Embracing God's Love: The Prodigal Son's Journey

What makes it so amazing is that we are all included in it. We're all in it. And, and like a good movie or a good book, you'll be tempted and I'm tempted to try to identify with the hero in the parable. So let me just, you know, level of playing field, you're not the hero in this parable and I'm not the hero in the parable, although we wanna be, and there's something inspiring about the hero in the parable. [00:00:41]

And while I'm talking about me, I have been all the characters in this parable at some season and some season of my life. Like many of you have to. So here's the challenge today, I wanna ask you to try to be as honest as you possibly can be with yourself. I mean, nobody can read your mind just to be, you know, kind of rest your defenses, put down your defenses, be as honest as you can and to find yourself in the parable because that's what a parable is for. [00:01:11]

And Jesus wants to help them get this right. So before we jump into the parable though here, quick question. Don't raise your hand and no elbows, are you a sinner? 'cause he's about to help us understand how God views sinners. So let's decide where we are in the parable. Are, are you a sinner? I, and let me define it for you because as soon as I said sinner, you thought of some things. But I'll make it real simple for you. This is how Jesus defines sin. We've talked about this. Have you ever mistreated someone you qualify? [00:05:37]

And then Jesus said, and isn't it true when you put 'em back in the pen at the end of the day and you went home, you would call all your friends over and have a party and celebrate the fact that you found your lost sheep? And they're like, no, we probably wouldn't. That's a little over the top. And Jesus is, is hyperbole. I mean Jesus is the master storyteller. But his point is, you would be so grateful you would tell someone, Hey, you're not gonna believe what happened today. I was afraid. Wouldn't never see the sheep again. [00:09:19]

And Jesus looks past the Pharisees and the teachers of the law and his own disciples and he finds the women in the, the group. And he says to the women, suppose suppose one of you had 10, 10 silver coins and you lost one. And they know exactly what he's talking about. We have no clue that oftentimes the father would give their daughter coins more than 10 oftentimes and they would sew it into a necklace or to a head covering. And this was the promise to the man who was gonna marry him. Her, it was like a dowry. [00:11:39]

He wants them to know how much the heavenly Father loves those that are across the, the room from them, across the crowd from them. He wants them to know how much their heavenly father loves the people across from them. The ones that are nothing like him, that don't even like them. He wants them to know how much the heavenly Father loves the people that they don't have anything in common with. And he wants you to know. And he wants me to know how much he loves the people across from us as well. [00:14:28]

He was willing, this is amazing. He was willing to let him go. He was willing to let him go. If that's what it took to get him back. How far would you go in order to get him back? The father would say, I would do anything to get him back. The audience. And Jesus audience didn't hear that. Here's what they heard, you sentimental fool. Like what you're gonna ruin. I mean, you spent your whole life accumulating all of this wealth. [00:17:32]

And there we are, all of us right in the middle of this brilliant parable. So here's the question. Who are you in the parable? Are you the, do you relate to the younger brother, kind of off in a distant country doing your own thing? No, you're not doing it right. There's things people don't know. If they found out you'd be in trouble, but hey, you're, you're just, you've kind of wandered off the older brother. You've, you know, you've just pretty much done things right your whole life and you can't understand those people. [00:21:33]

I learned that nobody gets away with sin ever. We think they do. 'cause we look at 'em, we go look at 'em, go look at 'em, go. They just, everything just seems to be fine. That's because we don't know their own, their whole story. We just see the highlight reels. Nobody gets away with sin. So all sin comes prepackaged with a consequence. And all sin comes pre-packaged with regret. But when I came back from the distant country, and boy did I ever know better, I mean, goodness, the way I was raised, I had no excuse. [00:22:18]

And when I began to remove the, a log out of my own eye, what Jesus promise would happen began to happen. Do you remember what Jesus promised would happen? When you remove the log from your own eye, you begin to see clearly. The reason you can't see clearly with a log in your eye is because there's a log in your eye. And I'm so worried about the speck in her eye and their eye. And the, those people look at the specks, look at the stuff in their eye. [00:24:38]

And when I finally learn to try to take into consideration as Jesus models over and over and over, it's not a behavior, it's a person. I was finally able to see what love required Of me. So I pray every day, multiple times a day. And I mean it multiple times a day. It's the first prayer I pray in the morning. It's, it's habitual. I'll be honest. It's like I just, just, heavenly Father, help me to see the way you see, help me to see the way you see, help me to see the way you see and specifically help me to see people the way that you see people. [00:26:43]

And the older son begins to rehearse all the good things he's done for his dad and the fact he never left. And he's been obedient and he's faithful and he's served. And he goes on and on and on. And the dad's nodding and nodding. I know, I know, I know. Great. I I'm not arguing with any of that. But son, you weren't lost to me. Someone I love was lost to me. And so we have to celebrate and be glad because this, he's your brother. He's your brother. This brother of yours was dead and he is alive again. [00:37:36]