“From Death to Life”

Look with me if you will in Dr. Luke’s account of the gospel and turn to the 15 chapter. And it’s in the 15th chapter of Luke where our Lord tells 3 parables. And it’s the last parable that I want to dwell with on this youth Sunday.

And it’s in the 11th verse that I want to drop anchor for a few moments of your time this morning.

I want to take our subject from the a clause of that 24th verse where in you’ll find these words recorded therein

“For this my son was dead, and is alive again;”

And it’s from this verse that I want to preach from this thought “From Death To life”

Look at your neighbor and tell your neighbor “From Death to Life”

Now normally when we hear this phrase it’s the other way around from life to death. But as we examine the text on today when we see that this young man in our text went From Death To Life”!

For in our text on today we find the master telling a parable about a man who had two sons.

And a parable is nothing more than: “an earthly lesson used to set forth a spiritual lesson.”

It’s here in the 11th verse where we find Jesus telling a story to the publicans and Pharisees. And he’s starts out by saying that a certain man had two sons:

And the bible goes on to say that the younger of these two sons came one day and asked his father for his portion of the inheritance.

Now what he was really saying was is father I wish you were dead.

And the reason that I feel that he wish his father was dead is for the fact that you don’t normally get your inheritance until your parents have passed away.

And church it was at this moment that this young man began to die spiritually.

For anytime you get to the point in your life young people that you wish your parents were dead you have already started to die spiritually.

I know that sometimes in life young people our parents may say or do something’s that we may not agree with but never wish that were dead.

For the bible says in Exodus 20:12 it says “Honor your father and mother that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God gives you.”

For when all of your friends and so called friends have left you your parents will be all you have left.

So the story goes on to say that father agreed to divide his wealth between his two sons.

And not many days after the younger son packed all of his belongings and took a trip to a distant land and there he wasted his money on wild living.

Now first of all the bible says is he went to a distant land. And the first thing I want to point out to you is that anytime you are out of the will of God you are certainly in a distant land.

Anytime you leave home the wrong way you are in a distant land. Young people anytime that you think you don’t need your parents you are in a distant land.

Now this young man certainly didn’t honor his father by asking for his inheritance before his father died.

And so the story goes that he spent his money on wild living. Let make this relevant to the now time.

For here in 2009 wild living would consist of going to the club, buying top of the line clothing.

Going to the car lot and buying the most expensive car on the lot.

Spending money on fast woman or going to the dog tracks and gambling it away.

Even buying drugs is a form of wild living. How many of you know that money can buy you friends but not friendship.

And you know the bible says in:

1stTimothy 6:10 “For the love of money is the root of all evil:”

For you see young people money itself want the problem this young man had but it was his love for money that made him feel that his father owed him his portion of his father’s estate.

For this young man felt that he was grown now and no longer needed his father and that all he needed was money and he could make it.

But I stopped this morning youth to tell you that money isn’t everything. For you can have the money in the world and still be messed up.

For the bible goes on to say that at the same time his money ran out there was a great famine swept over the land.

Now you see young people this is a prime example of what happens when you spend all your money and never hold anything back for a rainy day.

For you see God always know how to get our attention. For he waited right good to he had spent his last dime and then he allowed a famine to fall into the land. For the bible says in:

Psalms 24:1

“The earth is the LORD’S, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein”

For the bible goes to say that while there was a famine in the land he began to starve.

Now here is a young man whom when he was at home he had everything money could buy and never had to do any work. He had plenty of food to eat everyday.

Never had to worry about where his next meal was coming from.

So while he was starving he decided to persuade a local farmer to hire him to feed the pigs.

And it was while he was in the pig pin feeding them there husks that he got so low that he was considering eating the husks the pigs were eating.

And husks are the dry, rough, and useless outside covering of anything.

It was the part that was only fit for a pig. So whenever you get to the point that you want to eat what pigs eat you are almost as low as you can go in life. You are at the point of taking your own life.

And the reason that he wanted to eat pig food is because no man would give him anything.

And the bible goes on to say that he finally came to his senses and said to himself that even at home my fathers hired men have enough food to spare for me to eat. And I’m here starving to death.

Well Church as I get ready to close this message on out.

The bible says that this young man said I’ll go back home and say to my father that I have sinned against heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called your son.

Make me as one of your hired servants. I need to tell you today that it was at this moment that he began to live again.

So the story goes on to say that as he was headed home and while he was still a great distance away his father saw him coming. And ran and meet his son and hugged him and kissed him.

And this same son who left home proud and boastful came back home humbled, broke busted, and disgusted.

He left home wishing his father was dead but he came back home looking for his father to hire him.

But the father said hurry and bring forth the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet.

For this my son was dead and is alive again.

“From Death To Life”

For while this son was out there doing his own thing he was dead in sin. For when he came back home he became alive again.

It’s not always how you leave home rather how you come back home that count’s.

For the bible says in the book of Proverbs the 22nd chapter and the 4th verse “By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honor, and life.”

Because this young man came home humbled and fearing the lord. He had more riches than he did when he left.

Then once again in the book of Proverbs the 22nd chapter and the 6th verse says:

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Now it didn’t say that he wouldn’t stray away but it said he wouldn’t depart from it.

But as I get ready to take my seat!

I just stopped by to let you know that you can go from death to life.

But in order to go from death to life you must come to your senses.

Then you must return home humbled and then and only then can you go from death to life.

Is there anybody in here this morning that you know you were once dead in sin but then the Lord stepped and you went from death to life? If so then you ought to be a witness for the Lord.

For the bibles says in the book of Romans the 6th chapter and the 23rd verse: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

When the prodigal son was out there living wildly he was living in sin. And the price of sin is death. But the moment he came to himself and went back to his father he came back to life.