Reconciled
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
Now we come to the most important part of the story: the reconciliation.
The son responds to his suffering, which sets in motion a series of events that results in reconciliation with the father. This is how we get saved.
Here is where the story of the Prodigal Son most challenges our story.
Luke 15:17-24
Luke 15:17-24
Do you notice what’s missing? Everything I learned about the plan of salvation from the Romans Road (5 verses, spread over 153 verses)
I was told that, when I come home, I would encounter a locked gate, and someone would ask me, “Why should I let you in? and I could only get in if I gave the right answer.
But there was nothing I could say that would get me in, because I can’t earn my way in—I’m a sinner, and you have to be perfect.
God was willing to offer me grace, but only on certain conditions:
I had to have confessed and repented of my sins and believed in Jesus. If not, there was no grace for me.
The God in this story was very different from the Prodigal Father.
He was generous, but he wasn’t reckless. His generosity had conditions and limits.
For a while I was smug about my salvation: I have met the conditions (even though Jesus had to cosign). I could look down on the people who weren’t going to get in because they had gotten the answer wrong—evolutionists, Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses.
That fig leaf of salvation was covering over deep insecurities. I knew exactly how ugly I was underneath, and I couldn’t imagine God loving me like that. Maybe he could tolerate me, but not love. Not if I didn’t clean my act up.
The result was, I never really felt close to God. When I was smug, I didn’t need anything from him. I had my fire insurance. When I faced my insecurities, I was afraid of God. He could see right through me, and I’m sure he must be angry.
But Jesus’ story doesn’t follow any of the rules.
There is no gate, no price, no exchange, just embrace.
How can this be?
We know that we need to confess and repent, give our allegiance to Jesus and be baptized.
Where do those fit into this story?
If they don’t overcome God’s obstacles, what do they do?
The Obstacle
The Obstacle
In the Romans Road, the obstacle to reconciliation is the fact that we cannot earn our way back.
To enter, you have to be perfect.
We have sinned, and we deserve death, not life.
Since we can’t earn salvation, we need Jesus to earn it for us.
Salvation MUST be earned—you just aren’t good enough to earn it.
That’s not why you can’t earn grace!
First, you can’t earn grace because you can’t offer anything to God that he didn’t give you.
It’s like my son trying to pay rent with his allowance.
Romans Road implies that we could have earned salvation if we had never sinned—Adam and Eve would have been entitled if they hadn’t sinned.
That’s not true. Everything we have is a gift, from our first breath to our last. God never owes you anything.
Second, you can’t earn God’s grace because it was never for sale.
My son can’t pay me rent because I don’t charge him rent, he’s my son!
If my son tried to pay rent, it would change our relationship.
The problem is, we would rather have a land-lord than a father—because you have a contract with a landlord, not with your father.
The obstacle is not that we can’t AFFORD GRACE—it’s that we don’t WANT GRACE. (Matthew 7:14)
“Locked is the gate and barred is the way that leads to life, and only a few are allowed in.”
“Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
The problem is not that the way is blocked, but that the way is hard. To enter in we have to give up everything that makes us forget our dependence on God—all our fig leaves, everything that makes us feel like we don’t need him.
Confession
Confession
This is why confession is so important.
On the Romans Road, confession is important because we need to realize how disgusting we are, so we won’t think for a moment that we have earned God’s grace.
So God needs to hear you say it: I’m an unworthy sinner, all my deeds are filthy rags, please have mercy on me.
The son certainly confesses—but sin is only part of what he confesses.
“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! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 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.
He comes into himself—he takes back control from his delusions—and realizes four things:
My father is absurdly wealthy and generous.
I am starving—I am not independent.
I have sinned—this is all my fault.
I am unworthy—my father owes me nothing.
He does confess his sins, but the ultimate goal is confessing his dependence on his father. Now he is accepting his need for God’s generosity.
To accept God’s grace, we have to ADMIT our DEPENDENCE on him. (Luke 15:17-20)
As long as we ignore our dependence, we will never see the need for grace.
You don’t have to convince someone they deserve death. Instead, ask them:
What can you do to guarantee you’ll be able to walk next week—or speak, see, think?
If you were to die today, how long would it take for the world to forget everything that made you important?
If you were to die today, what would your kids do with all the plaques and trophies you’ve won?
In fact, realizing our dependence is often necessary to confess sin, because we don’t realize how badly we’ve treated God until we see how generous he has been.
Repentance
Repentance
But it’s not just about feeling bad.
In the Romans Road, repentance is often about feeling deep regret—to show just how sorry we are for mistreating God.
It is really important to God to set the record straight, so everyone knows how bad we’ve been and how generous we’ve been.
That’s not how the father responds
“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.
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
“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. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
Remember, he doesn’t ask for an apology; he doesn’t even listen to the apology.
And he doesn’t agree with the son’s apology. He doesn’t consider his son unworthy, because being his son was never a matter of worthiness!
So if the father doesn’t need the apology, then who does?
The son. Repentance can mean regret, but it also means turning back.
The son could have stayed in that distant land feeling terrible about himself and starved to death in shame.
Instead, he repented. He got up and walked home,
To accept God’s grace, we have to RETURN TO HIM. (Luke 15:20-24)
The reason we have to repent is because we’ve been walking away from him, and we can’t be in the far off country and with God at the same time.
Hebrews 2:14-3:14
Hebrews 2:14-3:14
Why did Jesus need to suffer to be able to help? He needed compassion in order to forgive us?
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
We are held in slavery by our fear of death—our fear of mortality.
We are so terrified of being dependent that we will resist God’s grace to the death.
For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.
That word atonement is complicated. It really means grace, and when you’re talking about a priest, it means extending grace on God’s behalf.
For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might offer grace for the sins of the people.
Jesus became human and suffered alongside us so we would trust him when he offers mercy.
Hebrews 4:14-16
Hebrews 4:14-16
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
We can approach the throne with confidence because we trust the son who brings us in.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
All of this is for our benefit. To draw near to God, we need consciences that are cleansed.
Baptism isn’t for God, it’s a gift for you.
God can forgive without a bath—but he calls us to get baptized so we can have a moment to look back on and say, that was when I was washed clean, that was when I received the spirit.
To accept God’s grace, we have to trust Jesus to BRING US HOME . (Hebrews 2:14-3:6; 4:14-16; 10:19-25)
The goal of this series is to guide each of us into the story of a God who is unshakably generous.
That story is impossible for us to believe.
Maybe you struggle to believe that you need God’s love, because you have spend a lifetime convincing yourself that you don’t need anyone or anything.
Maybe you struggle to believe that you can be loved, because all you know is that are unworthy and unlovable.
Maybe you struggle to believe that God loves you completely, because you have never experienced that anywhere else in your life; the one thing you know is that everything has conditions.
Maybe you struggle to believe because you were taught a different story, where God’s love was conditional—and receiving it is one of your fig leaves. You don’t want to accept this story because it undermines your self worth.
You don’t have to be certain that God loves you—even though he does.
You don’t have to be certain he will forgive you—even though he will.
You don’t have to believe this story—you just have to believe in the story teller.
That’s why Jesus isn’t in the story: he’s the one telling us the story, assuring us of the welcome we will receive.
All you have to do is trust Jesus.
Trust that Jesus loves you completely—which he proved when he died for you while you were still lost.
Trust that God loves and accepts him—which God proved when he raised Jesus from the dead.
Commit yourself to him—through confession and baptism—and follow him into the presence of God.
You know what you will find when you enter the throne room with Jesus?
He will leap off his throne, run to you, embrace you as his child, and call for a party—because you are finally home.
