Sunday First Service | Parables: Mirrors of the Soul #6 | Pastor Robert Montgomery

And notice, the father goes out to the older son too. He wouldn't just waiting on the younger one. He ran out to the older son. He pursued both whether they're in rebellion, whether in religion, he runs toward both. And here's how you know you understand this parable. You celebrate someone else's restoration. See, religion keeps score, but grace throws parties. One son was lost in a far country, the other was lost in the front yard. [01:30:21] (40 seconds)  #CelebrateRestoration

Everything the father have is already his but he didn't know it. Why? Because resentment blinds you to abundance. Resentment blinds you to abundance. He cannot be thankful for what he had. He cannot rejoice with his father. He cannot love his brother not because he lacked resources, because he lacked relationship, fellowship, and that's terrifying. Think about Jonah. When Jonah was sent to Nineveh, Jonah tried his best to run away from god's call. Right? [01:26:27] (41 seconds)  #ResentmentBlocksAbundance

So even when we are yet sinners, Christ died for us. Your worst, he still loves you the same. Your best, he still loves you the same. You can't increase his love. You can't decrease it. The father doesn't wait. He runs to meet you. He restores the prodigal. He restores his identity by putting a robe on him. He restores his authority by putting a ring on his finger. He restores his sonship by putting new sandals on his feet. He restores celebration with a feast. [01:29:43] (37 seconds)  #LoveRestoresAll

He rehearses confession. He plans to return as a servant but the father restores him as a son and that's what true repentance looks like. You think about in David, how bad David messed it up, right? David's on a rooftop and the Bible actually says, it's the time that kings should be at war. Was David doing what he's supposed to be doing? No. He was hanging back on the rooftop. Looking at places he shouldn't have been looking at. As you see, Bathsheba. [01:12:58] (40 seconds)  #RepentanceRestores

So, some of us may see ourselves in this mirror of rebellion. Think about this. You've wandered. You've compromised. You've drifted. Father isn't waiting to lecture you. He's looking down the road for you to come back to him. Think about it in the Garden Of Eden. After Adam and Eve had sinned, they had they were walking with god. They knew the sound of him walking in the garden. They mess up big time. First thing they do is run and hide. Who comes looking for him? [01:16:00] (35 seconds)  #FatherChases

He had two thirds of everything, but he was angry over one celebration. That's what happens when gratitude disappears. When gratitude leaves, entitlement grows. Instead of being grateful for what we have, we become entitled to what we don't have, and entitlement hardens the heart. Verse 31, it says, and he said to him, son, you are always with me and all that I have is yours. Everything the father had was already his. He coulda asked for a party any day of the week and he woulda got it but he never asked. [01:25:11] (46 seconds)  #GratitudeNotEntitlement

So, the younger son is essentially saying, dad, I want your stuff. I don't want nothing to do with you. Give me what's mine because I'm ready to get on out. Rebellion always begins with independence. Think about the enemy, the devil. This dude is in the presence of almighty god and yet somewhere in his head, he comes up with this thing that I'm going to ascend my throne above god's, above the most high. [01:01:23] (34 seconds)  #IndependenceBegetsRebellion

We hold bitterness in thinking we're actually affecting the other person, but all you're doing is killing yourself. You allow the enemy to come in and do whatever he wants to do in your life. Paul said in Ephesians four twenty seven, don't give place to the devil. If you got bitterness and unforgiveness in your life, you're given a place to the devil, and you're on his playground. He don't play by the rules. And out of god's goodness and mercy, as long as that's there, then you're carrying it until you surrender that to him. [01:34:06] (35 seconds)  #DontGiveDevilPlace

Repentance is not an emotional regret, right? It actually brings change to your life. It's not a worldly sorrow. Well, I'm sorry that I got caught. I'm sorry that I messed up but it brings change to our lives. That's what repentance is. When we're living and going the way that we wanna go, Proverbs says, every every man does what's right in his own eyes but in the end, it leads to death. [01:11:58] (22 seconds)  #RepentanceChangesLife

He squandered his estate in wild living. Notice the progression. Number one, he demands. He demand what was his, right? Number two, he departed. Number three, he devoured. And number four, he despairs. See, nobody plans to end up in the pigpen. You just gradually drift that way. I guarantee you, the prodigal son, when he asked for everything that was his and the father gave it to him, he was not thinking, man, I'm going this is all going end well right in feeding the pigs, right? [01:10:38] (37 seconds)  #DemandDepartDevourDespair

So, that's exactly what rebellion does. Rebellion says, I know better. I won't control. I'll take the blessings. I'll take the gifts. I'll take the freedom without submitting to any authority. You know, talking to to Christians over the years doing ministry. A lot of them will say, man, I'm just like the apostle Paul. It's just me and the holy spirit. What they have failed to realize is even the apostle Paul was submitted to authority. [01:02:02] (30 seconds)  #FreedomWithoutSubmission

But here's the problem, his assets. He had assets but he didn't have with the father. He had property, but he didn't have intimacy. He had inheritance, but he didn't have gratitude. The hidden greed, the older son was just as greedy as the prodigal son. The younger brother said, give me what's mine. The older brother said, you owe me more. The same root expressed differently. One rebelled outwardly, and one rebelled inwardly. The other left home emotionally. One left home physically. [01:23:21] (46 seconds)  #AssetsWithoutIntimacy

And three times, he told me, you can't handle it. And I still said, I wanna know. He said, okay. I'm a give you a glimpse. It's gonna be less than a second because what's gonna happen is your heart's gonna blow out of your chest if I give it longer than that. I said, fine. 20 I'm just, like, 26, 27 years old. Right? Know everything. So it's like he he flipped the switch, and as soon as he flipped it, he flipped it off. [01:21:34] (30 seconds)  #DivineGlimpse

And, literally, the compassion and love I felt in my heart. And I can go back and plug into that today. I'm not gonna do it because I'm up here, I'll become undone as Isaiah says. But it's love that I cannot tell you. The greatest love you have for your kids or your family does nothing to compare in his love for you. It's an overwhelming love and compassion, and that's his heart for each one of us. He only wants what's best for each one of us. [01:22:05] (35 seconds)  #OverwhelmingLove

Know god. That means intimately know him. That don't mean know about him. The Bible says, even the demons believe and tremble. They're not getting to spend eternity with the father. Those who truly know him intimately are gonna be the ones that spend eternity with him. So, knowing the father's heart, you know, several years ago, I was asking god, I wanna feel what you feel toward lost people [01:21:06] (29 seconds)  #KnowGodIntimately

Warm fuzzy thought for you. The day of judgement, there's gonna be people who stand before god and say, lord, I prophesied in your name. I cast out demons in your name and he's still gonna say to them, depart from me because I never knew you. Is that a scary thought? Absolutely. It's not about your works. It's about your relationship. Do you know him? The Bible says in John seventeen three, this is eternal life that you know god. [01:20:26] (37 seconds)  #RelationshipOverWorks

Listen to the older son's words. This son of yours, right, didn't even call him his brother. I never disobeyed your command, he said. That's self righteousness speaking. He was externally obedient but internally accusing. This is the danger of religion. You can attend church. You can serve faithfully. You can obey outwardly and still be far from the father's heart. Yeah. See, I go in my garage quite a bit, but that don't make me a car. [01:18:55] (47 seconds)  #AppearancesDontEqualHeart

So, over the past several weeks, we've looked at different parables as mirrors, right? Jesus didn't tell stories to entertain. He taught stories to show ourselves. Right? Where do you see yourself in the parables? Parables don't just reveal the truth but they show areas in our life that we may need to address. Right? Every week so far, we've held a mirror up for the last five weeks. This is week number six, and we've asked three things. Where am I in this story? [00:55:40] (41 seconds)  #ParablesAreMirrors

And today, we've come to one of the most, in my opinion, one of the most famous parables of all talking about the prodigal son. But I want to suggest something to you during this. This is not just the parable of the prodigal son. It's the parable of two lost sons. And also one pursuing father So today, listen for someone. Don't listen for someone else. Listen for you personally. [00:56:27] (35 seconds)  #TwoLostSonsOneFather

So let this be personal. Let us let's be honest because this is the mirror that doesn't flatter. It reveals. And so as we get into this, it's in the chapter of, 15 of Luke. We're just gonna read through verses 11 through 32 here. This New King James version, it says, then he said, a certain man had two sons and the younger of them said to his father, father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me. So he divided them them as livelihood, [00:57:21] (32 seconds)  #MakeItPersonal