Rock Bottom Redemption by Pastor Steve Lombardo (Luke 15:11–32)

``And and I wanna do what I wanna do. I wanna go where I wanna go. And maybe that was you at one time in your life. Maybe that's a son or daughter or grandson or granddaughter right now. I don't know, but you know somebody who's going through that. And they're off in the far country right now, and they're partying, and they're living it up, and they know what's right. They know what they ought to do. They know better than that. You didn't raise them that way. Right? I think we can learn something from the story as well. The father ran to the son. When? When the son took the first step back. [00:35:19] (33 seconds)  #ProdigalReturn

We have the written word of God, the the real account of a of a real man who was not just a man. He was truly God who stepped in the time and space to go to the cross for your sin and my sin to be raised from the dead the third day and then to ever change the course of human history. This is not fairy tale. This is not a fable. This is recorded human history. It's our creator God making a way for us to know him and be forgiven and to have eternal life the way that he created it to be. And we are blessed even more than the disciples because we have the entire written word of God. Remember the disciples, they didn't have all that in their head when Jesus was preaching these parables. [00:11:50] (38 seconds)  #HistoricalJesus

He woke up to the reality of how good his father was. The light comes on. For any of you younger people here, your parents are still around, let me just encourage you here. Your parents want what what's best for you. They're not just trying to make your life miserable. They're not just trying to to put a damper on your social life. Your parents want what's best for you. They want for you to succeed. They want for you to grow. They want you to love Jesus. They want you to be saved. They have your best interests in mind. But now everybody, look up here. That's God for you. He wants what's best for you. [00:25:23] (41 seconds)  #FatherlyLove

God's ways are different from our ways, and that's why we study his ways in this word. And we keep his ways. We keep his commands not because we gain our own righteousness through it, but because they're for our good. That's why we do it. Our salvation is not based on whether we can walk in God's ways. Our salvation is based upon faith in Jesus Christ as the one who provides for salvation. His death, his resurrection, not of works so that nobody can boast. But his ways are here, and we commit to his ways because they're the best. [00:26:05] (37 seconds)  #FaithNotWorks

And it was funny because in the ancient world, only people of a low status ran because they were executing orders for someone else. For a free patriarch to run meant he was voluntarily behaving like a slave. And that's how much the father loved his son. He'd run to him and embrace him as a slave would run. I don't care. There's my son. He's coming back. And ultimately, that is a picture of what God does in Jesus Christ. [00:30:18] (32 seconds)  #HumbleLove

The older brother had a resentful reaction because in his mind, he was the one that did everything right. He's the one that didn't run away. He's the one that didn't wish his father dead. He's the one that didn't spend his money on partying and prostitutes. He's the one that stayed home and did what he was asked to do. He never complained about it. And yet now his brother was being treated with this much love and kindness and mercy. And the reaction of the older brother revealed his heart. And here's the truth. The older brother was just as lost as the younger one. [00:32:36] (39 seconds)  #RighteousButLost

He wants his inheritance so that he can live his own life. Now this wasn't unheard of in the day for someone to get their inheritance before their father died. It wasn't unheard of. However, it was a move that brought great shame upon the family. This is the ancient Near East. The ancient Near East culturally is more similar to Asia than it is to the West and to America. It's a culture of honor and shame. And for a son to do this, a son is basically saying, I wish you were dead now, dad, so I can get what I have coming to me so I can go live my own life so I can throw off all the responsibilities that you're given me, and I can do my own thing. [00:20:23] (45 seconds)  #RecklessInheritance

The answer is through brutality. Because in brutality, you silence rebellion rebellious people and rebellions throughout your kingdom. There was one in the time around Jesus. You might have seen the movie Spartacus. It's a real story about a a uprising, a rebellion. And at the end of the day, the Romans crucified 6,000 men, women, and children along a road called the Appian Way. For a 100 miles, you could see people suffering in anguish over days, dying as they suffocated on their own blood on these cross, including little kids. [00:17:12] (46 seconds)  #AncientBrutality