What to do when you're far from Home
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Intro and Tension
Intro and Tension
What do you do, when you feel far from God? What happens when you feel like you don’t belong?
One Week Sermon Series |
Title: Are you far from home?
My Hope: You will come home | Get close to the Father | Figture out his Will for your life.
**Prayer**
How good is it being Home | No Place Like Home | Vacation | Hard Day | Family | Kids run toward me, it’s so good
The problem, some people so far from this place with God | hindering their Walk | Calling | Commitment to the Body | What God wants to do through you.
If you feel far from Father, Far from Home, Far from Belonging - This message is for you. If you don’t - mes for you
God’s Revelation | Spirit, Word, People | Read, but I pray today, you get a FRESH, REVELATION - Let’s Humble Ourselves to God’s Word.
Parable of Prodigal Son - Classic - Fresh revelation.
And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them.
Remember = Parable | Jesus trying to teach them something | Characters are representations of people.
This is significant = Context - older = 2/3rds, Younger 1/3 - Recieve when Dead - What he saying - I want what you have, but I don’t want you - Wished him Dead. | We sit there and go “We would never” and yet, we do.
God’s Plan is not Our Plan and Our Plan should be to be Obedient.
Don’t take things into your own hands | This is what The younger son Did | We want Blessing without Burden
What Father Does | Let’s Him | What do we make of this? | Image of God = He gives us certain elements ONLY GOD can Give = Free Will - Pleased him to do that - We come up with Dumb ideas = He let’s us.
2nd reason = God is willing teach through experience | That’s why your valley, might be a gift | Drawing you to Him |
Kids - Ask you do do something, can’t really explain why they can’t
Misuse of freedom = not going to end well = you can’t really explain it.
God’s Plan is not our plan and our plan should be to be obedient.
OK so father has given = Destroyed his (Fathers) own name
Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.
Deception = When we get a little something, we can leave the father behind.
Business is booming, no time to pray | Marraige is awesome = No biblr | Got healed = no praise no more | We start to drift |
Far Country = Significant = Pagan country = Worshipped pleasure (starting to sound familier) - Distant Country - get away from individuals that may convict me.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
Ok so this young man - Spent all he had | Wasted what Father had given - Listen -
When you are far from home you waste what the father has given you
gifts where for giving | Too many gifted people sitting at home not serving the body |
So spent everything | can’t get worse
And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.
Desperation = Jewish People this was detestable.
Jesus painting picture - Picture of lost sinner - Wants to live context of Selfish Desires - But Famine always takes place, not always physical, but Spiritual WHEN = Caused Famine
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.
This man was so hungry
And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
When you far from Home - You get use to Sloppy.
Distance creates distortion
Distortion of what’s important | Valuable | Your Role | Why you’re here = all of it gets fuzzy.
Some of us are here = We got into a business for God but now we forget why where here | We keep fighting each other in our marriages because we think we need to be fulfilled by the other person | Trials not worth it - not for God anymore | God still trying to teach you something, that’s why he hasn’t delivered you yet, stopped praying |
If this you, let’s join prodigal Son
“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!
When came to myself - What He DID NOT SAY ;
“This is terrible, how do I make it better, how do I make the pig pen better?”
“I got myself into this, I can get myself out” - No - that’s the point
Right now the Holy Spirit may be speaking to you.
Instead of blaming people, he responded;
I will arise and 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. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’
This is what we need to do - When we sinning - Arise, go to Father - Come to him, confess situation, return to your father - If you are slave to GOD, it’s the only time in your LIFE you’ll be FREE - HE is the only one that is FREE.
Wanted to pay him back “Hired Servants”
We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.
But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
How good | Servant of the God most high | he has purpose for you |
The Next Step of Conviction, should be toward the Father
And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
Compassion = Jesus telling parable so we understand heart of God - Waiting anticipation for HIs child to return.
We have trouble with this = When teenager gets home late - Waiting up, Tapping the foot “Where have you been” or “Fancy seeing you here”
Not God = the SMELL - In Pig troth - Throws his arms around him.
Middle of talking
But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
Big Party = Fattened Calf = Most expensive Meat = Whole Village was there = Big Party = Son is Home.
Question;
When Jesus telling the Story what do you think their reaction was? Welling eyes? Excited about the father? No - They where Horrified. Thunderstruck - We read this story and think awww - but Context | Audience tells us otherwise - Jesus is trying to tell them, what you think about the father is wrong |
But Story is not over = Older Brother - Coming back from hard days work, hears music, asks servant - What up ya’ll? He said Bro is bakc | killed Fattened Calf because he is safe | Brother ran with joy - Nope
But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him,
Did not enter - Didn’t want to be house - even same family | Forced Father to come outside - He said “This son of yours” - Doesn’t want to associate with the family at all.
We often say, how dare the older brother - Kanye West - People skeptical - If we no longer believe Jesus can change people…We are in trouble.
Why angry? Fattened calf showed this was the BEST day of HIS FATHERS LIFE - Angry about Cost - Elder brother doesn’t care its the fathers best day. All he cares about is the FAther is using HIS inheritance in a way he doesn’t approve.
but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’
So if he doesn’t care for the father - What does he care for?
He cares for fathers things, not the father. He cares about estate | Goat | Things| but not the fathers…HEART |
Do you care for what the father can give you, or his heart?
He is the one that will inherit, yet, he doesn’t care- just angry - How does Father respond?
Again, tenderly,
And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’ ”
What does older brother say? What is his response? We don’t know. Cliffhanger, Why? What is Jesus trying to say?
Listen - Younger Brother - Clear Depiction of Sin - We always thinks that’s us - But end of teh story, Jesus turns the tables.
2 Sons = Both wants fathers things, and not the father.
Both using the father to get what they want
But one has been doing it by being very very bad, and one by being very very good.
Younger brother gettin control by leaving, Older Brother by staying and obeying.
Younger - Breaking all the rules | Elder = keeping all the rules.
Jesus says - They are both LOST | Both without RELATIONSHIP | Both alienated from the father, and both alienated from GOD.
Inspo and close
Inspo and close
question. Which brother are you.
Is this to condemn. No. Draw you. Give you someone to relate to,
If in your heart of hearts, your language is “I’ve been faithful God, why...”
If you try and be faithful, obedient, ‘good’ but you are angry that God is not coming through for you - Then Jesus may be your boss, your model, but He is not your saviour. Your seeking to be your own saviour.
We are to Obey God, just to get close to God’s heart and do His Will.
It’s enough.
to love him | Delight in him | Reflect him | Serve him | What a Privelage!!
Here is the good news;
2 different types of love - Love because we think it’s valuable - Porche etc.
Love because of the value we give it.
Our Love between God and US, is to be the second one every time.
Teddy - My Daughter loves it - Can’t get much money for it - but she loves it, because it’s hers - Been through the wars, not pretty, not great on the outside - but It’s alexis’ - to her, Worth the WORLD.
Jesus, Love you, because you are HIS - He loves you. Full stop. And we, as Christ followers are to love HIM, because HE is HIM.
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Seek His Heart - Come Home - If you are Far from the Father - Come Home - Come Home.
**PRayer****
**Altar Call**