Testimony

What was I like without Christ:

Born and raised in a Christian home.

Dead to the spiritual.

Ephesians 2:1–3 NKJV

1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

A good portion of my life has been focused on: me, myself, and I.

How did Christ save me:

Prayed with my father//Sunday school teacher scare the hell.

From an earlier age I’ve never doubted God.

Calvary Chapel Bible College was my plan from about the age of 10.

The prodigal season:

Ian passing away

Excuse to pursue after my own wants and desires.

Drugs/sex/ anything to numb the emptiness I felt.

Still small voice of the HS

How has submitting my life to Christ changed me:

1 semester of Bible College…

2–5 laid a foundation

After CCBC another prodigal season

Patrick McMullin passing

The importance of discipleship

Giving up and letting God have full control.

Who am I in Christ now:

Christ has been working on me in a plethora of ways.

What does it mean to be a man after God’s own heart.

What it means to be a godly husband/father/pastor

Teaching: The Prodigal Son – The Father Who Runs

Text: Luke 15:11–32

Introduction:

Jesus told this story to show what God is like. A lot of people think God is angry, distant, or waiting for us to mess up so He can punish us.

But in this story, Jesus shows us something very different:

God is a Father who runs after sinners.

There are three main characters in the story:

The Younger Son (the rebel)

The Older Son (the religious one)

The Father (God)

And the story is really about the Father.

1. The Younger Son – Rebellion

The younger son asks for his inheritance early. This is basically like saying: “Dad, I wish you were dead. I just want your money.”

He leaves home and wastes everything on sinful living. Eventually, he loses all his money, all his friends, and ends up feeding pigs — which for a Jewish person was the lowest possible point.

Then the Bible says something very important:

“When he came to himself…” (Luke 15:17)

He realized:

I have sinned

I am broken

I need to go home

That’s what repentance is: Realizing you’re going the wrong way and turning around to go back to the Father.

2. The Father – Grace

This is the most important part of the story.

The son is walking home, probably dirty, ashamed, and rehearsing his apology.

But Jesus says:

“When he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran…” (Luke 15:20)

In that culture, men did not run. It was undignified. But the father runs.

Why? Because love runs. Grace runs. God runs.

Before the son can finish his speech:

The father hugs him

Puts a robe on him

Puts a ring on his finger

Throws a party

The son wanted to be a servant. The father restored him as a son.

This is the Gospel:

We sin

We run from God

We end up broken

We turn back

And God runs to us through Jesus

God is not waiting to punish you — He is waiting to receive you.

3. The Older Son – Religion Without Love

The older brother is angry. He says, “I’ve obeyed you my whole life and you never threw me a party!”

The older brother represents religious people who think: “God loves me because I’m good.”

But the truth is:

The younger son was lost in sin

The older son was lost in pride

Both were lost

Both needed the Father

You can be far from God in rebellion, Or you can be far from God in religion.

God doesn’t just want rule-keeping — He wants relationship.

Conclusion:

Which son are you?

Running from God?

Pretending to be good but your heart is far from God?

Or walking with the Father?

The message of this story is simple:

You can always come home.

It doesn’t matter:

What you’ve done

How far you’ve gone

How long you’ve been away

If you come to the Father, He will run to you.

And the reason He can receive us is because of Jesus. On the cross, Jesus took our sin so we could be brought home to God.

Closing:

“God is not looking for perfect people. He is looking for people who will come home.”