"God Wants You Back" Luke 15:17-20::LOST

[Music] halleluyah halleluyah got your Bibles earnest to Luke chapter 15 let me pause and give a little pass or privilege I am so in awe of you tabernacle so many of us really took seriously the mandate on this week of sharing and being the hands and feet of Jesus so many great testimonies that were shared with me and not just from those who we helped but those who did the helping because there is something that really happens in us when you go help someone else the great blessing and break great gift is you realize man it's an awesome privilege to be able to share the love of God with other people so I thank you sincerely you are just an incredible and an amazing body of believers who loved one another who care for one another and are serious about sharing the gospel and I just want you to know from the very depths of my heart how much I appreciate you and love you to death amen Luke chapter 15 we conclude in our series on long so accommodating today in our Resurrection Sunday and I hope that the worship has been inspiring and now as God gives us the instructions for our walk I pray that today as we come to this moment that we'll be made the better Luke 15 beginning of verse 17 just a few verses I hope that you'll spend time devotionally reading throughout the duration of this chapter I think it's very powerful chapter and even though I've tried my best to share of the last few weeks I believe there's so many nuggets that you can glean from the Word of God let's begin at verse 17 I'm reading from the Christian standard the Bible and this is how the Bible reads when it came to his senses he said how many of my father's hired workers have more than enough food and Here I am dying of hunger get up go to my father and say to him father I have sinned against heaven and in your sight I'm no longer worthy to be called your son make me like one of your hired workers so he got up and went to his father but while the son was still a long way off his father saw him and was filled with compassion he ran threw his arms around his neck and kissed him for the time which is ours we come to this climax and culmination of this series and on this Resurrection Sunday I want to simply preach from this start God wants you back listen - a neighbour no matter what you've done God wants you back lift those hands to heaven say Lord speak we need to hear you may be seated in the presence of God God wants you back precocious little six-year-old was in class and she was tirelessly scribbling on a she to pay for her teacher was amazed at her intense focus and walked over to her and asked the little girl what are you doing what are you drawing the girl remark she says I'm drawing God teacher said well no one knows what God looks like look girl responded in a few moments they will question I would raise today for you is if you were to draw a picture of God what would it look like that's deep because I think from a theological perspective and from a lay tional understanding how you label God how you define God how you describe God really begins to talk about how we connect with God there some who suggest perhaps he's got power and you would be true and if that is your frame of reference if that is your portrait that is how you would come in contact with God some will say he's peace and if that is how you describe God and that is how you come in connection with God let me share with you and all those attributes are true all those are right but if I was to give you one word one thing to share with you what I believe would be the perfect picture of God God is love now don't get it twisted I know that when I throw this out especially in this commercialized culture and especially in the second round Society for many of us we have neutered the power of love when I talk about love I'm not talking about that fleeting conditional love you do something nice to me and I will do something nice for you but God encompasses what is called agape love which means that God loves unconditionally that is crucial that is a major tipping point that is where you leap off into a found of understanding because until you know what God is and how God loves you then it will work how you deal with God but the challenge I don't know if many of you would say yes God is love John 3:16 it reminds us of that for God so loved the world we understand that concept of love yes we can say on one hand God is love but let's be honest with that feel absolute ended with that understanding yes if God is love sometimes if we'll be frank and transparent there are many moments we wrestle because yes we say God is love but there are moments we feel are unlovable there moments because of things we've done mistakes we've made places we've been that even though we say that God is love and he's unconditional s be honest there have been moments where we feel like because of our actions our thoughts that there's no way this loving God can love us and there's tension with that how can I live life saying God is love but then feel I'm unlovable and I know for many of us we feel like we have to earn the love of God we feel like we have to be in a perfect state in order to get the love of God but my real reality for us today the one revelation I want to make sure that you leave this sanctuary with is you don't have to earn the love of God you don't deserve the love of God God freely loves you because God loves us just as we are that's what I think Luke 15 as we've been pondering and as we've been navigating it over the last few weeks it it is what most scholars call the gospel within the gospel this year in this gospel that is sent to the ostracise though those who are left out those who are on the margins Jesus paints his own portrait of God here as he was responding to those who were trying to figure out how do you claim to be the Son of God but yet you still hang out with sinners here in our text what Jesus won't let him know is that listen there is no distinction God loves everybody and he lives up a trilogy of parables one about a lost sheep wanna about a lost coin and one about a lost son here in the long sheep he shows how God loves us even when one comes that God rejoices and in the lost core and he lets us know that when one is recovered after diligently finding that angels have their own kind of party and today my brothers and sisters and perhaps his most impactful and powerful parable he says that God is like a father who whose son has wandered away who has left to go on the far country but when he makes his way back home the father meets him and greets him and restores him and brings him back to the house and rejoices over his restoration I think this parable perhaps is one of the most poignant passages of Scripture ideas are what some have called one of the greatest short stories in all of literature it is here that Jesus reminds us that God's desire for us is so intense that God gives mercy for our mistakes and he restores us based on the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ can I let you know that there's nothing you can do that can outlast the mercy of God can I let you know that God's love his care his compassion goes beyond any issue you can have matter of fact if you want to know the love of God look at the cross if you want to know the power of God look at the empty tomb can I tell you that this week this holy week if you ever wondered how much does God love you just look at the sacrifice of Jesus and that's what paints it for us and that's the takeaway point that's what someone needs to be reminded with the day there is nothing you can do that can make you run away from God's love do me a favor wake up that sleepy person next to you and tell them neighbor there's nothing you can do that can make you get away from the love of God with that being said perhaps we can unpack this last parable of the trilogy of parables here is what I believe is Jesus is most poignant and pointed a parable it is here when he makes the distinction to let us know that God is like this loving father his chief aim is he wants us back do you mind if I just unpacked some layers from this text I think there are some important instructive clues for us that we'll be able to glean and grow from this parable here this text does not just focus on the Sun but it focuses on the father that in essence is the true protagonists of this parable is not the son it is the father and by seeing how the father responds to the son it reinforces the thing that God wants back if you're writing some notes here I believe is the first principle I want to outline for us today as we examine this parable as Jesus once again paints this wonderful portrait of the father he allows us to understand of the intricacies that happen how God navigates it for us to remain in relationship with him first thing I want you to notice in our text is that we know God wants us back is because God grants us our release verse 11 is a starter this parable and it almost starts out in a very innocuous way notice what it says it says a man has two sons nothing real special about that I mean it seems like a regular family it seems like everything is cool here is a man has two sons it has the perfect picture Jesus is painting this portrait for those reading this there would be nothing that would catch them off guard nothing that would alarm them but as wonderful as it starts out notice how it quickly goes sour the text tells us this manna has two sons and the younger son comes to here and demands his inheritance I see why some of us can't say man you don't understand the complexities of that circumstance this we don't know behind the scenes we're not sure of the different relationships and I think it's interesting to note there are two sons in the house as an older son and a younger son and it's the younger son who now makes his way to the Father has the brashness and the boldness to demand his independence from his father it's obvious during this time that he was not of age so literally he would need his father's permission so he figures out I need something right now because whatever the reason is he's tired of being under the covering of his father now you understand contextually this is a major issue because in that day for anyone to literally demand their inheritance while their father is still alive in essence was basically telling the father you are dead to me according to Deuteronomy this was aid act that was so despicable that the response to it was death the father in this tax had every right to have the sunstone this father had every right to disc on the son the fact that this young son whatever he is affected with with the sickness of entitlement feels he wants his now this father had every reason to deny Gemma tell him listen I demand you give your life for that but notice what the father does the father acquiesced to his request father decides to liquidate his estate he gives 2/3 to the oldest son and gives 1/3 to the youngest son here is something intriguing my brothers and sisters he does not take from the son what rightfully belonged to him but he freely gives him what he asked for let's be honest my brothers and sisters this is a challenge of this text and I would admit to you here that for most of us we probably have a problem with this text because the demand for this precious the manner for this despicable act should have been death but here in the text this young son is given a reprieve this young son is released by the father I want to tell you something my brothers and sisters this is a perfect picture of what I believe is perhaps one of the thorniest and thickest of theological tenants here we wrestle with because it will be honest most of us feel like this young son and I know you're in the father's house and I know it seems right but a part of us is always aching to see if we can make it on our own you know how it is whatever it might be the world can be so alluring stuff might come to us and we just Asuma is better than sometimes you can be in a place of comfort and blessing and still not recognize how blessed you really are sometimes you can be in the presence of the father and not realize how good you really got it and sometimes we were exorcised all right and we'll go to our Father and said I'm tired of staying under your rule I'm tired of wooing by your benefits I'm tired of trying to operate my life under your barriers I want my own liberation and I know you ain't gonna say it in church and I know that you too cleaned up the day to act like you ain't never had no moments but let's be honest we've had some times where we wanted to tell God stop the world and let you get off there have been times that you wanted to tell God I got this you ain't gotta worry about there been times you wanted to tell God I can work this out myself there been times that you wanted to tell God don't worry about it I got it today I wish somebody be honest at the 12:15 service and justify their moments good that I've looked in my life and I thought that I could do it better they're moments that I looked at my life and I was tired of - stay close I'm tired of trying to live a life that I feel he wants sometimes you just want to step out by yourself my brothers and sisters that's the part of the passage for us notice what this father does brother Scott he does not scold him does not judge him but he lets his son go here he does not run and block the door he gives his son what he asks for and I think that's the picture for us today really any parent would tell you that you know sometimes you just got to operate in that kind of love with your own child because I like the shepherd with the sheep who had to deal with what we call a tender love and this woman with the corn tenacious love here this father teaches us sometimes you got to deal with people with tough love sometimes you just got to give them what they ask for and I know some of you let's be real we can look back over life and some of the worst mistakes you ever made in life was getting what you thought you need is that sometimes if we're be honest there have been times I what look good in one moment ended up being horrible and I know I know you're not like me but there's some moments I wish God would go ahead and tap me on the shoulder and tell me now before you go and do that just know what's coming around the way but that's not how God operates Carter it's not gonna force you to do anything Carter it's not gonna force you to go to church Carter it's not gonna force you to serve Carter it's not gonna force you to love your enemies Carter it's not gonna force you to pray to Him Carter says because I love you I'm gonna let you do what you feel like you're big and bad enough to do and somebody can testify that in those moments make you realize you really not born that big and you wasn't that bad you realize that in some moments I bet the thing you wish car woulda did it was at least chap you on the shoulder but sometimes God says you need to do it because you need to learn is real out there in the world I know I got some parents I know I said it growing up I just tell my grandparents I couldn't wait till I turn 18 couldn't wait did I get out the house and they responded we can't wait either we can't wait till you get us out of the house and I'll be honest with you when I was under 18 I was mad cuz I had a curfew mad cuz I had to buy by their rooms but what I didn't understand their rules was for my protection what I understand the curfew was for my safety it wasn't till I got older that I realized oh you know what this world ain't all it's cracked up to be look at somebody and tell them sometimes you got to release them to themselves don't get it twisted don't assume that's father in the text is uncaring this release did not mean to give up on the child this release was not saying child I don't want anything else to do it - this release was not a giving up it was a giving over - in other words the father said listen I love you enough to release you but I'm releasing you into the hands of God sometimes my brothers and sisters are God lets us venture out daughter lets us go God lets us wander God lets us be able to get to places that may seem out of our character but God understands some lessons are best learned out of the house here the text tells us that God grants us our release but they notice also God guards us in our rebellion because now his young son has got what he's asked for he's taking his inheritance he's cashed it in he's made it some money and now he decides to roll out to a far country he wants to go to a place where nobody knows him he wants to be a big baller shot caller now he's rolling good now now he's driving well now he's dressed well now he's got money can you see him at the club buying out the bar can you see him making sure every I mean every day he got new friends I mean he is everybody's socialite he's going places everybody wants to hang with him he's got his money and everything's going well he thinks now he's living good he thinks now there's nothing better he looks back in disdain at the house because he thinks that life is better but what he didn't realize is that yes it may seem good for a little while yes it may seem fun for a little while yes you might be having the time of your life for a little while yes you might be big and bad to do what you want to do but somebody can testify but this young son finds out that as long as you have distance from the Father there will come dysfunction in your life your ears and what he failed to calculate is that as much as he wanted the money of the father he was better off with the presence of the father because can I tell you and this is not to stop somebody with ambition this is not to stop somebody who's really trying to work hard let me tell you something I know that you're trying to push I know that you going hard I know you're trying to get as much as you can and I'm not saying don't have a good effort I'm not saying don't have good try but let me tell you something money can't buy you everything after a while of all that hard driving all that stuff you've been trying to do it looks good but let me tell you something clothes will wait and and cars will depreciate and houses can be taken away you can get fired from jobs and I want you to know don't put your light and belief in stuff cook stuff can go and somebody ought to be able to be honest because if you understand what joe said Nick and I came in this world up and nekkid I'm ruling out which means I wait to have a life for all I did I will spend all my time I'm trying for pleasures of life only to find myself in a far country living a wasted life I know you're not gonna be honest cuz I know you you did it cuz you're ready to post on social media you got people thinking that you're ballin you got money to your ear because that's what you think you think all that looks good but after a while it won't last you realize money can buy your bed but won't give you rest you realize money can buy your house but not a home you realize money can get people around you but can't give your true friendship you realize I'm not careful I can live a wasted life that's what happens to my brothers and sisters he finds out in the far country a famine now hits and I know that someone's saying with pgu you ain't making much sense to me you don't know my life I'm doing it right now and I'm not saying you ain't doing it right now all i'ma tell you is keep on living you are guaranteed to have famines in far countries I'm here to tell you that after a while it's gonna dry up after a while some stuff is gonna happen and because of the light he live that he wasted it in the far country a famine came and wiped everything out things got so bad friends got so few those people who promised they would be with him always no longer were returning messages the access he had was now being denied car was repossessed he was at his worst tech says it got worse than worse because no one wanted to hire the only job available to this Jewish boy was a job in a pig pen understand the irony of that for for those hearing this parable from Jesus would be repulsed because every Jew knows you don't get close to pigs they're unclean they're unco sure these are disease field animals but he had no other responsibility here he is he got a job in a pig pen hanging out with pigs and desiring what pigs eat it's only had only people that returned the call was pigs only place he could find refuge was the pig pen and I know you will never say that you've been there I know you look real good today but how many of us can be honest that we spent some time in a pig pen I know I know you you're saying testing That's not me I ain't never been to no pig pen I ain't never been to no farm well let me submit to you and share with you that a pig pen may not just be a physical place but it can be a metaphorical place a pig pen is a place where you're connected with people beneath you and you're in a place that's beneath you wherever you are connected and desiring stuff that's beneath you you're in the Pigpen I wish I had some real honest people that can testify oh that makes sense now my job's a pigpen my my relationships are pick me and winner ever you are connected in places and people that are beneath we are guess what baby you're in a pigpen your mill is getting sit to a pig pen and I know you look good but you troll from a pig pin this morning and you're gonna go back to a pig pen when you leave somebody ought to understand that sometimes you find yourself I know I know pgu you out there now I'm serious and I'll be honest which I'm not just preaching to you I'm preaching with you because all of us have found ourselves in some pig pens some mistakes and some things you've done I mean come on that I mean I know you act righteous but you're more ratchet come on let's be honest there are some moments it's you risk that you could just be honest and I know you got your nice clothes on and all that but all of that is nothing but Pigpen stuff I know that's hard but let me go and mess with your living let me share with you I know you hated it I know it was disgusting I know it was despicable I know that you sat in that Pigpen and you thought to yourself I never thought I would be here but let me share with you why sometimes God blesses us with Pigpen sometimes I God allows us to have the understanding of his sovereignty and peopling because while he was in the Pigpen he had a moment the Bible says that while he was at the lowest of low hanging out with pigs in a pig pen desire with pigs won't the Bible says he came to himself CSP said he came to a senses in other words an epiphany hit him one day he he started to think you know what I'm better than this I'm I'm better to know who I'm hanging with I'm better than where I am and I just believe that where I was before was better and I wonder is there anybody here that's ever have one of those moments where you came to yourself I mean I well while he was getting used to it but now you look around and say I'm better than yes you started to think I'm better than where I am do me a favor shove that neighbor real harder and tell him you better than where you are understand I don't care what you are dealing with I don't care where you are I don't care what your consequence is hard sometimes you need a moment to just come to yourself and something may take longer than others I but just trust and believe all of us will have I'll come to ourself moment all of us will have a time where all of a sudden is going click in your mind and you know what why am i settling for something less than Who I am sometimes you need the Pigpen to know your own value decision feel the Pigpen that I'm better the way I am and I need to go back to the presence of the Father Bobby was the worst player on his baseball team matter of fact they just liked having him around but Bobby really had no business on the team he was not athletic he did not have any kind of strength in him but they liked to Bobby and they knew Bobby wasn't gonna play much that year and they had decided well we'll give Bobby a shot hopefully if we're up large in the last of innings will let Bobby play well last game comes here and played all year long but they were up substantially in the last inning crowd starts chanting we want Bobby we won't Bobby dugout start saying we won't Bobby we won't Bobby coast looks down at the end of the bench looks at Bobby said Bobby come on you're up next Bobby good self his clothes are baggy his I mean he barely can fit in a uniform they put a little helmet on his head that's actually too large for his head they give him a bat that's too large for him and before he rolls out there the coach says Bobby just swing as hard as you can you can see crowd going off thing Brown come on Bobby you can do I mean everybody with anticipation he stands up there with this big bat in his hand the first pitch comes and he swings as hard as he can swings around like a helicopter but misses the ball strike one first I don't show it again second pitch come he swings as hard as he can turn us around like a helicopter misses the ball strike two everybody's trying to yell encouraging but down in their heart they're thinking well it's over we tried he had three shots at you but on this third time somehow God graced him in that third time he did what he did on the first pretend sex bed he's now swung as hard as can and miraculously the ball hits the bat and it sprouts out into the outfield it's not just a little dribble of grounder but this is things is flying out to the point where Bobby is just watching the ball everybody's yelling run Bobby run just the bat he starts running he runs it's fast little less you know first base closer I go to second so he's turning the base they like go Bobby go ahead and coach Hills out run home Bobby Bobby hadn't played much so Bobby hit second base takes a sharp left he runs over the pitcher's mound and slides in the home everybody's groaning moaning the umpire yells him out and I know that's bad baseball but that's good Christianity because I'm here to tell you that it don't matter where you are you can steal a run home do me a favor tuck somebody close to you and tell him run Bobby run runner why I don't care what you've done I don't care where you being a runner papi Ronnie here he makes up his mind I need to go home and here's what's amazing he gets up out of the Pigpen he still smells like Pig he still has dirt under his fingernails still slop between his teeth but he decides to walk home this is the mom he steal dirty he still looks like dirt he still looks like the Pigpen but he makes a decision I rather go home so here it is he's walking back home this is where some would challenge the father in this text because Jesus makes an unusual comparison because in the first parable the shepherd goes after the Sheep in the second parable the woman likes a light and sweeps around till she finds a lost cool but in this parable the father does not go after the son he stays at home and I know for some of us we we challenge with that that that to us seems like God is insensitive why why God would you state and I want to submit to you today that you don't understand it's not like that father was standing there trying to twiddle his thumbs no the father was waiting in anticipation because we read the parable that tells us that every day he would come out on the porch waiting for his son to come back can you imagine the intensity of his prayers praying one day his son would come back home can you imagine every day the text says he didn't know win he didn't over time he didn't know in what state he just waited for him to come home until one day he sees a shadowy figure coming in the horizon he recognizes even in the dirt and grime that's his son his son dirty is walking home in the Texas that the father runs to the SOI embraces him and kisses him y'all miss that I wish I had time this is my fifth one y'all shouldn't make me work this hour notice the son is walking and worrying he's shuffling and trying to figure out what's gonna happen when I get home but when the father sees him he runs to him and embraces him and kisses him I know that ain't gonna shut everybody but what I'm grateful for is that this is a perfect picture of God God doesn't wait til you make it all the way home and while you're walking he's running while you're trying to figure it out he's already out there to meet you somebody in here can testify that while you was unsure why you were stammering and stuttering and shuffling God ran out to meet you - I got anybody here that can look over life and there was some uncertainty of how you were gonna get back but before you got all the way back the thing that Mitchell was God himself he's riding while we're walking this way Texas he embraces him and kisses him don't miss this remember in the first one he had disrespected two father he had dishonored his family according to the Deuteronomy law on sight he should be stoned to death but when the father runs to him and embraces him understand what he was doing he was covered because there were people that wanted to see him there people who felt his sein was the probable people who thought he deserved to be stoned but by putting his arms around his dirty so he was telling those that had a problem with him if you gonna get to him you gonna have to come through me I don't know who I'm talking to but there's somebody that ought to be grateful God in bridge two because uh there was a whole lot of people that by right should have stoned you there are so lot of people that right should have deployed you there are a whole lot of people that should not see you because the decisions you made but aren't you glad we got a loving father that he comes out to cover us up and he lets the world know if you gonna get to them you gonna have to come through me and somebody ought to be grateful cuz you still alive because you got a cover and father you still survive because you got a cover and father is not because you perfect no you still dirty but you got a father who that wraps his arms around you and drowse the world if you want them to go down you gotta come through me he embraces him and the text says he kisses him now understand this was not some little smoochy kiss in the Greek that latter and literally means he he he leathers his son with kisses is it's one of them sloppy kind of kisses this now this is to me a little nasty cut the boys still dirty and he still smell like Pippin but the father is so happy to see him that he can't stop kissing on him and I I know there's someone here that that can understand that and how that is so significant because uh I'm because you know any parents in the house I'm amazed when I do baby dedications and parents have these newborns that just do what they want to do I've seen them do some nasty stuff spit up and and do stuff in a paper and parents still be oh you so precious and I and just be loving on them and they got spit up on all you cuz there's something to be said that even though they're dirty and nasty they steer your child and so you want them to know I still love you in spite of your mess out I have somebody that contesta I still love you even though you poo-pooed on yourself I still love you even though you threw up on me I still love you gave him some affection that in antiquity there was also something powerful about what he did in antiquity if someone was to wronged you someone's to do something deplorable to you if you wanted to give them forgiveness if you wanted to pardon them what you would do is you would go up to them and kiss them so by kissing his son he was not just showing affection he was giving him acquittal he was telling his son basically listen hi I know you've got a whole lot of wrong but I forgive you I know you've been some places you shouldn't have been but I forgive you he kissed his son to let his son no I don't care what wrong you've done I still forgive you I know some of you can't say Amen on that that doesn't move you in the spirit I get you I know you don't didn't best you but can I tell you from my perspective not only do I thank God that he's a loving car I thank God he's a forgiving God because there's a lot of people who say they love you up but still hold stuff over you there's a lot of people who say they love you I won't let you live down some things that's not the God we serve you don't just love you up he forgives you as well which means they don't matter what you've done he still says I forgive you now this ain't gonna make everybody get excited maybe there's only about 12 of y'all in here I can look over your light and testify I got a whole lot of stuff but I need to be forgiven for I got a whole lot stuff that I wish that I could undo but here is the good news I even though I can't undo it that does not stop my guard from forgiving me and I want to help somebody today to let you know God is a forgiving guy in Spain there's a popular story of them an estranged father and his son and he's going all through this place called Madrid to find his son but to no avail he comes to a last-ditch thought well he goes to the local newspaper puts an ad in the paper he says dear Paco meet me here at eight o'clock in the morning I forgive you love your day the next morning he's making his way to newspaper place and to his surprise there was a large crowd gathered over 800 people had now come to this gathering spot and as he mingles and greets people he realizes they all have something similar all of them were named Paco so in other words all these Paco's were there trying to get forgiveness from their father come here Paco let me preach to you real quick do me a favor just look at somebody tell them hey Paco God forgives you I know you've been wondering what have you done I know you've been struggling I got good news to tell you there is nothing you can do that God can't forgive you for what I wish Paul was here he said nothing can separate you from the love of God neither height nor depth or principaling at somebody can tell him he'll forgive you God grants us our release God guards us in our rebellion and here it is the final thing God Grace's us in our return because remember at this moment he's still thinking in his mind is over he deserves death but he desires to be a hired worker for his day this hired worker was the lowest level you could work at that time it was people who had no access to the father's house or his state he said I'm willing to come back at the lowest state as long as I'm connected to your father that's what I desire I deserve death but I desire to be the lowest of slaves but notice in the text the father does not give him what he deserves he's not given what he desires he might in this text the father gives him grace grace is as simplified in four things he gives him he gives him a robe ring shoes and a reception that was what he gave him he decided instead of giving him what he deserves and what he desires let me give him some grace so here this role he places on the shoulders of his young son this was the most ornate they in the house it represented I represented significance and honor people knew you based on what you had on here even though the Sun was dirty he was still given a magnificent role it was where the father was selling the son you still matter you still have a value wasn't just a role he gave him but he also gave him a ring he pulled out his finger and put his ring these rings were called Signet rings they held the family crest after their and this was important because the ring symbolized Authority and wherever the son would go and people saw his ring they would realize that I'm not giving him based on his power and his authority but the one who gave him the ring is the one who has all the authority gave him a robe he gave him a ring then he gave him some shoes in that day slaves were barefoot you knew the status of someone based on their Footwear and so for him to give him shoes men he was not a slave he was a son that's why I ancestors while they picked cotton in the field used to sing songs such as you got shoes I got shoes all of God's children got shoes because shoes signified sonship yet he tells him he calls back and like he does in the first and second parable Jesus enforces there is a celebration because there cannot be restoration without rejoicing but yet there still needs to be a debt paid because of what the son has done even though the father has covered him even though the father has given him grace there's still a debt that has to be paid back in the day in Ireland there was a major famine where this landlord had these leases and it was such a horrible potato famine that they lost their crops and for a few months they could not pay their rent they sat together collectively sent a letter to their landlord and asked him please forgive them of their debts landlord received the letter slep owner on the next day wrote a response and sent it back to them and the first line of the letter to respond simply says I cannot forgive you of your debts but as they kept reading they realized but let me give you something that should hopefully satisfy your issue and enclosed in their correspondence was what amounted to them a check that surpassed what they owed and gave them a little more in other words the landlord realized you don't have the power to pay yourself so let me give you what you need to pay me maybe that didn't help you let me tell you a few weeks ago I happened to be preaching in Indianapolis Indiana from a good friend James Jackson for the 14 church anniversary of new beginnings church and after church we decided to go downtown to have some dinner it was during the NFL Draft Combine it was jammed packed and it was hard finding a parking spot there was one spot that was open but there was a meter there we kept going by Dan Jack kept going by and said Jack just pull in he said man I don't feel like feeding the meter didn't say Jack just get in the parking spot I'm home luckily the spot was open he parallel his parks in it he gets out he looks at his console grabs some change and he's walking to the meter bout to put some change in the meter when I say stop Jack read the sign on the side of the meter he gave the rates from Monday through Saturday how long an hour was how long two hours was it told that price and I said but keep reading at the bottom of this meter even though there was rates Monday through Saturday on the bottom it read but it's free on Sunday in other words every other day it would have cost but because it's Sunday it's free yelling go help me I know that's what some of you saying listen I came all the way to resurrection and he talked about Jesus all day well let me tell you Jesus is in the text because when you read verse 23 it responds where we learn what was gonna pay the price for what the son had done the Bible says that in order for the party to take place the father says bring me the fatted calf I know that don't shout you but understand the fatted calf in that day was a choice animal it was an animal that was born and bred for one purpose to die that was a simple role of the fatted calf it was fed well it was given what it was needed but nobody would be able to appreciate it because it was only one roller for the fatted calf and that was for it to dive that's why when he says bring me the fatted calf what they were basically getting ready to do was to kill the fatted calf because in order for this board to move from being dead to alive and lost and found something had to die I knew what some of you saying why is that important to us well can I tell you that just like this father in this text knew that this son needed a fatted calf our God our Father in heaven knew the same thing he knew that the wages of sin was death he knew that there was a penalty that we could not pay ourself so what he decided to do was to provide his own aesthetic aim but when it came time to get a fatty cab he decided to interview people but they were not able to satisfy the requirements to be our fatted calf he asked about Abraham but he couldn't do it he asked Moses and he couldn't do it yes no and he couldn't do it Enoch walked with him but he still couldn't do it he asked Nehemiah and Deborah and went down the list until somebody raised their hand and said father I'll be there fatty cash and the one that raised his hand was his only begotten Son by the name of Jesus that's why he came down forty and to generations that's why we learned that he walked the dusty roads of Palestine but 33 years he went around doing good and miracles but don't get it twisted he knew that his only responsibility and it was to die so that me and you could leave that's why as we commemorate this holy week my brothers and sisters I understand that Good Friday was not just a day that you can get off work Good Friday was not just a day so you can just appreciate having a moment of refuse Good Friday was a day when I Fetty care decided that he was gonna lay down he is alive don't get it twisted no one took his life he laid down his life because he'd already met with his disciples in the upper room when his betrayer came upon him he knew that is time for me to be on third as a sacrifice and that's all that happened on that good Friday is our fatty cab got a wood beam on his back there we've got very careful with 39 and lashes they smoked him in the face and I fatted calf it was laid down the V dilarosa and while he walked him the V Taylor rule shop people curse that here my and they told him if you're the Son of God save yourself but he continued on down the V Dellacroce some until he found his way on a hill cold calorie can y'all journey with me to Calvary real quick because while he was there they laid him on his cross B they put nails in one half and nails in the other half they had placed a crown of thorns on his head and they lifted him up off the ground because they assumed that if we kill the fatted calf it would be over but what they didn't understand that he had already said o people learn to me and that's what happened on that Friday the Bible says and he gave his self up to the Father and on that Friday he died I wish I had a Baptist Church look at somebody and tell him he died he died unto the Sun refused to shine he died until the moon was tripped in blood keep tied up to therefore rocked in real time he died two dead people got up out of the grave and I'm here telling you that they thought he was dead I can imagine that death him the grave started having a party cuz all night Friday he was still in the grave and Satan called the grave and said is he still in there he said don't worry I still got him in my grave huh all day Saturday yeah he stayed in the grave and Satan called the grave and said do you still got him and the gray says Satan nobody's left me Moses is still here Abraham still here nobody has ever been able to do it but on Sunday morning then dead the grave cold say tada and this time he said we got a problem have my Launch System than we know and that only means two things either somebody broke it or somebody broke out that's all I came to tell you on that third day they thought he was in the grave but grab somebody by the hand I shake their hand as the neighbor they thought he was dead but neighbor April Fool's he ain't paid but a Sunday morning or to have somebody here grab somebody by the hand look them in the face give them your best preached of ours and say on Sunday morning he got about the dream that's good news for us I'm here to tell you that's why I love them that's why I presume that's why I preach like I do cuz you don't know like I know what the law one has done for me and my grandma said if somebody does something for you that you can't do for yourself him somebody just something nice for you the least you ought to do is tell him thank you do me one last favor leaned over on somebody and say you ought to be grateful he died for you he rose for you you got a sin debt that he paid and my grandma told me since jesus paid it all all to him I owe sin had left a crimson stain but now I'm awash widest no touch somebody and tell him it was the blood it was the blood it was the blood it was the blood shouting shouting this one for mere touch sweet people tell him he wants your best God won't you bet God won't you back dirty but come back hurt but come back starving come back God loves you

Channel: Tabernacle Baptist Church Augusta

Views: 9,399

Keywords: Tabernacle Baptist Church, Rev.Dr.Charles E.Goodman Jr., LOST, Lost and Found, Luke

Id: 9qf0OP-WGto

Length: 48min 26sec (2906 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 14 2018