Runaway

Intro

If I were to take a poll this morning, I can almost bet there would be a lot of you who have at one point in time ran away or have a story about someone you know who has ran away.

I remember as a teenager I ran away. I was around 16 and growing up in a single parent home, my mom and me didn’t always get along. At this point in my life I was not serving Jesus. I had enough of my mom trying to run my life. At 15 I thought I knew more than she did. So I ran away.

I hung around some older kids at that time and one of them drove. We drove to a near by forrest preserve and hung out there during the day. At some point all of us began to get hungry so we scrounged around for some change and we ended up buying hotdogs. We gathered up some wood and created a fire and made some hot dogs.

I didn’t have any camping gear and I couldn’t stay at my friends house. At that time I was dating an older girl (not Carly) and her dad worked the night shift so we waited until he left for work and we went there. About an hour or so there was a bang on the door. My mom had called the police on me and I was escorted home.

In one sense I was very angry. In another I was relieved because it was at home that I had all the provisions I needed. My story of running away ended on a good note.

Today I want to share an Easter message with you about running away. Not in a physical way (although that does happen), but more so on a spiritual level.

There are those who have ran away from their spiritual home. They have ran away from God, His church, and everything that pertains to Him. Maybe that is you this morning and you are here to check things out again. Or maybe you are here this morning and you have contemplated running away from your spiritual home. Either way, my prayer for you today is that either you find your way back home or you realize that running away is not the good option.

I want to share with you the story of what is referred to as the Prodigal son found in Luke chapter 15. As we go through this story I will share some stories of people whom we will see how their lives parallel with this story.

Jesus Shared a Story

Jesus shared a lot of stories called parables in order to teach about who He and the Father are. In this story the father represents God the Father and the son represents you and I.

Luke 15:11–12 NASB95

11 And He said, “A man had two sons. 12 “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.

Apparently this family was well off. There was enough of the family wealth that when the father would die it would be divided between the two sons.

What we find at the beginning of our story is that the younger son was impatient and did’t want to wait until dad died. So he wanted his inheritance now.

In this biblical culture, this was considered a huge insult. Asking for his inheritance early was basically wishing his father was dead already.

That would be like a 20 year old walking into his father’s business and saying:

“Dad, I know you’re not dead yet, but I want my share of the business now. Go ahead and cash out my portion. I don’t want to wait around for you to die—I’ve got plans of my own.”

“I don’t care if you live or die dad, I just want my money”…this is the attitude of the son.

Like any parent, the father couldn’t force his son to stay or do right, so he divided the money and gave each one their share.

The younger got what he wanted…money.

He Ran Away

But there is more to this story than just wanting money.

Luke 15:13 NASB95

13 “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.

This son isn’t going on a vacation, there is so much more to it. This son was abandoning his way of living, thinking, acting, and even his beliefs he was taught since he was a kid. Everything his father stood for he left behind and set out for a life on his own. He ran away to live life the way he wants to.

Remember, Jesus was telling this story and this son represents me and you and his father represents God.

My wife and I have been in full time ministry for over 25 years, starting off as youth pastors and lead pastors since 2009. I have seen people make this same decision - teenagers, young adults, mother’s, fathers, even grand parents who have turned their back on God to live life the way they want to. We have seen people run away from God and I while I don’t know many of their stories as to why, some I have.

I have heard people say:

There are too many boundaries and they feel like restrictions

I feel like I am being punished

I don’t need anyone

I can live my own life how I want

I am a good person, I don’t need God

Some have ran away because they were disappointed on how others acted who are supposed to be Christians and they responded to their hurt by leaving God and everyone connected to Him.

Here are a couple of stories I have read on why they have runaway:

When I was 16, my home church went through a church split. I was so disillusioned by the words and actions of people that I used that as an excuse to run from God.

Some serious stuff came up in life, one of which was when my uncle who was the "biggest Christian" I knew failed miserably.  That, combined with a couple other events, made me decide God wasn't worth following.

I basically put the blame on God because I was hurt.  It wasn't necessarily intentional but it was like it just slowly happened. I became bitter.

Some people run because of poor relationship choices. They convince you life is better without God. Part of the reason I ran away from home was because of my friends. They convinced me I would be better off.

One person said this:

I ran from God for almost 3 years and it was the darkest time in my life.  I started my senior year of high school and continued through some of my early college years.  I fell victim to peer pressure and wanting to fit in.  I did things because “everyone was doing them” or I thought it made me “ look cool”.  I convinced myself that my life was care free and perfect when really I was depressed, spiraling out of control, and using whatever I could to self-medicate my pain.  I was in denial and was in a toxic relationship that only fueled me to do more wrong.

Some run because it is easier to run away than face the results of failure. They mess up in their walk with God and feel guilt and shame. They even buy into the lie that everyone is talking about them and they fear rejection. They feel as though there isn’t a place for them anymore. So they run.

Some people run because of addiction. Something takes a hold of their life and they are no longer in control.

Another person said this:

I ran from God when I was 14 years old and started drinking and using drugs.  I dropped out of high school in the 10th grade.  I got my first DWI at the age of 18, my second at the age of 20 and my last at the age of 21.  I was constantly in and out of jail and rehab facilities.  At 21, I ended up on probation and got with the wrong guy and started using meth for 2 years straight.

Others run out of habit. It is what they learned from their parents as a kid growing up in the church. Their parents viewed church as optional and found every excuse to not go.

One who grew up in this home said it this way:

When I got old enough to decide if I wanted to go to church or not, I did the same thing my parents did... I found excuses not to go.  I started drinking when I was a sophomore in high school and it got worse when I graduated. I would wake up in random places unsure of how I got there.  I would go to work hung-over or in some cases still drunk. That kind of behavior was modeled by my stepfather so I thought it was ok.

Parents what you do matters! The choices you make do not only affect you, but it can impact generation after generation!

Some people run because they are lonely. It’s not that they are running from something, but rather to something. They imagine their new life will be filled with lots of fun and tons of new friends. They imagine that life will be greener on the other side.

Consequences of Running

Regardless of the reason someone runs, it is a sad thing to watch. Over the years I have seen this happen over and over again and their seems to be a pattern that emerges as a result. You can almost predict what is going to happen.

Jesus already knows how things will turn out for us and so He tells these stories in hopes that we would see. Let’s continue our story. Remember, we are the son in the story and God is the father.

Luke 15:13 NASB95

13 “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.

Here is something we need to know, there are consequences when we run away.

The first one:

You leave home

I know it is the obvious right? But it goes deeper than that. When you run away from home, you also leave the safety of home.

When we walk away from God, you walk away from His protection. It’s not that God chooses to quit protecting you, it’s that we choose to walk away from it. While God does do it sometimes, God is not obligated to cover you.

When this son left the home, he left the safety of his father. His father could not protect him while he was in a different land.

When I was in Brazil a couple weeks ago and we didn’t have anything to really worry about safety wise, I still had in the back of my mind this is not home. I don’t speak the language and couldn’t read the road signs and so I felt lost at times. I had in the back of my mind, what if something happened? What could happen? I missed the safety of my home. Even though precautions were taken, in fact we were supposed to go to one neighborhood to do some kids ministry but it too was dangerous because of some shooting that had taken place. I was in unfamiliar territory. When I got back home, I felt safe. Everything felt familiar and I belonged.

When we run from God, we end up in unfamiliar territory and we leave not only the safety, but also the blessings of home.

I think about my own kids at the moment. I now have an adult child at home and another on the way. While they are in my home, they receive not only the safety and protection, but also the blessings.

Carly and I pay for:

Electricity

Water

Entertainment

Food

Clothing

Washing, drying, and folding the clothing (anyone else have a couch designated for a pile of laundry?)

They get to our TV on our couch

Ride around in our car

When they decide to leave our home, they lose all of that. The can’t take those blessings with them. If they were to run away, the blessings don’t go with them. As parents, Carly and I would be foolish if we allowed them to live their way, by their rules, and still gave them all the blessings of home.

When we run from God we run away from His blessings.

Jonah 1:3 NASB95

3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

When Jonah ran from God, He ran from his presence and ran from His blessings. He faced a storm, was swallowed by a giant fish, and it wasn’t until he ran back to God he experienced the peace and blessings. God’s favor follows obedience, but rebellion shuts the door to His best.

Finally when you run form home, you run from the love of home. God does still love you when you run, He loves you unconditionally. There is nothing you can do to make Him love you any more than He does right now, but when you run from Him…you can’t experience His love.

When we were youth pastors, and even today as pastors, there have been those who ran from God and ultimately running from church and the people of God. We don’t love them any less than when they were here. We still love them. They just can’t experience it as if they were here.

If you think about when you leave home you leave so much behind. It should make us want to come back home. A life without safety, blessings, and love of a home…I mean who would want that? Who wants to live that way?

Running Affects Choices

It doesn’t end there either. Like I said, there is a predictable pattern that takes place when we run from God. As someone who has not only ran from home, but also from God, this always happens…I don’t care who you are or when you ran from God.

Running from God affects your choices

You may be early in the journey running from God - you need to know what to expect

You may be saying this is what happened to me

You may be saying that’s what is happening to me right now

It is a predictable pattern, you can expect to make bad choices when you run from God. Go back to our story.

Luke 15:13 NASB95

13 “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.

The youn son’s dad worked all his life for that money. The son didn’t invest it or save it. Jesus said he squandered it. He wasted it.

We are not sure how long the money lasted, but we do know it was a short time. Looking at this story today we say, “Well that wasn’t very smart”. It was not smart, but it was predictable.

When we run from God we end up making bad decisions in life. You do things you thought you would never do. You don’t plan on making stupid choices, it’s just one of the consequences when we run.

When I ran from home as a teenager I didn’t have a plan other than run away. I went to a forrest preserve. Without camping gear. Without food. It was a dumb thing to do.

You Lose When You Run

When I ran from God, I made even dumber choices. I started drinking, doing drugs, had relationships I had no business ever having outside of marriage. There was a point where I lost everything.

This brings me to another predictable part of the pattern.

When you run from God you lose

Luke 15:14 NASB95

14 “Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished.

There are countless stories when people ran from God where they lost something.

Some lost money

Some their families

Marriages

Careers

Friends

Their innocence

Their reputation

Over and over again their story is how much they lost. It breaks my heart when people run from God because I know the pattern. I have lived the pattern. It happens to everyone who runs from God.

Plans Fail

When I ran from home and from God, my plans didn’t work out. My plan in the forrest preserve didn’t work and my plan for my life didn’t work.

I ended up a drug addict who lost everything. My home, my car, relationships, and my job.

When you run from God, your plans fail

Not only did the son lose his money, but his plans failed.

Luke 15:14 NASB95

14 “Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished.

I am sure he didn’t plan on losing everything. He didn’t plan on the famine. He didn’t plan on eating with the pigs further into the story.

I have seen people who ran from God and their plans failed.

They didn’t plan on getting pregnant as a teenager

They didn’t plan on being broke

They didn’t plan on being addicted

They didn’t plan on being lonely

I never met anyone who ran away and said, “I am so glad everything worked out perfectly!”

Every runaway thinks their story will be different, that won’t be them. But if I were to pass the mic around I am sure you will hear otherwise. I will tell you, it is not as good as it looks. It is not what I expected!

Maybe that is you today. Maybe you are at the place where you are living life not the way you expected.

This brings us to the question, what do I need to do?

Come to Your Senses and Come Home

Our story reveals to us what we need to do.

Luke 15:17 NASB95

17 “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!

Remember the son represents us and the father represents God.

The son came to his senses

The son’s ran away from home, made choices, and as a result of those choices he finally came to his senses that his life would be better in his father’s house…not as a son, but as an employee. He looked at his current situation hungry and being alone and realized he would be better off at home.

This reminds me of me. I was living in Tennessee hooked on drugs, broke, no car, no friends, and about to be homeless. I only had enough money to get a bus ticket home. Hoping that my mom will allow me to live with her. That is what this son was hoping for.

My question this morning is what will it take before you come to your senses?

How many broken relationships? How much do you need to lose? How many bad decisions do you need to make? Why not come home before it gets bad or gets worse?

Luke 15:17–19 NASB95

17 “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! 18 ‘I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.” ’

This son made a decision to go back home even if all he gets is a job on the family farm. It’s better than where he was.

Closing

That is the message of this story. Here is one take away from this story. No matter how far you’ve gone, no matter how long it’s been:

You can ALWAYS COME HOME.

Throughout my ministry I would tell people, “As long as there is breath in your lungs, it’s never too late.”

No matter how many bad decisions you have made. No matter the consequences you have suffered. Even if you feel embarrassed or ashamed, you can always come home.

I know some one of the biggest fears people have is - when I come home what is God going to say?

Going back to my own story, I got my bus ticket home from Tennessee to Indiana where my mom lived. I didn’t tell her I was coming. I called her when I got to Chicago and she came and picked me up. Why? Because she loved me. She didn’t grill me or tell me “I told you so”. No. She loved me and gave me a home. Why? Because I was her son.

God is the same way. Remember, in our story we are the son and God is the father. The son was expecting to come back as a hired hand, but the father had different plans.

Luke 15:20 NASB95

20 “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.

Not only was the father waiting and watching for the return on his son, but he ran towards him!

That’s exactly what God will do. That’s what we the church will do. We will throw our arms around you and say, “Welcome Home.”  No lectures, no questions, just “Welcome Home”. 

It’s time to quit running.  Come home. 

I want to remind you of another runaway story - one that defines this day, Easter.  It’s not the story of a son running from his father but of a Father running toward His children.   

The Easter story is about God’s relentless pursuit of us. It’s the story of Jesus, who willingly left the safety, security, and glory of heaven to come to earth.  Jesus lived a perfect life, but instead of receiving a crown, was given a cross.  Jesus suffered, bled, and died—not because He ran away from God but because we did.

But that’s not the end of the story. On the third day, Jesus rose from the grave, conquering sin and death, proving once and for all that no distance is too far for God’s love to reach. The empty tomb is His declaration to every runaway:

You can come home. The door is open. The Father is watching and waiting.

Easter is your invitation to stop running. Jesus’ resurrection is your assurance that you don’t have to stay in the pigpen.

You don’t have to live with the regret, shame, or emptiness. You can come home to a God who runs toward you with arms wide open – and a church family that will do the same.

Hear this loud and clear:

No matter how far you’ve gone, no matter how many mistakes you’ve made, Jesus made a way for you. The cross and the resurrection are His message of love: Come home.

Don’t let another Easter pass you by.  Don’t keep running. The Father is waiting, and He’s ready to celebrate your return. The same God who raised Jesus from the dead can raise you to new life.  Are you ready to come home?

If that is you this morning stand where you are.

Simple Salvation Prayer

Dear God, I believe in my heart that Jesus is Your Son. I believe He died for my sins and that You raised Him from the dead.

Right now, I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord. I turn from my old life and I ask You to forgive me. Come into my heart, Jesus, and make me new. I trust You as my Savior and choose to follow You.

Thank You for saving me. Amen.