UMBC AM SERVICE -DECEMBER 6, 2020

So good to be in the Lord's house today. Amen. So good to see each one of you and boy what a surprise. See a little lady sitting back there then. my goodness, I just fell in love with her, I guess about 12 years ago and

you still studying to be a doctor write seeing in a fight fall into place to fall in love with somebody who's going to be in the doctor cuz I'm thinking that She going to look out for her old it or Wix Pastor one of these days a man. You got your Bibles this morning. We're going to turn over to the Gospel of Luke. We're going to be in the 15th chapter.

I'll try not to keep you long.

probably

You hear me? Talk about having favorite scriptures.

And I've got so many of them but when I turn in God's word. This is my favorite place to go. This is this portion of scripture this there were going to be in this morning. This is this is my home. The song we just sang though. It said story. I could have had a really different story. and

you know, we all are writing a story today. now

you're not speaking spiritually. Now you can go ahead and and open my book up to the last page. And in my book says spiritual it says and they lived happily ever after.

Now some of the pages between today and and then they're still blank. They're still waiting to be filled in but we're all riding a story in and I'll say this if you go back and look at some of the early chapters. even some of the pages you slay my goodness preacher, really?

What's a one-page in particular? That's a page like no other.

And it happened on a Tuesday. in an old altar prayer

What's your story looking like today?

the start over Book of Luke 15th chapter

You know I all I got to say this to before we read this this just in. Of that I saved this.

I hope you realize today that when you look in God's word.

And not just his word. But I hope that that when you use you just stop this thing called life and you slow down and in this morning and Sunday school class we talked about our view of of who God is when you're when you're sorting sorting out your view of who God is I hope that you also see someone.

Who has done everything he can? in pursuit of fixing a relationship

that's been damaged with you.

Do we realize today? Is it just the whole reason we're here today? The whole reason we celebrate Christmas. It's all about God's plan.

And though he never said this verbally. In in his heart, I believe that is Jesus hung up on little cross. Did somewhere in his heart the words?

One across his heart that it says I I'd rather go through all of this. Then Resolute than risk spending eternity without you.

Let's read. Did I tell you it's good to see you today? amen In Luke chapter 15, Jesus gives three parables.

All three Parables or similar in they speak of something that was lost. That becomes found. and all three parables When that which was lost becomes found there is great joy.

We are going to read this last Parable inverse number 11. And I want you to I want you to realize. today that when he is giving this parable. You are the Sun. And and he is the father. All right. Goodbye with me. Amen, nobody loves you like Jesus loves you, and he said a certain man had two sons. And younger of them said to his father father. Give me the portion of goods that fall asleep to me and he divided under them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together and he took his journey into a far country and they're wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he has spent all their role the mighty famine in that land and he began to be in warrant and he went he joined himself to a citizen of that country and he sent him into his field to feed swine. And he would Fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat and no man gave unto him when he came to himself. He said how many hired Servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare and yet I pierce was Hunger. I will arise and go to my father. And I will say unto him father. I have sinned against heaven and before the and I'm no more worthy to be called. Thy son made me as one of the hired service but he arose and came to his father. Wow that get excited when I read it. But when he was you had a great way off his father saw him and had compassion and Ray and fell on his neck and kissed him. In the sunset until the father I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight and them no more worthy to be called thy son, but the father said to his servant bring for the best roll and put it on him put a ring on his hand and put shoes on his feet and bring in the fatted calf and kill it and let us eat and be merry for this. My son was dead and is alive again he was lost. But now he is found and they began to be married father. We love you. We thank you for your goodness for your grace. And for your mercy. We thank you Lord for the Relentless Pursuit that you have had for us down through the Surgeries Lord down through time. We thank you for the continued Pursuit you have for our love today and Florida phase one in the house today that has found herself founder live found their story contained within these versus today.

Have you will wear them as my prayer in the name of Jesus Amen? And amen?

Personal with it and they'll cuz I fooled around and turn it into a testimony service is is what I'll do, you know in this Parable in and I'm not going to try to to just decipher every little word and and take you down every path and every Avenue some of you've heard this Parable so many times you probably can get up here and preach it far better than I used some beautiful Parable is a parable. Amen that that just Is using an everyday happening to describe a a spiritual situation. Here we have two sons and this younger one. He does the unthinkable and he goes to his father. He says basically how you look pops ready to get out of here. But I'm broke going to give me whatever it is. I'm going to get when you you kick the bucket and send me on my way. And that father had no obligation to do that once so ever but you got to realize Jesus is trying to get a lesson across here today. Hey man, in the lesson ain't even in in what what he gave us but the father goes ahead. He says okay, son.

You determined to do this? Okay, so he gives him what's his and man. He hits the road and I don't know about any of y'all but as a young man when I had what I consider the pocket full of money Looking Back Now, it was coke money, but I mean tank of gas, but what I had to fight for the money I would hit the road. I can go find my buddies and man we would just think we was living it up for probably 45 minutes until I was broke. And I mean just just having the time not giving us care in the world about nothing else in this this son of his he's taking his money and he's gone into a foreign land. Going somewhere outside of the comfort in the security of home. And when it gets there. He takes what? He's got in his pocket and I guess drinks is on me. Is what he's saying, I mean they are living it up. The word says that he wasted everything he had with riders living.

Until he had nothing left and it doesn't say it. But it but I would guess if I could that when the money was gone all the Buddies was gone. That's the way all my buddies growing up. They was only my buddy on payday. Now on Saturday we had to haul hay or something. You couldn't find. But on Friday they would be waiting on you. This Ole Boy he finds himself in a Faraway strange place Bye. His self in the thing that got him there. What is a lustful lure?

Was it called?

to Adventure

in the word said that after he had spent it all he found himself in want y'all stay with me this morning. I'm I'm going to get you out of here in time to eat your cornbread Don't Panic if you tell me now if somebody to come in quicker. And not one of your raising hand beautiful. She raised both of them. What is scripture said he found himself in want? time out at that moment brother, Ronnie. Why didn't he say I'm going home.

At that moment you use there's days. There's nothing that you got left that you can even buy sandwich with. I mean you are in a strange place. You don't know anybody. And nobody obviously is going to look out for you and you've reached the place where you're actually in warrant and you're just standing there and I want to just throw a rock at him.

And how many times do how many times do do we think we know what we're doing? And we go off down a path of Journey and we find ourself. spiritually at rock bottom

And we choose. to stay there

He could have just simply said you know what I'm going home.

But he stayed there in. he fumbled around and maybe he was embarrassed.

Maybe he felt guilty. Maybe he maybe he thought there's no way. There's no way the father would ever let me come back home after I stuck my chest out like I did. However, I knew you remanded him. Give me what I did. Maybe I maybe I'm just took this thing too far. Maybe I'm getting what I deserve. You know, when is that go down that list of things saying? I'm sorry, but every one of them I can send them to you today because at some point in time just what I was there and I settled

I remember Satan taking me to a place in my mind.

Where I was almost convinced that I hadn't done so much bad. That the father wouldn't let me come home if I wanted.

You see he's a he's a Deceiver.

He's a liar. He's a manipulator in the last thing that he ever wants is for you to be in the right relationship. with your father

So for him one thing leads to another in the situation gets worse. You ever been there. Where you thought man? How could it get any worse? You ever been there? Don't say that.

Don't say that cuz they could always. Get worse and I don't know that he said it, but guess what? You don't want to go home 5. What are you going to do here? And there's a reason that it brings up the fact that that he went and he got him a job feeding an old boys Hogs and that's because for a n n a Jewish person called was unclean was off-limits. You don't touch him you don't you don't mess with them and in the end the problem brings that up to let you know that he went as low as he could go.

So there he is. and it don't pay much my fact it don't even pay enough for him to buy a bill of groceries because he finds itself one day so desperate that he's trying to shove one of them Reuters out of the way to just to grab a handful of scraps out of that troll. Yeah, I don't know when asked how could it get any worse? If he was at rock-bottom. He just went to the level below that.

And if he thought there's no way the father would let me come home before then.

This is just me. You do with this what you want. I always say when you hear me say I think a red flag should go up and you should you should weigh that for yourself. I really wonder at this point in his life. He's got to be thinking and this is the life even worth living.

I mean he cannot get any worse. And saw you sitting there one day.

It looks bad. It smells bad. He's by himself. He's defeated.

And the word said that he came to his right mind. in other words He quit thinking about.

his independence and what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go and and he says this he says I wonder what would happen if I went home?

Now, I don't know how long you thought about it. I don't know if it was an hour. I don't know if it was a day.

Or I don't know if it was like me that it was 13 years.

I don't know if he went and asked somebody. Hey, what do you think about me doing that? I don't know if he took a straw poll. All I know is he come to a place where he says this based on his actions is that I cannot do this no more.

If you ever been there.

erase is a place where I I I mean I hate this. How do sperms this I detest this. Well, how did I get here? Why am I here? Why why am I kept wallering in this? Why haven't I just went home in my question for him would be

so he

he finally decides to take a Gamble. on the father

He said I will arise and go to my father. Any begins rehearsing he said and I will say unto him father. I've sinned against heaven and before then I'm no more worthy to be called. Thy son make me as one of the hired servants.

So he began rehearsing.

He began rehearsing his excuse.

He began.

Trying to figure out what he was going to say. That would redeem him just back to the place of acceptance.

I want you to take that just grab it and pass it to the person beside you in that person. Pass it behind them on that thing and make its way around.

Do not keep it. That's not yours.

While they're doing that.

I just want to point out from to you.

where we've been

I ain't near as important to God. Is where he wants us to go?

What you doing?

Ain't near as important to God.

That's what he wants you to do.

Hey, Jimmy, just flip that thing up here to me now. Just Junk it

Everybody's handle that thing. I've even stepped on that thing.

But I can go to any store.

and if

still accepting McCall has never lost its value.

UC

Satan tries to handle us Satan tries to step on Satan tries to destroy us

Will God still season value in you?

So he heads home and he's sitting there and he's rehearsing.

and your Christmas tanoai, this is my My favorite this is my place in the Bible. He's fumbling along. He probably looks like me. When I was a kid and it was report card day. I mean he's just he's dragging this thing on as much as he can and he scared was he going to stay? The scripture says catch this cuz this don't bless you my friend. I don't know what will but the scripture says. That while he was yet a far-off.

The Father Song

And the father took off running. And that's what we talked about this and Sunday school this morning. I can get it if the sun took off running, but that's not what happened. the word says that the father took off running and they ran to him and he just he never said Where have you been?

He never said why do you smell like that? He didn't say where's your money?

My friend he didn't say anything other than just I'm so happy you're home and I wondered what a coincidence. Set of all the days for this boy. This is sad. I'm going to go home today. What a coincidence that the father just so happened to be out there and cinnamon. I tell you what, I believe.

I believe the father had a place. Maybe out underneath the shade tree next to the road. Where he stood every day looking. waiting open

then my son will come home. You see there are some extremes here what this boy done is an extreme how low he went isn't extreme. The way he conducted itself was an extreme and it was full of guilt that was full of shame. It was full of regret, but the following wasn't concerned about any of that little father was on do you get the parable of the prodigal to father was only concerned about that son coming home? And when he like it is the church. That was me. It was made out. I was the fool that has wandering around after I was a fool and wasted his life and wasted opportunity had wasted moment. I was a fool that had wasted relationships and I was a fool that that was in Walt and stay there year after year after year a Manning and then finally one through Z and then I'm like, can I just come home? And then and then what I love about it. Amen is is it wasn't none of this, but where have you been? What have you been doing or why have you been gone so long? It was just simply a savior. That ran to me.

and fell only

I just simply loved me.

And I've got scars.

from where I've been

but in his eyes

I was worth saving because I never lost my value with him.

You really concerned? with where you've been With what you've done.

When why you done it?

I said give me some music up there.

I can be at home. Text to Mikey has my whole house is pretty quiet at night.

Dad Dad that are huge

expect

play

who's this?

overhead valve

in Nickerson flowing from the cross

cruises