Good morning, Church. Let us pray. Have a last name for you. Thank you for your love and grace.
Thank you for your presence in our lives. Allegively, as your children, this morning, we pray to you, as our Father, to give us an understanding of your Word, to show us who we used to be, and to help us to open our eyes on what you have done for us. And what we have become in you. Thank you for laughing, and in Jesus' might, amen.
I would like to share with you this morning about your family passage. It's not your new one. I'm very sure we've heard this story before so many times. Some of us, you know, we were born into this story.
And before I proceed, I would like to appreciate the opportunity to attend before the people have got this money. When you receive a text message or your call from a brother-might-do note, all of a sudden, your body becomes all here. You start listening to all God's messages. And that's how I feel sometimes.
So this morning, we will be doing a little reading. And also, I would like to share my thought on what we've read. So the title is a Father and his songs. Can we, I think we have it on this screen so we might not even need to open up.
So the version on this screen is NLT, New Living Translation. So I will read from it, tax collectors and ordinary tourists seen us. Often came to listen to Jesus' teach. This made the Pharisees and teach us a religious law, complain that it was associating with such sinful people, even heating with them.
So Jesus told them this story. If a man has an under a ship and one of them gets lost, what will he do? If he lived in 99 others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it. And when he has found it, it will joyfully carry it on on his shoulders.
When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, rejoice with me because I have found my lost ship. In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sin who repents and returns to God. There are 99 others who are righteous and haven't straight away. You continue to illustrate the point for that.
Jesus told them this story. In that passage, we actually have three stories, three parables. Well, I chose this one because I could see myself visibly more in this story. To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story.
A man had two sons. The youngest son told his father, I once might share of your estate now before you die. So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. A few days later, this youngest son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land.
And there he wasted all his money and wild living. About the time his money ran out. A great famine swept over the land and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him.
And the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the parts he was feeding the pigs looked good to him, but no one gave him anything. When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, at home, even the higher servants, half food, enough to spare. And here I am dying of anger.
I will go on to my father and say, Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you. And I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a higher servant. So he returned on to his father.
And while he was still a long way off his father's time coming, filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. He said, his son sent to him, Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you. I am no longer worthy of being called your son. But his father said to the servant, quick, bring the finest robe in the house and puts it on him.
Get a ring for his finger and sundails for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with the fist. For this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life.
It was lost, but now he is found. So the party began. Meanwhile, the whole of the sun was in the fields, walking. When he returned on, he heard music and dancing in the house.
And he had one of the servants. What was going on? Your brother is back, he was told. And your father has killed the fattened calf.
We are celebrating because of a safe return. The older brother was hungry and wouldn't go in. His father came out and begged him. But he replied, all this years I have sleeved for you and never once refused to do a single thing.
You told me to. And in all that, you never gave me one young goat for a fist with my friend. Yet, when this son of yours comes back, after us wondering your money on prosthetics, I wonder who told him that. You celebrate by killing the fattened calf.
It's fair to say to him, look, you have always stayed by me. And everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life.
He was lost, but now he is found. That's the passage. It's not a new passage. It's not new.
I don't think it's new to most of us here. My objective is to refresh our minds and possibly extend it. Maybe we can find something new that is going to help us on this journey. What triggered this parable from Jesus Christ?
One to three tax collectors. In other words, it would be called C.A.A.A. And all the notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus. It's not the first time they always come to listen to him.
But they've got this thing in their mind. This made the Pharisees and the teachers of religious law complain that it was associating with such sinful people. They are not sinful people. Even eating with them.
Okay. So Jesus said, okay. Maybe we can talk about this now. And he started with the story.
So if you are like me, sometimes we get used to a word. You even think you know the meaning of the word. And you will have, you know, you will keep saying the word. And one day someone is going to ask you, what the meaning of that word?
I'm like, uh-uh. You know, I actually thought I know the meaning. Parable is a common word in the gospel of Jesus in the gospel. So I've heard a lot about parable.
But I never, you know, set myself down to a heart. What is the meaning of parable? You know, we are so used to it. So a parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson as told by Jesus in the gospel.
And a gerund preacher once described it as an earthly story with every meaning. So why did Jesus tell them this story? Jesus saw it as an opportunity to pass a message about God's unconditional love and his grace that if we can connect to it through the humility and repentance of our hearts, we will be rewarded. In Matthew chapter 5 verse 17, Jesus said, don't misunderstand why I have come.
I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the Prophet. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth. Until heaven and heart disappear.
Not even the smallest detail of God's law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. Verse 20, but I want you, unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees. You will never enter the kingdom of heaven unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees. You will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
So, there is a better righteousness. These people, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, they have their differences, but they have something that is very common between them. They are both expert of the law. But here, Jesus is telling us that unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
In other words, as an expert of the law, that is still not sufficient to enter the kingdom of heaven. So, what are the righteousness Jesus is talking about? Let's start with the youngest one. I want my she of your estate now before you die.
That's a very strong one. And while preparing these, what keeps coming to my mind is the guy sounds like I'm done with your authority. As a matter of fact, are you not going to die? Can you just get me my stuff now?
Like if one only for ever, that's a problem, just get me my stuff now. I want to be independent. I want to have a full control of my life and I want it with my own she of your wealth. To prove it, that in the main way you are saying, verse 13 says, if part is belonging and moved to a distant land, I don't want anything to do with it.
I don't want to have anything to do with it. I just want to be on my own. There are two verses that popped up in my mind when I read this. And the first one is Proverb, chapter 14 verse 12.
It's a popular one. There is a part before each person does things right, or it hangs in there. And what I want to say is, trust, Proverb, chapter 3 verse 5 to 8, trust in the Lord with all your hands. Do not depend on your own understanding.
That's a problem for us sometimes. I want to understand. We always have this mind that makes us look as if we know better than God. Seek is will in all you do, and it will show you which path to take.
It's stressed, it's for the Lord. It says verse 7, don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.
Don't be impressed by your own wisdom. The truth about this is that, guys, there are limitations to our wisdom. The earlier we have made this, the easier it becomes for us on this journey. And after all this, the younger son sounds rebellious, but there is a consequence for every action.
Let's see the consequences. Verse 14, I'm sure, these all these consequences in countries mind when it was has been this fight of voice, on share. It thought it had to figure out all. It had to figure out all, like, I understand what I'm going into.
It's not the cold outside sometimes. Verse 14, it goes, trying to run out of money. His whole ideology about wealth couldn't sustain him. It thought it had to figure out all, you know.
Just give it to me, I know what I'm doing. It was disappointed. You didn't see the famine coming. A great famine swept over the land, and it began to starve.
Degradation. Don't forget, this guy is a son. He had to become a slave just to survive. He was hired to feed pigs.
Desperation, it became so angry that even the parts, it was feeling the pigs looked good to him, but no one gave him anything. It's amazing how he spent a lot of his wealth with people. But when the table turned, no one gave him anything. That's the world.
If your food's more fun, maybe soccer, as it's called in Canada, you will know that you are only as relevant to the fans when you have no injuries and you are performing to the expectation. Immediately, you start performing below your expectation. You don't even want to know you're getting out of this thing. And that's how the world treats us sometimes.
When we stray away from the presence of God. I was surprised, but no one gave him anything. He didn't see that coming. So what did he do?
When I was reading about this, I read about spiritual insanity. And what does that mean? You know, it's a sense of pride that comes into us sometimes, and makes us feel we have a better way to figure out our lives than what God is offering to us. What this youngest son got its right, even regardless of how deep he has gone, in his wrong ways, he finds a way to get it right.
And what did he do? He repented. The first step to spiritual insanity is repentance. Brethren, God has done it all for us.
How much are you willing to repent from your wicked ways, from that evil ways? It's a fighter it loves us. The uncle of the sustain says, for God so loved the world, that includes you and I, that he gave it all, because he loves us. And that also ever believes in him shall not perish.
That's a promise. If you can try to believe in him, you will not perish. The first step to spiritual sanity is repentance. A return to a realistic understanding of who God is, and who we are in relation to him.
It's an act of humility. When you've got to the end point, you have to option. Turn to God, or do whatever it is. This guy chose to turn to his father.
The youngest son showed us how this time be done. He realized his choice has been sinful against his father. He's done with lies. He literally embraced the truth when he finally came to his senses.
He said to himself, at home, even the higher servants, have food enough to spare. And here I am dying of hunger. I will go home to my father and say, father, I have sinned against both heaven and you. And I'm no longer worthy of being called your son.
Please take me as a higher servant. So I broke it down. It confessed its sin. It didn't blame shift.
Sometimes this is the attitude we have. God, you should understand. Maybe I would have turned to you if my parents were Christian. If I was born as a Christian, you know, the devil would have a way of dropping those lies into a higher.
And it makes us want to justify our sinful ways in the presence of God. But this guy chose not to. He took full responsibility. He recognized whom he has sinned against, that is, heaven and his father.
And you know what? He realized what he actually deserves. And that is where the spirit of appreciation comes in. If you truly realize what you deserve and your choose, not to give you what you deserve.
He said, I'm no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a higher servant. That's what he deserved. Let's see the Father's action.
So he returned home. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw in coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son. Embraced in and kissed in.
Let's have it at the back of our mind. This guy, as you mean in my mind, that he's going to be so filled with. I don't know if anyone has been to a big farm before. It's hardly so filled with.
You know? And he was there, feeding them part before he came back to his senses. But the Father ran towards him. He just ran.
He embraced him. He didn't even care how sexy he is looking. He kissed him. Red rain.
God loves us. And this way loves us. All he wants is for us to repain. He's ready to run to us.
And matter of fact, he's still running. Forget us. There is a commentary I read about which I loved. It's by Enric Garri.
And he said, all the men in the Middle East, sorry, all the men in the Middle East do not run. No. This Father was an aged and wealthy land hooner. Robes made robes made running difficult.
And the concepts of dignity made it inappropriate. Even in our time, important people restrained their emotions publicly. They made a jog for exercise. Like I saw our Prime Minister Joggin last week.
They rarely raised in excitement. But this Father's hat is filled with two things. Law for his son and a desire to reach in before any of the judgmental villagers do. If we have an experience like mine, I have an idea of what village is.
You know, it's closely knitted like and they can talk. People have started talking like, you know, ashamed of yourself. You don't have the mind to come back home. But the Father was wrong.
Before any of them could reach him to embrace him and to kiss him. Psalm 51, it's a prayer of repentance offered by David after he's seen with Batcha. David did an awful thing in the eyes of God. And God sent Prophet Nathan to hope on his eyes to why he did.
And David wrote this Psalm. Verse 17, it says, You do not desire a sacrifice. Or I would offer one. You do not want a bond offering.
The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken arepent heart over. A broken spirit. This young Gaston demonstrated that.
And we can see that the Father didn't reject him. So what did the Father do? After embracing him, kissing him, his son said to him, Father, I have seen against both Evan and you. And I am no longer worthy of being called your son.
What his father said to the servant, quick, bring the finest robe in the house. When I was reading this, I was picturing my own Father. My Father would have sat me down. I'm like, you know what?
How we talk about this now? You know, what this Father here, he didn't even allow him to talk. He can see his heart. He can feel the genuine repentance.
And what did he do? He said, quick, bring the finest robe in the house. And what does that mean? A restored is dignity and honor.
And put it on aim. Get a ring for his finger. Don't forget. This guy is his son.
A restored is authority and sunshine. And sunda is for his feet. Slaves no wear shoes. And killed this calf we have been fattening.
This kind of calf has saved for special occasion. That was a special moment for your father. We must celebrate the feast for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.
So the party began. What a picture of God's unconditional love and grace. God's heart is full of compassion for his children. He turns ready to welcome the returning sin back home with celebration.
In 2nd Peter 3 verse 9, he says, the Lord isn't really being slow about his promise. As some people think, no, he's been patient for your sake. Am I? He does not want anyone to be destroyed but wants everyone to repent.
He doesn't want the devil to have the last laugh on you. He doesn't want him to have the last laugh on us. He's done everything for you. And he's still doing it.
So the youngest son was satisfied to return home as a slave. But to his surprise and delight, he is restored back into the full privilege of being his father's son. That's what God graced us for your repentance, not only are we forgiven in Christ, but we receive the spirit of adoption to sonship. Galatians 4, verse 5 to 6.
But when the fullness of the time account got sent for his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you have sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his son into our hearts, crying out, have a father. Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but his son. And if his son, then and here to God through Christ.
That's 7 of Luke 15 says, in the same way there is more joy in heaven. Over one lost sin, who repents and returns to God, than over 99 of the other righteous have not strayed away. The modern merry, there is enough room for us all. As a matter of fact, Brother David Hanson read that chapter this morning and I was wondering like, wow, that's how God moves.
John 14, verse 1 to 3, he says, trust in God, trust in me also, in my father's house. There are so many mentioned. Another Russian says, there are more than enough room. There is more than enough room for everyone.
It's not too late to repaint if you are like this younger son. You still have your room. You don't say, if it's not so, I wouldn't have to tell you this. Let's see, from the older sons perspective.
The self-righteous one. Meanwhile, the older son was in the field, walking. Fields, walking. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house.
And he hacked one of the servants. What was going on? Your brother is back. He was told.
And your father killed the fighting calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return. The older brother was hungry and wouldn't go in. Why?
This is your younger brother. Why should he be angry? I think he should be happy. He's back home.
But it's beyond that flame. It's more than that. Like what has he come back to do? It's got his own share.
But he replied, all these years have slipped for you. Oh, you are your son. You are a nice leave. And never once refused to do a single thing you told me to.
And in all that time, you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Did you ask? Yes, when this son of yours comes back, after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fighting calf. I can see myself clearly here.
So I stumbled on this quote. The grisless service of a self-righteous person is more hard duty than a joyful service in Thanksgiving. But he replied, all these years I have slipped for you. And never once refused to do a single thing you told me.
And in all that time, you never gave me one young goat for a feast with my friends. The truth is the story of his younger brother revealed what's going on in his heart. One of the common quotes here is the heart of the matter, the mother of the heart. The son, the older son, believes so much in himself and his ability to keep up with the law.
I want us to remember how this story is static about the Pharisees, the sinners. And Jesus was like, okay, I'm going to tell his story. It seems to be to be hungry because it thinks it's not getting what he deserved for his faithful service. He refused to admit he couldn't do everything on his own.
Just like what we read in the program, do not depend on your own wisdom. That's the attitude of the older son. It's so much trust in his own wisdom. And Jesus is pointing at that house to the Pharisees.
Hence, the reason why he won't go in. He refused to enter his father's law. The very, the very thing he was trying to hand all these years. One of my favorite passage for this is Efficient to God saved you by his grace, when you believe.
Another version says, we are saved by grace through faith. And you can't take credit for this. It's a gift from God. He expensate.
Salvation is not a reward for good things we have done. So none of us can boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus.
So we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. So for me, God saved you by his grace, when you believed. So if you believe that, if you have faith in that, there should be a shift in the way you see your service to God. You can't take credit for it.
There should be a shift. So my service to God now should be an act of thanksgiving. That's when I don't feel like I am sleeping for you. When you see it as an act of thanksgiving.
I'm so unworthy. You died for me. What can I give and return? My service.
But when we feel or refuse to believe, it becomes a body. And sometimes we can get weary of it. We can complain like this older son. You know what?
All this years I've been slaving for you. Don't you think that I deserve this? God has given us everything. God has given us everything.
He gave us His only Son. And that's unpaid the ultimate price for us. To have the privilege we have with God. Our service will never be a substitute for what Christ did on the cross.
No matter how hard we try. We have to get that clear. Rather it is expected to be an act of thanksgiving for what Jesus did for us on the cross. Okay.
So if we understand this sometimes we still feel like, okay, so I understand that. Does that mean God still won't do anything for me? I've found why I've done for you. It's not an unjust God.
The Hebrew chapter 6 verse 10 says, For God is not unjust. It will not forget how hard you have worked for Him. And how you have shown your love to Him by caring for other believers. As you still do, our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life in order to make certain that what you offer will come true.
It's not an unjust God. All we need to do is to have the right perception about our service. Are you serving Him? Are you exhibiting those good works?
Thinking that you can use it as a substitute for what God did for us on the cross. That's where it goes wrong. Rather, it should be an act of Thanksgiving. When you think of what God has done for you, it's seen so unwinding, filled with one.
Romance, the book of romance says, for our righteousness, it's like a field there, so filled with it. The older son, he wanted a judgment. Like, this son of yours doesn't even want to associate himself with him. This son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes and you celebrate by killing a fatting calf.
The wrong wrap is head around the fact that his father could love unconditionally, could work on this son of his back. He would have loved it if the father said, get out. I don't want you here any longer. Probably the story we love, the Pharisees would have enjoyed the story better, are we?
Well, God showed us the quality of his mercy and grace. And in James, chapter 1, verse 20, he says, human hunger does not produce the righteousness God desires. I read a commentary which I agree a lot with. Hanger is an emotion that humans feel, and sometimes struggle to process and cope with.
What we learn from this letter written by James is that hunger rooted in human pride, logic, or even intentions will not produce righteousness because it is not in line with God's love, goodness or justice. God does not want our hunger or any emotion to get in the way of doing what is good and right in his eyes. But hunger is a feeling that you are not getting your way now. Resentment is a feeling that you did not get your way in the past.
These feelings are therefore based on selfishness. And God says it doesn't produce righteousness God desires. Matthew 23 verse 23, when Jesus was talking and calling the expat of law, what sorrows have with you teachers of religious law and youth are you Pharisees? I think I had this again, this one in from Brother Hanukkah and saying, He pogrates you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb guidance, but you ignore the most important aspects of the law, justice, mercy, and faith.
And that's what Jesus Christ is trying to introduce to this two set of people. You choose tithes but do not neglect the most, the more important things running out of time. So what is the father's reaction to the oldest son? Is Father said to him, look, the other son, you have always stayed by me and everything I have is yours.
He had to celebrate his day for your brother, was dead and has come back to life. He was lost, but now he is found. The father's words are corrective in several ways. The first one is, he tried to let him know that you know what, this relationship, Father and Son relationship we have is not based on your performance.
You are always with me and everything I have is yours. He also tried to restore back the love of his younger brother into his heart. Says, by saying your brother, not the son of yours, is your brother. And that's how it should be.
First John 4 verse 20 to 21 says, if someone says I love God but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar. For if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us his comment, those who love God must also love their fellow believers. Jesus also, in this story, make it clear to us that grace is necessary and appropriate.
That's what we had to celebrate. And also, dead and has come back to life. It was lost, but now it is found. This is some of our history.
We can all relate to this as a Christian. We're lost, but now we're found. Romans 6 verse 23, for the wages of sin is dead. But the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus, our Lord.
We have another son. For unto us, the child is born, and unto us, his son is given. If we've been paying attention, we will know that this story is being told by his son. And this son has a different character from the older one.
This one went all out. He paid the ultimate price. This one in our community service, he became the Lamb of God. He did that to bring us back to the presence of God, to reconciliation, to our Father, to redeem us from the snake of death.
Look, chapter 19 verse 19 says, for the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost. John chapter 5 verse 24. I tell you the truth, this is Jesus speaking. Those who listen to my message and believe in God, who sent me, have it in a life.
They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death to life. Hebrew chapter 10 verse 11 to 14. Under the old covenant, the priest stands and minister before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices and again and again and again. But you know what?
Which can never take away sins. In fact, Vastris is it only reminds them of their sins every year. But our high priest, the son we are talking about here, offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins. Good for all time, done and dusted.
Then he sat down in the place of honor at God's right hand, doing what? He is not high, he is advocating for us. 1 John chapter 2 verse 1 is preparing a place for us. John 14 verse 1 to 3 is interceding on our behalf.
Hebrew 7 verse 25. Yeah, he awaits until his enemies are humbled and made a fool to other his feet. For by that, for by that one offering, he forever made perfect, those who had been made holy. That's it.
And Vast 18 says, and when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices. If you wouldn't mind, I have just a chorus. If we can collectively sing it as an act of worship and thanksgiving, he has done everything for us. This son is still held there.
As a matter of fact, 2nd, Peter, 3 verse 9, he says, he's been patient for a sick. He doesn't want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. Be your youngest son or the oldest son. He wants you or everyone of us to repent.
Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul. Thank you, Lord, for making me whole. Thank you, Lord, for giving to me. Thy great salvation so rich and free.
Thank you.