love extends beyond my failures he looked beyond all my faults [Applause] there there are some things in the text that we must learn about the father and then our clothes one note if you will the constant search of the father the son the son goes home but the text says while the sun is afar off the father sees him and runs to greet him it would suggest to us that the father was looking in the direction of where the son was going to come from it would suggest to us that the father was constantly searching for the son to come back now now in order to understand this point we got to go back to the beginning of the story the son requests his share from the father the father gives it to him knowing it was a foolish request but still allowing the son free will to fail [Music] yet knowing that his son was going to go in the wrong direction the father somehow knew that his pursuit would show him that there was nothing out there better than what he left and the father was confident enough to know that if you search for knowledge you'll come to the realization that everything you need is in me so the more you'll search the more you'll realize you need to come back and the father waited until the day that the son came back watching with hopeful expectation that the son would come to his senses and come home what are you saying pastor here it is god loves you enough to give you the free will to go search for knowledge and find love and find money and find happiness but he knows there is no true love separated from him there's no true happiness separated from him there's no provision separated from him and he'll let you do it and let you get low enough until you decide to come back to the place you left but he's watching the whole time waiting for you he's watching the whole time excited about your arrival he's watching the whole time hopefully anticipating your repentance that's good news for somebody who's been out there the father is watching and waiting with open arms constantly searching for you to run back to the place you left because you've discovered ain't nothing out there for you anyway ain't no new knowledge or spirituality out there for you anyway ain't no enough money to keep you out there anyway you know where you need to be and it's in the arms of the loving father who is searching waiting for you to come home he never stopped looking for the sun he never stopped watching for the sun this is good news even though you're gone you might be gone you might be far away but he's never stopped watching for you to come home maybe you say i ain't in that place anymore but you can testify and be grateful that you were still in the watchful care of a loving father when you were out there doing what you were doing wait a minute pastor christian says something i don't understand how do you know i was in the watchful care of the father this father couldn't even see that far what the text says he saw him afar off now can i just tell you what i think this means about god it means that no matter how far you are god can see you and the evidence that he's watching you is that you don't far as low as you could have fallen you don't far as low as you should have fallen you don't get as deep as you should have gotten you know the truth don't you you tried to take yourself out it just didn't work because the father was watching you you tried to give up and take somebody else out but it didn't work because the father was watching you you thought you were going to lose your mind but it didn't work because the father was watching you aren't you glad no matter how far of a country you go to you cannot run far enough to escape the loving eye of a watchful father he's he's constantly searching but then the text says the father does something curious he sees the sun far way off and he sprints to where the sun is now i need you to see the picture in the ancient near east uh he didn't have on basketball shorts and running shoes he had on a long flowing a a garment that in order for him to run he would have to hike his hike it up and show his legs now now now they didn't do it for you because you don't know how demeaning it was to an individual in the ancient near east to uncover themselves in any way so so in order for this father to run after the sun god he had to he had to unclothe himself in a way that is demeaning and take off to pursue him y'all still don't get the picture so in order for the son to get a chance to see the father coming the father had to humble himself and take off or or unclothe himself to sprint after the sun meaning in order to pursue you jesus took off his glory to become despised and rejected among men just to come after you i thought i was going to be able to make it through this point but somebody ought to be glad that god didn't think it was robbery to take off his glory just to run after you somebody ought to be glad that god didn't mind humiliating himself to take off his glory to come down the earth and save you he loves you so much that he'll run after you even at the expense of humiliating himself putting himself on the cross letting himself be beaten letting himself be stripped naked just to run after you the links that you're valuable to him is that he would run after you in a way that would humiliate himself just to give you access to him again the son didn't come all the way home the father ran after him and aren't you glad that god never stopped running after you that when you turned your heart to him he took off running to you he came after you with everything he had just to save you just to invite you in he was willing to humiliate himself just for relationship with you jack says god help me that when he runs to him he falls on him and starts to kiss him now i need you to understand this caring sentiment here the son who knew he was wrong probably expected wrath and in return got affection [Music] he expected to be shamed and punished he expected uh to be to be grounded or or frowned upon but the father before he asked what he had been doing just started to pour love on it aren't you glad that when you came home he didn't ask where you've been he didn't ask what you've been doing he didn't ask who you had been doing it with all he did was say baby i love you baby i love you i missed you you're mine i'm yours and there is nothing you could have done out there that will make me not want to love on you but not only does he kiss him he covers them he falls on them he gets on top of them he says to him i have not decided to cover you again jack says he shows me chaos i'm done i can't take no more i'm through he says text says that uh what the text says god help me now this ain't gonna be for everybody maybe next week will be for some more y'all if this week's not for you next week is the text says that the son starts to uh recite his his prepared apology hold on daddy wait a minute i got something to tell you wait wait i've sinned against heaven i've sinned against you god help me i've messed up i'm not worthy to be your son not worthy to be your son i just came for a job and it is as if the father ignores him it's as if the father just said hush boy and he calls to the servants and tells the servants come here bring my best role and put it on them come on t bring my ring put it on bring bring my slippers and put them on them now now now the sun came uh with with with this uh god help me oh the sun came with this with this expectation of of the status of a servant but what the father did is give him the status of a son [Applause] the son came with the expectation to be a slave but what the father did is call him a son y'all don't know when to shout here he did not treat him or give him the status that his sins deserved but what the father did is say though your sins be as scarlet i'm giving you a new status i'm making you white ass snow though your sins mean you deserve judgment i'm giving you new status and i'm giving you grace y'all ain't saying nothing because of what he did he deserved to be a sinner but what god did what the father did is justify him you do know what justification is don't you justification is a legal term it paints the picture of you being on trial and you're on trial for sin and you know you did it and the accuser of the brethren his name is satan he's proved that you did it and god the righteous judge is there to give you a sentence he's there to give you a judgment but when he lifts the gavel and he opens up his mouth he says not guilty and the reason i'm giving you the status of not guilty is because somebody else already took the wrath somebody else already took the punishment so i can give you new status because somebody already paid for it and is there anybody here that's grateful that god in his lovingkindness did not treat you as your sins deserved you should have been on your way to hell but because somebody else took the punishment you get new status in the court of heaven and instead of being guilty he says not guilty not because you're innocent but because somebody innocent took the penalty for your sins and the wrath of god is now satisfied because he what jesus did means god doesn't have to punish you but he can give you new status so he makes you righteous that's all this is the father sees the son and makes him righteous now i need y'all to see the picture and then i'm done here the text does not say that the son had time to go get a shower or that the sun had time to put on some good clothes so i need you to see the picture here the sun shows up smelling like pigs looking like slopper looking like he had been through some stuff beaten down by life beaten down by his decisions messed up because of what he had done looking like the hell he had been through and the father saw the dirty sun and put the clean robe on the dirty sun and put the expensive ring on the dirty sun and put the kingly slippers on the dirty sun what am i trying to tell you somebody should help me preach here you see the road but you don't see the dirt that's under it but he looked beyond all of my dirt he looked beyond all of my scars he looked beyond all of my wounds and because he loved me he put clean status on the dirty sun did you hear what i said jesus put clean status on the dirty sun y'all ain't saying nothing in here so help me preach online help me preach and say i was dirty i was a messed up as i could be i was on my way to hell i didn't deserve anything but because of his unfailing love because he loves me so much he put clean clothes on the dirty sun he called me loved even though i was wounded he called me a king even though i was faulty he looked beyond all of my fault and he saw my needs i'm out of here but i gotta ask somebody yes there anybody care who can be a witness and say he did it for me he did it for me i walked away but he did it for me i walked away but he saved my soul i walked away but he gave me a new opportunity i walked away but he gave me status amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me i once wasn't lost but now i'm found was blind didn't he do it for you didn't he change your life will help me testify to somebody who might be far away there is no sin he won't forgive you can't fall any further then he'll reach and pick you up and if you want to know how i know it's because i'm standing here saved sanctified and filled with his holy ghost not because i deserve it but because he'll turn you around the old saints used to say he picked me up turned me around placed my feet on solid ground didn't he do it i said didn't he do it [Music] [Music] somebody be a witness here and say i know he can and i know he will he'll forgive every sin he'll put you on the right track he'll turn your life around and the reason i know is because one day i was in the lost and found but he came and redeemed me and the reason i'm here is because god specializes in taking dirty stuff and bringing it to himself [Music] now now there's something i left out and i didn't plan to do it but there's another point in the story that i got a hit on the text says that when that witch was lost was found again a party broke out but i don't want you to miss the pivotal part of the text the party was not just between the father and the son [Music] the father says i'm throwing a party that everybody got to attend because somebody was lost and is now found somebody was dead and now lives meaning he's no longer dead in sin but he's made alive in me and since there's a party for one person that's lost and found i just wonder if i can call a party with a few more people who got a story like me who say i was lost but now i'm found if you can't shout for you you ought to shout for me because he turned my life around and somebody still owes god some praise for the fact that he's saved you there's a party because of recovery let's not redeem i said let the redeemed of the lord say so say so say it with your shelter say it with your dad say it with your hands say it with your feet if god did it you ought to show some sign [Music] you can't speak for me and i can't speak for you you don't know where i was when god found me and i don't know where you were when god found you but let your praise show your gratitude didn't he do it i said didn't he do it didn't he save you didn't he heal you didn't he feel you didn't he restore you didn't he turn you around did he change your life so there ought to be a party going on in here for folk who know only jesus [Music] i gotta tell y'all that's why that's why church folk bother me sometimes because they come in the church acting like they forget what's under their robe yes he clothed you but you're not as dignified as you try to act so somebody who's been through some dirty stuff some ugly stuff some nasty stuff oh god a crazy unashamed undignified race race race race race race [Music] this ain't a spectator sport this is for participators you've got a reason to give god glory yes yes [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] so now now y'all do know that uh that heaven is really nothing but a big party for the lost and found i said you do know that heaven is nothing but an eternal party for the lost and found i said heaven is an eternal party for the lost and found so if thanking god that he redeemed and restored you somehow gets boring to you or is something that you feel the need to rush through heaven ain't the place for you but those of us who know what god brought us out of don't worry about it don't worry about it [Music] there are some of us who just know that we still got hallelujahs left to give and we've made a decision that every chance we get [Music] we're going to thank god because he could have treated us the way we deserve to be treated he could have told us that we couldn't come back he could have told us that we couldn't come home he could have treated us the way we treat each other but because his love extends [Music] all right all right [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] if it had not been for the lord on my side tell me where [Music] would i be where would i be come on help me sing right here for the lord on my side tell me where [Music] [Music] somebody testifies [Music] yes sir [Music] thank you jesus somebody tell me [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] somebody tell me [Music] god [Music] listen right now i'm going to extend extend an invitation here [Music] i'm going to extend the invitation here and invite and invite somebody to come back from the pigpen you know where you've been you know how far you're falling but the text rings true you have a loving father waiting on you to come home if you're online or in the building we have people ready and waiting to help you make a decision to come home if you're online you can email right now membership afnbc.org or send us a direct message on whatever platform you're watching if you're in the building you can just throw a hand up right here there are decision counselors who are in the aisles waiting to safely converse with you to safely talk to you about that decision you're making this is a good time for you to come back home wherever you are come back home now come on your father's waiting for you [Music] come on this is your opportunity to respond right now come on [Music] [Music] where would i be [Music] me [Music] where would i be would i be [Music] me [Music] well where would i be where would i be let's go [Applause] me [Music] wow [Music] he [Music] if [Music] tell me where would i be [Music] um [Music] uh [Music] uh [Music] thank you [Music] so [Music] um [Music] [Music] hmm [Music] because without god i would be nothing [Music] without you surely [Music] without god my life would be drifting like a ship [Music] without a cell [Music] if you made a decision for jesus today we celebrate in the celebration that we throw is nothing like the one that heaven is throwing right now our excitement cannot compare to heaven's excitement over the decision that you made today [Music] and even if you need to make another decision not simply to come back home to jesus but to the lord is calling you to become a member of our family of faith our body of believers we would be honored to help you walk in your new status you can reach out to us at membership afnbc.org if you need prayer we would love to pray with you thank you jesus it is never out of order [Music] to thank god for being saved thank you jesus all right um if you had a birthday this past week including today happy birthday to you um let us know in the comments anybody in the room celebrating the birthday this past week including the day happy birthday to you yes that's right happy birthday mama tracy oh yes any wedding anniversaries being celebrated this past week including today online or in person happy anniversary to you let's continue to pray for those who serve our community and who are serving in our military thank god for those who served here in the house this morning our ushers greeters armor bearers media team worship team all who helped to ensure a safe and um a safe and secure worship atmosphere for all of us y'all feel safe here y'all all right so y'all can clap and let the people know at home we distanced and got all masks [Applause] we doing it right you know you know what am i forget i'm i'm undone don't forget y'all saw the announcements um listen when it's really hard to just do the status quo or to be what you're supposed to be when you realize what god has done you know i think somebody said when a real praise hits the house deacons can't be deacons ushers can't be ushers singers can't be sick pastors can't pat because beyond my role to pastor i was created to praise all right he needs to be more dignified and pastoral no i don't um all right if you're watching online again thank you for joining us don't leave um we'll say goodbye the right way don't forget to give i mean you know how to give but um don't forget to give until then man let the lord bless you and keep you and cause his face to shine upon you may give you grace and peace pray the lord will lift up his countenance to you that he would establish you that he would bless your going out and you're coming in that he would open up the windows of heaven for our blessing you don't have room enough to receive i pray just like the praise team song that this week will be a week of miracles that you would see unusual favors signs and wonders and reminders that god is for you is on your side i pray that the assignment of the enemy over your life is canceled this week that every weapon that forms is cast back to the pit of hell quick fast in a hurry and that you see the salvation of the lord this week in jesus name amen on behalf of our senior pastor pastor chris wesley and the entire antioch church family thank you for tuning in it is our hope that you were blessed by today's worship experience and we pray that you would take this word and apply it in your life this week my name is alex smith god be with you until we meet again have a blessed week [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Antioch Fellowship Church

Views: 2,407

Rating: 5 out of 5

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Id: ez4DbKfDgyk

Length: 123min 5sec (7385 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 19 2020