Ring and Robe

Ring and Robe (God’s Love)

Luke 15:11-32 NLT; Psalm 18:30b MSG

November 16, 2022 – Waters Edge Church: COLLIDE

INTRODUCTION (1/1)

Collide! How’s everybody doing?…I’m Corey Hise, CP of our NN campus…So excited to be here…gonna be a great day… so excited for what God has in store for us today… preaching on my fav passage from Scripture for 1st time…

Let’s pray: Jesus, thank you for these students, soften our hearts today, move in us, draw ppl to you, love you, Amen

TENSION / THE HOOK (3/4)

Preschool Story…funny…but I was convinced I’d gone too far…like my parents were gonna kill me/send me to boarding school/give me up for adoption/finished/done for/ruined…y’all ever felt like that?

Maybe you’ve never felt like that with your parents… but have you ever felt like that with God? Like you messed up too bad? Sinned one too many times? Finally put God over the edge? Like you’d gone too far?

Well for everyone who thinks they’ve gone too far; I’ve got a story for you…

EXPOSITION (1.5/5.5)

In Luke 15, a bunch of Pharisees (religious try-hards/perfectionists/church bullies) come up to Jesus and they’re upset with Jesus… they ask Jesus “why you hang around w/ all these jacked up people?”… & Jesus is fed up & responds “you really wanna know?” and like a machine gun, he tells them 3 parables/stories & what I love about parables is that every single detail is on purpose, Jesus made them up… he tells them @ the Lost Sheep/Coin/Son…

But the last parable I really love… bc it’s scandalous/holds nothing back/Jesus goes all out in making his point…

Running From God (12.5/18)

Luke 15:11b-12… what a start, this is a crazy ask… this son looks at his dad and says “dad, I wish you were dead already, I’m tired of waiting, can I have my $ now?”… this is huge… would’ve been very disgraceful to family/father… father would’ve had the right to punish his son severely/stone him… but shockingly, the father agrees… the father lets him go his own way (father is God/this is like God with us)… son does what you’d imagine…

Luke 15:13-16…goes crazy partying, like 1999, blows dad’s $, lived it up in Vegas… ultimately, this prodigal son is Running From God…you ever found yourself running from God? like you were done/tired of following all the rules/ wanted to be the boss/play God/do own thing/find own happiness/wanted freedom… Ashley Tent Story

Funny…but we all know running from God doesn’t work…all that freedom/new friends/sinful pleasures don’t last

Look at this son…after running for freedom, he finds himself broke/homeless/starving/friendless… excommunicated from family, renounced his faith, disavowed his heritage (Jew/pigs)…he’s in the pits/rock bottom… for a Jew, he could not be in a worse position… working for a foreigner in pig slop feeding pigs… this is the worst it could ever get

& like many of us, he feels doomed… wants nothing more than to go back to way things used to be… but he’s blown it… he can’t go back/ruined his life/no chance of forgiveness/burned that bridge… he’s messed up too bad…

Luke 15:17-19…what a sad speech… this son is so broken/demoralized/ruined that he’s willing to do anything to come home… knows he’s not worthy to be a son, but willing to be a worker/servant/laborer/slave… knows that his father prob won’t even accept him…knows he may get stoned before he even makes it there

But it’s worth the risk… Luke 15:20-24…20b father was scanning horizon for him/counting the days… 20c father runs (very disgraceful in culture)…20d neighbors would have had the right to stone the son, but father gets in the way…22 father doesn’t even listen to his speech/cuts him off…24

He can’t contain his love…so joyful that his son is now home! father breaks every rule bc he loves his son…no sin/bad choice/nothing changed how much he loved him

Father doesn’t just forgive him, he honors him, goes above and beyond, can’t contain his love… gives him robe, ring, sandals…listen y’all, sandals represented he was a free man, but ring and a robe, meant that he was a part of the family/signified he was his son & nothing could change that… this son was lost & now he is found!

What an amazing picture of God’s love for us… loves us so much… we don’t think like this, but no one is too far gone/too messed up/sinned too bad/been gone too long… where there should’ve been a funeral, there was a feast, stoning/celebration, burial/banquet…where the son couldn’t find pleasure far away, finds joy in the house of his father

Students, the father is scanning the horizon for you! Day & night, his eyes are on you… he doesn’t care what you’ve done/where you’ve been… it has absolutely no effect on his love for you… he just wants you to be with him…

If you’ve been running from God, you can stop now- come to your senses now… stand up out of the muck/pig slop… come home… don’t worry about cleaning yourself off/fixing yourself up/righting the wrongs/preparing your speech… he loves you so much/just wants you to come home…ready to run to you/throw arms around you/welcome you home

Wants to throw party for you!…“heaven ceases to operate” bc lost kid came home… rager/police… wants to cel you

Running For God (8.5/26.5)

Beautiful parable… would think it ends there…would think everyone’s happy/climax great/lost son is home/awesome redemption story… but you’d wrong… bc there’s one person in the story who’s not happy… Luke 15:25-30…

Older son is overcome with anger/jealousy/comparison… can’t celebrate his brother coming home bc he’s so fixed on all he’s been doing for his father… can’t celebrate someone who’s been running from God who comes home bc he’s too busy Running For God… working/striving/performing/slaving for God… And so he doesn’t think it’s fair…

But here’s the truth… you don’t want fair! Fairness is the arch-enemy of grace… if we got fair, Romans says we deserve death, that’s fair… trust me- Pastor said “you don’t want fair, you want forgiveness; you don’t want comparison, you want compassion; you don’t want to be graded, you want His grace!”…older son is missing the point

Being a son has never been @ what was fair… it’s @ being humble enough to recognize that we will never measure up & need his forgiveness…what most ppl miss in this story is that the older son is just as lost as the younger son

But rather than partying/getting drunk/sexual sin/porn… it’s his pride/self-righteousness/activity for God that’s separating him from God… doesn’t matter how much you pray/go to church/worship/serve/give/read Bible, if you haven’t asked Jesus to save you from your sins and lead your life, you’re still lost/outside… as PB says- “going to church makes you a Christian just as much as going to McD’s makes you a big mac”…

Guys, if you see someone worship & you’re sarcastic/someone making better decisions & you’re cynical/harbor resentment/judge other ppl’s faith/struggle to forgive ppl w/ certain sins/worn out from performing/can’t celebrate when lost kids come home…then you may be the older son/on the outside looking in arms-crossed/running for God…

My Story…PK-obsessed w fairness/always compared/couldn’t celebrate-heard this sermon-I’m older bro-appt-CF

Listen guys- today is your appt…if you’re always comparing/trying to out-spiritualize your peers/prove you’re the best/serve God the most/raising hands/reading Bible/amen-ing… you can stop today…bc listen, I’ve got good news for you – if you’re trying to work your way to God, you won’t make it & you won’t earn his love… so stop trying…

For so long, some of you have been running for God trying to earn something that he’s freely given…he died on the cross for you, he loves you unconditionally & his gift of grace is before you… you don’t have to keep running/ working/earning/trying/behaving/acting/performing/striving… the Father simply wants to make you his son/daughter!

Running To God (6/32.5)

Look at how story finishes… beautiful & sad… Luke 15:31-32… younger son dead, now alive… older son (who everyone thought was alive) is clearly dead… no indication older son ever made it into the house…

Older son would rather be right & alone than humble & w/ God…younger son would rather be unworthy & forgiven

In this story- both these sons are in same boat…both brothers wanted to be slaves, but the Father wanted them to be his sons…both prodigal sons believed lie that their actions had something to do with how much father loved them!

God’s love is not based on anything you do or don’t do…your actions have absolutely nothing to do with how much God loves you! he loves each of you unconditionally…theres nothing you can do to make God love you any more/less

Both in sin/lost/believing the lie/prodigal sons/want to be slaves… but the Father goes out to both of them… he wants them both to come home… doesn’t care where they’ve been or what they’ve been doing/good or bad… doesn’t matter whether they’re in Vegas/church, parties/student groups, club/seminary… he wants them to come home!

Two sons, both lost, both loved… 1 responded to grace, 1 sat outside with arms folded/angry… which one are you?

Are you running from God (freedom), are you running for God (behaviors) or are you ready to start Running To God?

Psalm 18:30b MSG: Everyone who runs to him makes it. No matter where you’ve been/what you’ve done/who you’ve hurt/thought/said…you can come home today… you’ll be received w/ open arms… Father is awaiting you… some of you have been in distant land & it’s time to come home, father scanning horizon for you…come to ur senses

Some of you have been slaving away/working hard/earning his love/coming to church/showing up to group/reading your bible, but it’s time to for you to come home/come in the house… Jesus is begging you… come in… take your seat at the table…you don’t have to keep hearing the party in distance, you can join the party today…today is ur appt

Stop running, stop today! Everyone who runs to him makes it! Come home! I’ve been exactly where you are, don’t give into fear/insecurity…he’s scanning the horizon right now, he’ll come running for you, there will be no stones/no condemnation…he just wants you to come running to him… he’ll be there I promise… ring and robe waiting for you

This is your moment! In a sec, I’m going to invite you on the count of 3 to shoot your hand up… tell everyone that this is your day… you’re coming to your senses and you’re coming home… if this is your moment, once and for all to come home/give your life to Jesus…shoot your hand up…1, 2, 3… Salvation Prayer

CONCLUSION (2.5/35)

Congratulations! Heaven is throwing a party in your name right now! You were dead/alive, lost/found and you came home! You are son/daughter of the most high king and nothing will ever change that… you belong to Jesus forever!

Today, 11/16/22, you were born into God’s family! He has given you sandals/ring/robe that can never be taken away… you are free & belong to him! In fact, I wanted to give everyone here something so you never forget…Rings

Now these rings aren’t anything special-but they represent something very important… meant to be reminder that you are his son/daughter & nothing can ever change that… so every time you start to run from God/run for God, or you’re struggling to feel God’s presence/power, let it remind you of the day you ran home… when you came to your senses & God saved you/forgave you/made you his own…not bc of what you’d done, but bc he loved you so much…

But I also want the ring to remind you of one other thing… let it remind you of God’s lost kids around you… the lost sons/daughters who Jesus loves so much/died for who are running from/for him…

So in a moment, we’re going to play a song & here’s what I want you to do: I want you to sit, pray & ask God for 1 lost person who he wants you to impact/to show his unconditional love to/to help come home… Available

FINALE

Many of you are here today & you already know Jesus & you may have felt that this message wasn’t for you today… but I want to let you know- this is WHY we exist… why we do church/student groups/Jesus came…

Oftentimes, ppl ask me how to share their faith, but it’s never been @ how, it’s @ the why… if you want to make an impact on your school/friends/family… you don’t need more knowledge/skills/spiritual gifts… you need God’s love

There is nothing more impactful/moving/life-changing than God’s love… not just in your life, but the ppl around you

You see, if you came home today or you’ve been home… you have a new job: Join the Search… we’re not meant to be bystanders/inward-focused/safe Christians, we’re meant to join the Father in scanning the horizon/searching for ppl from God/going out to ppl/begging them to come home/pleading to them to run to Jesus!

Listen, you may have friends that you’ve counted out, but students, everyone who runs to him makes it! Friends/ family/bully/teachers/neighbors/teammates… they can run home & become a son/daughter of the most high king!

You’ve never locked eyes w/ someone who’s not desperately loved by God… so let’s go love ppl w/ the same love!

So here’s my challenge- every single 1 of you- remember the 1 lost person I had you pray for earlier to make an impact on? Make it your personal mission to cheer them on all the way into the arms of their loving father… how do you do that? Share your coming home story… share about how you were lost but you came home…

So all over the room, stand up, on the count of 3…I want you to yell your person’s name…1,2,3…let’s go love ppl w/ Jesus’ love! Let this ring be a reminder to you, every time you look at, of that person you’re going to cheer on home!

Now before we close… if you prayed that prayer with me earlier to give your life to Jesus & rose your hand, we want to celebrate w/ you… so after I pray, when this song starts, I want you to go out to the back & we have ppl who want to celebrate with you! Pray

KNOW (BOTTOM LINE): Everyone who runs to him makes it.

DO: Run to God or join the watch.

FEEL: Emotional. Ooey-gooey. Loved. Inspired.

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