Home at Last
Notes
Transcript
I have a confession to make. I’m not perfect. I’m not a perfect pastor. I’m not a perfect husband. I’m not a perfect father. I’d like to be perfect. But, I’m not.
I’m so glad God isn’t like me – that He doesn’t pile on to make sure you’ve learned your lesson. Can you imagine?
“Ok – nice prayer. Thanks for asking for forgiveness. Now, even though you did, I am going to make you miserable for, let me see – ten years – just to make sure you don’t repeat that sin.”
“Hey Bubba– thanks for confessing you haven’t been treating your wife right. But, to make sure you learn your lesson, for the next six months your wife will be right – every time. She won’t just think she’s right. She’ll be right.
“I appreciate that you know you messed up. I’m glad you are back. But, don’t expect a free pass. You messed up big-time. I forgive you, but I’m mad and I’m going to make sure you completely learn your lesson.”
So many people have that picture of God. “Because I’ve done wrong, God is mad at me. He’s going to teach me a lesson.” I guess you have that picture because too many fathers are like me. You assume your Heavenly Father must be like your earthly father.
But is God that way? How does God respond when you ask for forgiveness? What does God do when you decide to come home?
In Luke chapter 15, Jesus told a story to a group of Pharisees who were criticizing him for eating with and talking to sinners. Like all of Jesus’ stories, this one illustrates a principle. The son represents people who leave home – who walk away from faith and a relationship with their Heavenly Father.
There was a man with two sons. The younger one is the star of the story, in a sad kind of way. This young son was tired of living by his Dad’s rules and in his Dad’s house. He wanted to do his own thing. His Dad had a lot of money. So, he asked for his share of the inheritance. In their culture, that was the ultimate insult. It was like saying, “I don’t care if you live or die. I just want my money.”
His father screamed at him, “If you think you are getting any of my money, forget it! I’m cutting you out of the will. If you are tough enough for life on your own, go for it. Get out of here. Get out of my house.” Broke and penniless, the younger son left home, wishing he had waited until his father died to get his share of the money.
Wait, that’s not how the story went. Heartbroken, Dad split the money and gave it to his boys. Why did Dad give the young son the money? How in the world could he let his son leave? I think he was a wise Father who realized some truths about life and running.
Dad knew: until you find out how bad it is away from home, you don’t realize how good you have it at home.
Don’t remember what it was like when you were 15. All of us thought we knew it all. By 18 we didn’t need anyone telling us what to do. We go to college or move out on our own and we realize just how good we had it at home.
I don’t know why, but often you don’t recognize how valuable something is until you no longer have it. As I talk to people who left God, that’s their story. They say, “I never knew how much I would miss the peace, love and sense of belonging.” “Being on my own sounded like so much fun – but it wasn’t”.
Maybe Dad let the younger son go because he knew that consequences are a great teacher. Parents, some of your biggest mistakes are when you don’t allow your children to suffer consequences. You rescue them over and over and then wonder why they don’t learn their lesson. This father was not an enabler – not at all. He knew Scott would learn the hard way.
Dad probably could have forced the younger son to stay home, but he couldn’t force his son to love and respect him. So – he let him go. This wasn’t a mean Dad, sick and tired of his son. Watching his son go, broke his heart.
This isn’t a message on parenting, but this may be an important lesson for parents. Sometimes, when you have done all you can, you have to let them go and trust that life’s lessons and God’s love will ultimately bring them home.
The father in this story represents God. God will never leave you. It’s not God’s will that you leave Him. But, if you decide to run, your loving Heavenly Father will let you go. God won’t force you to love Him. That’s not love.
So, rich and happy, the young son took off. He quickly lost all the money playing and partying. Then, hard times came. He had no money, and no food, so he got a job working with pigs.
This son was in a pitiful situation, sitting among the pigs – broke, hungry and alone. The Bible says, “…no one gave him anything.” All his plans failed. Doing his own thing didn’t work. He had to make a decision – live like that or swallow his pride and go home.
Today, I want to look with you at the at most remarkable character in this story, who completely doesn’t do what you expect – the Father. Remember, the father represents God.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!
18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’
20 So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
Dad didn’t live around the corner. It was a long, slow, painful walk home, but one step after another, he kept walking. As he walked, he rehearsed the speech he would give the moment he saw his father: “Father, I have sinned against Heaven and against you. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.”
He was incredibly nervous. After all, he had horribly insulted his father. Dad was probably still mad. He could picture it in his mind – walking up to the house and Dad sending someone out to say, “Your father doesn’t want to see you. Go away.”
Would Dad yell? Would there be a three hour lecture? What would happen when he got home?
Some of the biggest fears people have when deciding to return home.
How will God respond when I come back?
Will God forgive me – or does He just want to punish me?
All these bad things that have happened– what if God is doing them to me? What if they are not just the consequences of running, but the wrath of an angry God?
If I return to God, what will I say? What will I do?
What will God say? What will God do?
Is God waiting with a hammer to punish me?
Is God going to pile on to make sure I learn my lesson?
I want to answer that question - what you can expect from God when you come home. Look at verse 20.
20 So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
…and said, “Good night boy. Where have you been? You need to take a bath. You are nasty. Get away from me. You smell like pigs.” That’s not how it went.
…he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
Every day, with hope in his heart, the Father stood on the porch, watching and waiting. Dad knew his son had to return home if he ever wanted to experience real joy again.
Then, one day, the heartbroken father saw someone limping toward the house, his feet blistered from a long walk. At first he thought it was a stranger, but as the figure drew close, he realized it was his son. The father jumped off the porch and ran down the road to welcome him. He threw his arms around his son and held him, never wanting to let him go. Dad wept, not tears of sorrow, but tears of joy. What a beautiful picture of God’s love for you.
The young son was stunned. Instead of being rejected by his father, he was accepted. At that moment, it dawned on him: Dad’s love had never changed. Just like the father in the story, God watches and waits – for the moment you decide to return to His presence, His love and His blessings. God is waiting for you to come home.
The father didn’t just stand on the porch with his arms crossed. As soon as he realized it was his son coming back, he took off running toward him.
God doesn’t say, “Sorry, you’ve got to get all the way back and make everything right – then I’ll love you again.” God is not only waiting for you, God meets you on the road. The moment – the very moment you turn your heart towards Him, He runs to you. I call it, “Aggressive Grace”.
Aggressive grace seeks you out. Aggressive grace pursues you. This is not just a place where grace is received, it is actively, aggressively given. We aren’t aggressively angry. We are aggressively forgiving.
If you are sitting by someone who invited you, this is why they asked. It’s not enough to say, “If you show up, we’ll love you.” We have to do more than that. The person who invited you loves you with an aggressive, acting, seeking, never giving up grace, just like the Dad in Jesus’ story.
The father ran to his son. Dad didn’t make him walk the rest of the way alone. Instead, Dad walked the last mile with him. Remember – this all happened before the younger son even gave his little speech. He hadn’t even said “I’m sorry” when Dad walked home with him, arm in arm.
You fear that walk – the walk home. “I’ve messed up and everybody knows it. How will I ever walk back in church? How can I ever ask for prayer?” The son, didn’t walk alone. And, you won’t walk alone.
When you decide to come home: God meets you on the road. You don’t have to figure out what to do, what to say, or what to fix. Your loving Heavenly Father brings you home. God loves you.
I know – that almost seems too simple. But, God loves you the whole time. He loves you even when you rebel against Him. He loves you when you leave. He loves you when you are living your way instead of His. He loves you when you realize you are miserable without Him. He loves you now. Romans 8:38
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
God loves you.
The son and his Dad stood and hugged. Finally, when all the tears were cried, the son said the words:
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
I wonder – would it have gone that way if Dad hadn’t run out to meet him? I don’t know but, the principle modeled is that
Repentance is in response to love.
Repentance is in response to love.
That’s not always the way we think. Unfortunately, we tend to love people after repentance. God loves people to and throughrepentance. His unfailing love and kindness leads to repentance.
4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
I wonder if while he was away, the young son ran into people who reminded him of his Dad. When he interacted with them, he remembered what it was like at home.
The young son said his speech. What you expect the father to say is: “I told you so. That’s what happens when you leave home. That’s what happens when you hurt your Dad. That’s what happens when you don’t follow my advice. I told you so. I told you that was going to happen. You should have listened to me.”
That’s what we do, isn’t it? If your kids mess up, and admit it, you follow with a really long lecture. “See where it got you? I’m going to let you come in this house, but first, what did you learn?”
I wonder - How often do we lecture prodigals to make sure they learn the lesson that is the reason they came home in the first place?
The young son’s father didn’t lecture him. His response was remarkable – a beautiful picture of the love of a father – and our Heavenly Father. The son began his speech, “Father, I have sinned…I’m no longer worthy to be called your son”. In response, Dad started giving orders to his servants:
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Rather than the son becoming a slave and waiting on the father, the father had the slaves waiting on his son. All the privileges of sonship were restored.
It’s important to realize – the blessings were not restored until repentance occurred. God has wonderful blessings for you as His child. But, when you choose to walk away from the house of the Father, the blessings are no longer yours. Things go wrong. You make horrible financial decisions. Relationships fail.
You lose the blessings when you run, but when you return, God’s blessings are restored. His plan for your life is still intact. When you come home, God restores you.
You assume God wants to punish you or bless you less because of your rebellion. Not God! God says, “You are my son. You are my daughter. You are my child whom I love. Welcome Home!”
You can be in ministry. You can sing in the choir. You can work in the parking lot. You can be on a prayer team. You can be a member of our church. You can be a pastor in the church. God restores you. All we do is affirm His restoration. You are whole and complete – like you never left.
Dad continued:
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.
24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
When you make the decision to come home – to return to your Heavenly Father, there is a celebration in heaven. If you are offended by shouting and celebrating, you’re going to have a tough time in Heaven because every time someone comes home, Heaven throws an all-out, crazy exciting, out of control party.
God celebrates when you come home! No matter what you have done or how far you have gone, it’s a celebration!
We should do the same when someone comes back to Jesus. It should kick off a crazy, wild, excited celebration - with laughing, shouting and tears of joy because someone has come home!
If you have been running from God, now you know what to expect. That’s how God will respond and that’s how we will respond. We will love you, encourage you and celebrate your decision to come home.
