A New Life (Easter 2021)
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
Great music
Thankful for everyone involved
Love Celebrating the resurrection of Jesus.
not your typical Easter Message today.
We will not be exploring the cross and the tomb directly. We will be looking at what the cross and the tomb mean to those who put their faith in Jesus.
Some of you may be familiar with the story of the prodigal son. If your not that’s ok. We are going to take some time and read through that then afterwards I want to expound on the story to help you see the amazing work of the forgiveness of God in your own life.
Forgiveness is a funny thing. While it may be given, if it is not accepted it is of no use.
I was heard a story about an attorney, that after meditating on several Scriptures, decided to cancel the debts of all his clients that had owed him money for more than 6 months.
He drafted a letter explaining his decision and its Biblical basis and sent 17 debt canceling letters via certified mail. One by one, the letters were returned by the Postal Service, unsigned and undelivered. Perhaps a couple people had moved away though not likely.
Sixteen of the seventeen letters came back to him because the clients refused to sign for and open the envelopes fearing that this attorney was suing them for their debts.
How profound! We owe a debt for our sin and God is willing to cancel it but too many people will not even open the letter that explains how.
As we Celebrate the resurrection of Jesus today I hope you will see the forgiveness that has been offered and willingly accept it if you haven’t.
Follow along with me as we read through this parable and I hope you will be able to see yourself in the prodigal son either in where you are in life or as a believer and be encouraged by the promises of God.
11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
PRAY
As we seek to see ourselves in the life of the prodigal I want you to first notice
I. Where you begin
I. Where you begin
Jesus begins the parable by letting us see the heart of the young prodigal. The first words we hear of him are “Father, give me...”
He has a very selfish heart.
How many of you had to teach your children to share?
Why? Because being selfish and self centered is apart of our human nature
David wrote
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me.
The Bible teaches us that there is none good but the father. We all begin in the same place as this prodigal son did, selfish.
He was caring for only himself when he went to his father and asked for his inheritance. He was looking for instant gratification. The inheritance would be his once his father passed. Instead of waiting he goes to his father and says “I wish you were dead. Give me your money.”
The world offers instant gratification. The Devil offers instant gratification. He did that to Jesus when he tempted him in the desert.
5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
II. Where you could end up
II. Where you could end up
As the prodigal went off to live in sin he showed us what a journey in sin is. It’s a waste of a life.
The word prodigal means wasteful. When we are living in sin we are wasting what God has given us. We are wasting our life, we are wasting our money, we are wasting our time, we are wasting the resources God has given us. That’s what it means to be living for self.
I love the quote “One life will soon be past only what’s done for Christ will last.”
Living for Christ is not a waste. What’s done for eternal purposes lasts for eternity but what’s done for instant gratification lasts only for a fleeting moment.
Once the journey ends he finds the destination.
When we read this parable we can think “Man, feeding pigs is some nasty work. Sleeping with the pigs is even more disgusting. Faining, longing, to eat what the pigs eat? Now that’s just vile.”
What we have to understand is as disgusting as this is, in the context of our passage Jesus was talking to a Jewish audience and obviously referencing a Jewish boy. To the Jews a pig was considered an unclean animal. If they ate of it it would make them unclean and they would have to go through ceremonies to be clean. So not only is the pig a disgusting animal in general, they had a religious hate for it.
The prodigals sin has taken him to the worst place he could possibly be in life. Apart from his father, laying the muck with the pigs..
Your sin will take you on a journey you will regret, leading you to a place you will despise.
He had left his home with riches and wealth. He left with what he believed was all he needed and found him self with nothing. His riotous living had left him desolate of human relationships. His living apart from God had taken him to a place where he was closer to filthy, unclean animals than he was with any other person or thing on earth.
Lusting after the things of the world and keeping up with the joneses the prodigal lost it all.
We all begin the same. Sinners, lost, in need of a savior. If we continue like that we will find ourselves like the prodigal…destitute.
You may say…Pastor…I wouldn’t call myself a Christian and I have a good job, a drive a nice car, I have a nice home, my savings account is good. I don’t need Jesus.
You know what’s great. I agree with you. You don’t need Jesus for those things. He never promises any of that to you. He promises food and clothing.
He promises eternal salvation. He promises things not of this world that you can never experience. It’s when you see yourself in the same place as the prodigal you will go from where you could end up to where you need to be.
III. Where you need to be
III. Where you need to be
The prodigal was in a bad place.
Anyone without Christ is in a bad place.
I don’t want you to be in that place anymore. Jesus doesn’t want you to be in that place anymore.
He doesn’t desire for your mental state to be one of anxiety and depression. he doesn’t want you constantly feeling the pressure to go after more and more.
John 10:10
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
That’s why we celebrate the resurrection. Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection were not so that you could have more money or pursue the American dream. It was so you could have a relationship with God through Him.
It was so you may have eternal life in Heaven.
The worst place you can be in mentally, physically, or spiritually is believing that you don’t need Jesus.
The place you need to be is recognizing your weakness and sin. Realizing you need your Heavenly Father.
The prodigal finally came to his senses
17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
He said “I’m bad off. The servants of my father are better than I am.”
I will go to my father.
Are you in this place today? have you come to the realization of your imperfection? Of your need for Jesus. Are you tired of living with a longing for more? Are you tired of concerning yourself with the next big thing?
Are tired of worrying about dying from a virus? Are you tried of worrying about all that goes on in the world?
It’s time for you to say “I will go to my father”
Maybe you are a believer in Christ and you find yourself living for your self more than Jesus. You don’t go to church except once or twice a year when you feel you have to not realizing that the Bible says
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Christ died for the church, for the people that come together in his name.
And
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
You stopped attending and watching live streams over COVID. You’ve been living like the prodigal. You’ve had access to the father this entire time yet you’ve chosen to the pigs. Todays a great day to come to yourself and say “I will go to the father”
I was a prodigal for many years. I’m thankful in the desert of Afghanistan working 12 hour shifts in a tower at night God started working on my heart and brought me back to Him.
Will you come to the father?
The prodigal didn’t stop there, he took action. he was repenting of the way he was living.
Repentance is changing your thinking and taking action on it.
If you believe your living well in the pig pen and then decide it would be better with your father but don’t leave the pig pen, then you haven’t repented. Youve begun regretting. You regret the decision but not enough to humbly acknowledge your faults.
The prodigal son said “I have sinned against heaven and before thee.” I’ve sinned against God and you.
He acknowledged his sin and weakness. This is the greatest place to be.
If this is your first time at Liberty I want you to know you don’t sit in a room of people who believe they have it all together. Your in a room of broken people who know they are not perfect. but they know a God that is.
Do you realize your own sinfulness and imperfection? Do you see yourself as the prodigal did?
What will you do now? Will you stay there?
Are you unsure of your eternal destiny?
When you get to the place you need to be you will then be able to go where Jesus wants you.
IV. Where Jesus wants you to be
IV. Where Jesus wants you to be
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
When you decide you don’t want to be where you are and ready to be with your father…you make the decisions to run to the father as this son did.
Notice when he got to his daddy he didn’t ask for food. He didn’t call otu for clothing or anything of that nature…He said…Father…Dad..I’m sorry.
He said I’m not worthy to be your son.
That’s what we are saying when we put our faith in Jesus’ death burial and resurrection that we are celebrating today.
We are daysing God…Father…i’m sorry. God I’m not worthy to be your son.
God says “No…but Jesus was. And Jesus paid your penalty. Let’s celebrate.”
10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
The father brings out exactly what the son needs. he brings our the robe to clothe him. His finst robe. As the son was clothed by the father in the finest robe sinners are clothed in the righteousness of Christ based upon their faith in Him.
The father brought out his signet ring to place upon the hand of the prodigal son to say “He’s mine.” As God seals us with the Holy Spirit making the claim on our souls that we are his.
He kills the fatted calf so that he may have food. God has given us the very brea of life in the living Word of Jesus Christ and the written Word of God the Bible.
Folks this is the best part of the story. The wayward and wasteful son came home! He’s no longer with the pigs he is with his father. The relationship is restored. The love is given and accepted. Forgivness was always available but finally accepted.
This could be the greatest part of your story....would you let be today?
Today could be the day you decide…I don’t want to do this alone anymore. I want to know my Heavenly Father. I want ot know for sure that if I died today I’d go to Heaven.
Today could the day you decide…I’m tired of being a Christian in name only. I’m tired of living as if God doesn’t exist. I’ve gotten away from God and I want to come back. I want to be back with my father.
Is that you this morning?
We all started in the same place. Some of us have ended up witht he pigs. But tha’ts not where you nened to be. You need to be with your father. That’s where Jesus wants you.
Tha’ts why he died on the cross. That’s why he was buried in a tomb. That’s why he was raised from the dead on the third day.
Have you trusted in Jesus as your Savior?
Time of Response
Time of Response
Short prayer
Are you hear this morning and don’t know Jesus as your Savior. If you’d like to make the decision and cause for a party in Heaven and here on earth to take place as there is celebration and rejoicing.
The Bible says in
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
“Dear Jesus, I know I’m a sinner, I believe you came to die on the cross and rose from the dead. I put my faith right now in you and ask you to come into my life and change me from the inside out. Amen.”
If you made that decision today I encourage you to fill out our digital connection card and let us know. Fill out paper next step card in the back of the chair in front of you or email me directly at pastor@lbcbristol.org
If you do that I’ll have a gift for you.
have you been saved and haven’t been living like it. You’ve been skipping church, you’ve been neglecting your relationship with God, and today you’ve seen you need to come back and live for the Lord, your father.
Raise hand.
Close in prayer