Back Where You Belong

Introduction

A New Start Series:

We began a new series a couple weeks ago on the first Sunday of the new year called ‘New Beginnings’. In that first message we started at the beginning. In that in order to have a true new start, it has to begin somewhere, and that somewhere is the salvation found in Christ. So we looked at a message centered around salvation called ‘Ye Must be Born Again’. Words that Jesus spoke unto Nicodemus in Joh. 3.

In that message we had:

‘Ye Must Be Born Again’ - Salvation: Joh. 3:1-21

An Examination (Of Nicodemus)

He was a Religious Leader

He Recognized Jesus’ Authority

He Reached Out to Jesus

He Needed Redemption

An Education

The Duality of Life

The Necessity of Spiritual Birth

The Analogy that He Gave

An Explanation

The Source of Salvation

The Singularity of Salvation

The Simplicity of Salvation

One of the main points that we tried to make was that although Nicodemus was a good man and learned religious leader - he still needed Redemption. He still needed Jesus.

You can be a good person, you can be a learned person - but you still need the Salvation that Jesus offers.

You can turn over a new leaf

You can decide to make some changes in your life

But unless the foundation is sure, whatever is built upon it will not last. As the song goes ‘On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand - all other ground is sinking sand’.

Salvation is essential for a ‘New Beginning’. But it’s not exclusive. There are plenty of Christians who need a fresh start as well. There are plenty of Christians who have the foundation right, but somewhere along the way, the building that rests upon it has fallen into disrepair. (Ill.) There’s many houses that over the years begin to fall apart - whether it be from the elements to which it’s exposed, or it wasn’t properly maintained… They have a good foundation, but they are now in need of Restoration. They need to be brought back into the proper state.

It’s possible that the house in which has been built is not what it should be in the first place, and is in need of complete Renovation.

Whatever the state of you Spiritual House is, there’s something that we can learn from today’s Scripture and message that will allow us to get that New Beginning if you desire it.

Today’s message is taken from a well known passage of Scripture known as ‘the Story of the Prodigal Son’. Jesus tells us of a man with two sons - the younger one who fell away from the Father, and the older one who remained faithful and consistent.

As you see, we didn’t read the portion concerning the elder brother as it has no bearing on the focus of the message here today. Today we’re examining the relationship between the Father and the younger son, the decisions that were made and the end that came to be. In this passage we find a beautiful picture of the topic of the day which is Restoration.

NOTICE: I said this is a wonderful picture of Restoration - not Salvation. This is not an image or illustration of someone who doesn’t know the LORD and is being born again - it’s a picture of someone who is backslidden and is restored from that backslidden state. The Difference between Salvation and Restoration lies in the relationship between God and man.

Remember Jesus’ words ‘Ye must be born again’ in relation to Salvation. According to Jesus we must be born again Spiritually. Then we read explaining this in Rom. 8:15-17 “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

This son was a son - regardless of circumstance or placement. He was a son in the house - and he was a son in the pig sty. He was a son when obedient, and he was a son when he was disobedient. This is a point that needs stressed. I believe there are so many Christians out there who can’t really appreciate their Salvation - and by proxy what Christ did for their Salvation - because they still struggle with the STATUS of their Salvation. (Am I saved, am I lost? Did I mess up bad enough to lose it?) The Fellowship with the Father was strained, but the relationship never changed. When we fall away from God our fellowship with Him is strained, but the relationship never changes - that’s we we can confidently say ‘IF saved, ALWAYS SAVED!’

The first point that we want to examine is the Son’s Decisions

I. The Son’s Decisions

Notice that everything that takes place, does so based on the Son’s Decisions. The Catalyst for the Separation, and the Reconciliation are decisions by the son.

I point this out for two reasons:

To place blame where it rightfully belongs

You straying from God is not God’s fault.

Many people try to take bad things that happen in their lives and use it as an excuse to forsake

To recognize the power the ‘sons’ of the world have to restore what has been broken.

In other words, Christians are where they are in relation to God solely because of the decisions they make. God doesn’t hold anyone at arms length. God does not hold some people back and others He allows near. The Bible tells us: Rom. 2:11 “For there is no respect of persons with God.” Many Christians have a close relationship with God because they’ve made decisions to spend time in His Word and in prayer. Others have a distant relationship with God because they decided those things weren’t important.

We’ll touch more on this in a minute. But in looking at the Son’s Decisions, we need to first recognize His Wealth.

His Wealth (v12)

There’s a few things that we need to point out concerning this young man’s wealth.

First, the wealth that he had came from his Father.

Secondly it was a gift (‘give to me’)

I have said time and again that every one of your blessings that you enjoy - past, present & future - are by the Grace of God. Jam. 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

From the health that we have to the wealth that we enjoy. The homes, cars, opportunities. Family & every blessing we enjoy - they are all derived from the Goodness & Grace of God.

We see his Wealth was by the Grace of his Father. Secondly, we see His Withdrawal

His Withdrawal (v13a)

‘His Journey’ - His Decision

As mentioned in the introduction - this journey was HIS. It wasn’t the Fathers. It wasn’t because the Father was mean to him. It was because the son decided that pleasing his flesh was more important than pleasing his Father.

Church we need to recognize as Paul did the truth concerning the flesh:

Rom. 7:15 “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.” Rom. 7:18-19 “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.”

We need to stop trusting our feelings and start trusting His Instruction!

His Decision

‘His Journey’ - His Destination

Notice as well where his flesh took him - into a far country.

This is a principle that we’ve seen play out time and again in the lives of so many.

The old adage is true: Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you want to pay.

There’s not one alcoholic than thought ‘Hey, today would be a good day to start my addiction’

There’s not one drug addict who thought ‘I can’t wait till this drug controls my life’

The desires of the flesh if followed will not simply take you a little ways away from the Father, but will take you far away - in at least one of two ways:

It will take you away physically

In that you will outwardly sin as in the examples given.

It will take your heart away

You know, it’s possible to not be outwardly sinning and still be far from God? I know for a few reasons: 1. I’ve been there. 2. Look at the Pharisees.

His Brevity - The time at his Father’s house

Notice as well the little time he spent at his Father’s house.

Christians, we need to spend less time in a far country and more time at the Father’s House!

We see his Withdrawal

His Waste (v13b)

The blessings that the Father gave him - he wasted.

This is the plight of so many Christians. God has given us blessings upon blessings - and all too often, we waste them.

What are some of the blessings we waste?

The Time that He’s given us

The Opportunities before us

Each of us have but one life. And each of us have to make the choice on how to use that life. Will we choose to use it for self-gratification, or something better? Will we waste it on riotous living, or will we spend the days we have wisely?

We see His Waste. Next we see His Want

His Want (v14)

Notice that after this - after the waste, the Bible tells us that he began to be in want.

This is not coincidence. This is the pattern. Once a soul wastes the blessings of God, it leads to a desolate place. It leads to a place of want. It leads to a place where you’re just not satisfied.

The reason is, is because living to fulfill fleshly desires can never bring true fulfillment. But God can! Psa. 16:11 “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: In thy presence is fulness of joy; At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

So whenever a Christian makes the decision to leave the Father’s House, it leads to Waste and then to Want.

Next, look at his work.

His Work (v15)

Is unfruitful, but more than that.

It was a Compromised Work

Compromised in the sense that he was joined himself unto a heathen - for the benefit of the heathen.

Remember that the Scriptures tells us: 2 Cor. 6:14 “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?”

It was a Contrary Work

In that what he was doing was contrary to His religion. In Lev. 11:26 we see that the pig was unclean to the Jew (which is assuredly who He is referencing) he couldn’t eat nor touch them, and yet now he’s compromised his own faith

Following after the flesh will not only will:

Lead you to Waste your blessings

Lead to to a place of emptiness and want

It will lead you to labor against your faith and by proxy, your God!

We see his Work

His Weariness (v16)

Is unbearable

As we trace down through the path that the Prodigal has taken, we see that:

His Wealth: How his Father by Grace bestowed great things unto him

His Withdrawal: How he made the decision to leave the Father to follow his flesh

His Waste: All of those blessings were wasted - this led to the place of

His Want: Giving the flesh the pleasure it desired didn’t give him fulfillment - it only gave him emptiness

His Work: Was unfruitful and contrary to His Faith

All this brought him to a place of Weariness.

Too many people experience emptiness in his life. But they experience it because of the path that they chose to go down. This is where following the desires of the flesh will bring you! Empty!

Aren’t you tired of feeling empty? Aren’t you tired of not having fulfillment inside?

Thank God the Prodigal did! He finally god tired of it & did something about it.

Lastly, we see his wisdom

His Wisdom (v17-20a)

‘When he came to himself...’ this is when he finally got tired of it and realized ‘The Father’s house is far better!’

We’ve spoken about the decision that the son made in leaving his father - the son showed great wisdom in returning. This was his decisions to!

I don’t know of a single father that doesn’t desire to have a close relationship with their children. God certainly desires that of His children. But just as the Father couldn’t force a close fellowship with his son, our Heavenly Father doesn’t either.

The son realized that it was better in his Father’s house, but he had to make the decision to turn from where he was at, and head back to the Father’s House!

It’s one thing to realize you’re in the pig sty, it’s another thing to do something about it. If you should upon self-examination find that you’ve strayed from the Father, do something about it! Turn back unto Him!

We see the Son’s Decisions. Next, we’ll look at the Father’s Reactions

II. The Father’s Reactions

We’ve mentioned a few of the decisions that the son has made, lastly I want to look at how the Father reacted to them.

His Allowance (v13)

We see that once the son made the decision to go, there is no indication of the Father interfering in that decision.

You have the right to choose what you will. If you choose to leave the goodness of the Father’s House, He’ll let you.

God is a Gracious God - but He’s also a gentleman. In the sense that He has a Will for your life, but will not force it upon you.

We see His Allowance to choose. Secondly, we see His Anticipation

His Anticipation (v20a)

His Father saw him coming what he was a ways off, because He was looking a ways off for him.

That Father hadn’t given up hope on His son

That Father had desire for the son to come home

If you’ve strayed away - know this: God is there just as the Father, waiting, anticipating your return home! Looking for your return!

We see His Anticipation, next we see His Anticipation

His Acceptance (v20b)

We see that the Father wasn’t looking at his son from a Judgmental perspective - but looked upon him with compassion.

Jesus know’s what it’s like to be tempted. Jesus understands the weakness of the flesh.

If you turn back unto God, you’ll not be met with Condemnation, but with Compassion!

His Abundance (v22-23)

The son wasted what the Father gave him - but understand this: The Father has wealth untold!

God can bless you again. God can give you fulfillment again - regardless of what you’ve done, regardless of where you’ve been! That emptiness can be restored, because God is in the restoration business!

The Waste can be replaced

The Want can be restored

The Weariness can be erased

God can Restore your relationship unto Him and bring you back to where you belong!

Conclusion

Where are you today? Do you need the restoration that God offers?