42: Luke 15:Preaching/Teaching

The hope of the resurrection!

EOT-Gods

EOS- We must embrace the resurrection-

DDS-That we would embrace the resurrection as our place to find life.

The resurrection is more than a fairy tale!

But growing up it was not much more than a fairy tale to me.

Growing up the resurrection did not have any REAL implications on how I lived.

Now if you asked me if I believed in the resurrection I would have said yes. But it was not because of the many proofs of it. Yes there are a lot of proof that Jesus died and rose again. I love what Charles Colson says:

“I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren't true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world-and they couldn't keep a lie for three weeks. You're telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years?

This or the many other proofs is not why I believed the resurrection growing up.

The reason I believed the resurrection was because I had heard about the resurrection at different moments throughout my life.

But it was not wondrous. It was just oh yeah the resurrection.

I never embraced the resurrection because I did not think it was directly tied to life itself.

Life too me was tied up in the accomplishment and accumulation of stuff.

I have shared a lot about sports in my life and how I looked for life in sports. I accumulated a lot of accomplishments in sports-But I kind of feel like those accomplishments will be like my kids state tournament accomplishments 5,10,30 years from now.

It will be a medal in the closet with Rust on it.

In 1998 I finally embraced the resurrection.

It was then that I realized that real life is only connected to it.

Where do you look for life in:

Is it your job, your family, success, social media, is it netfliz?

Where do you really look for life?

Does the resurrection have real implications on how you live?

People have all time been looking for life:

I love what Pascal says

Today I want to challenge us to embrace the resurrection because I believe real life can only be found in it.

REASON #1

1. We must embrace the resurrection because worldly hedonism is fleeting (11-16).

1 Corinthians 15:32 NASB95

If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.

Paul literally gave his life to proclaim the good news of the resurrection.

Paul is basically saying if the resurrection is not true then the way he is living is stupid.

He should just pursue the easy life the American dream and die like everyone else.

We are going to look at the story of the prodigal son.

The worldly Hedonist:

He rejected any authority (11-12)

Luke 15:11–12 NASB95

And He said, “A man had two sons. “The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them.

Explain the significance of saying this: Dad I want you dead.

Next time your kid says they don’t want to clean their room, that is not going to sound so bad.

I saw a video from a school in Houston where a teacher took up a kids phone and the kid literally hit this teacher.

Examples of this today:

Our culturee today hates authority.

When I was a player, the coach was right.

Today if their is a disagreement the player is usually considered right.

If there is an abusive authority in our life we should reject it, but this was a healthy authority.

Notice the dad doesn’t get mad, he actually gives him what he asks for

He lived Recklessly (13-14)

Luke 15:13–14 NASB95

“And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. “Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished.

Would it not be great to be able to do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. This kid did that and it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

Maybe story of Geoff-He should not worry about losing his marriage, he should worry about losing his life.

Sin will take you farther than you want to go, it will keep you longer than you want to stay, and it will cost you more than you want to pay.

Reckless living sounds fun and appealing. And I am sure it is until it isn’t anymore.

What areas of your life are reckless right now?

You may not end up impoverished but where are you reckless?

He came to the end of his rope (15-16)

Luke 15:15 NASB95

“So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

I know this is hard for us to swallow-because if you have been to first watch we know they have the best bacon in the world-

But Jewish people do not eat bacon

Luke 15:16 NASB95

“And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him.

This young man was not the first person to try to find life by doing whatever he wanted.

We have seen throughout history men and women who have climbed higher than anyone else:

Listen to what Tom Brady said:

BRADY: …There’s times where I’m not the person that I want to be. Why do I have three Super Bowl rings, and still think there’s something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, “Hey man, this is what is.” I reached my goal, my dream, my life. Me, I think: God, it’s gotta be more than this. I mean this can’t be what it’s all cracked up to be. I mean I’ve done it. I’m 27. And what else is there for me?

KROFT: What’s the answer?

BRADY: I wish I knew. I wish I knew…

Tom Brady can literally do whatever he wants and what does he say, it is empyt.

Listen to what Jim Carey said:

“I think everybody should get rich and famous and have everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that that's not the answer.”

Application:

Are problem is we want to much of the world, and not enough of God.

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”― C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, and Other Addresses

Reason #2

2. We must embrace the resurrection because we were created for a life giving relationship with God (17-24)

YOU WERE CREATED FOR THIs

He realized there was a problem

Luke 15:17 NASB95

“But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!

Why did he come to his senses: Because he realized that he was eating pigs food and his fathers hired men were eating good. His fathers men may not have been killens but his fathers workers were eating Chikfila, he was willing to eat pig food.

There is a problem. The problem is we were born with a sin nature in a sinful world.

Realizing that their is a sin problem is hard.

I realized this in 1998 that I was a sinner.

There are all kinds of sinners but I was one of them and I was guilty.

Do you really believe your sin is serious?

The prodigal realized the seriousness of his sin .

He came up with a plan

Luke 15:18–19 NASB95

‘I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.” ’

He took action and he made a confession.

Now I love this because when we sin it affects those around us that we love. But what I love about his confession here is that sin first and foremost is against our creator.

But it also affects others and he said I have sinned against heaven.

Confession is no fun.

But we cannot get right with God unless we confess our sin to him.

Luke 15:20 NASB95

“So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

The son left the father. Sometimes when someone does something that was as bad as this kid it could destroy the family for life.

However, the fathers love is powerful.

I wonder if each night before the father went to bed if he just sat their and thought about his son, prayed for him, hoped that maybe he would come back.

Because when he was far off the father saw him.

Notice the father initiated with the son.

He did not say I told you so, he embraced him and kissed him.

Derrick Drake story-grew up in a Christian Home-Went to a Christian school and got mixed in with the wrong crowd, yes their are kids at Christians schools who are not living very Christianly. He got busted doing things he was not supposed to be doing. The president called him in and told him you have 24 hours to have everything off of the facility. He called his dad, it was the hardest call he ever had to make. When his dad arrived the next morning he expected to hear about the how bad he messed up, instead he was greeted with his fathers embrace, I love you son!

Luke 15:21 NASB95

“And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

He experienced God’s greater plan

We we come to God like this young man we experience God’s greater plan.

Luke 15:22–24 NASB95

“But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.

How many of us are settling on less than God’s best.

Christianity is a celebration to be had, not a religion to be followed.

One of our core values is that it is about a relationship, not a religion.

Reason #3

3. We must embrace the resurrection because dead religion is worthless (25-32).

Dead religion does not exhibit joy

Luke 15:25–26 NASB95

“Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. “And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be.

What is going on?

This guy was such a joy killer, that when he hears music and celebration = it is so foreign to him he said what is going on?

Could this be why some people do not come to church.

There is a book I read back in college and the premise said a lot of unchurched people have no problem with Jesus they have a problem with church.

Church let us not be people who do not exhibit joy.

This was my misconception as a kid, my picture was dead religion. I wanted enough of it to check it off a checklist but I wanted no part of it with my life.

Dead religion is jealous of others (27-28)

Luke 15:27–28 NASB95

“And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’ “But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him.

He was angry that something good happened to his brother.

Notice though that the Father’s heart was the same towards both brothers. He wanted relationship with both of them.

Notice also that the hedonistic brother and the religious brother wanted the same thing, they wanted their father’s stuff more than they wanted their father.

Why was he angry: because he did not understand grace:

GODS

RICHES

AT

CHRISTS

EXPENSE

EXPLAIN Grace and the gospel.

This older brother was missing the good news of the gospel.

Grace tells us that even though we deserve death God gives us life

Grace tells us that we are loved even in our rebellion and that if we will simply come back he will kill the fattened calf and throw a party for us and all our friends.

Dead Religion rejects the very heart of God (29-32)

Luke 15:29–32 NASB95

“But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ “And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. ‘But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’ ”

Christianity isn’t about bad boys and girls becoming God it is about God bringing the dead back to life.

That God could take this young man and make him new.

This is what our world needs to hear right not.

Closing-

Today if you have never come home to the father, ever. Do that today, begin a relationship with him and come home.

I did this in 98 in a dorm room. I told God I was a sinner and that I wanted to accept what Jesus had done for me on the cross, and it was in an old dorm room where I began a relationship with God. I was able to do this because Jesus died on a cross and defeated death.

If you are a believer here today

I want to challenge you with two things

One-Let’s not let this news be old. Let’s embrace the resurrection each day

Two-Let’s know that this is the hope of the world and that we get to live it right in front of the world