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May 7, 2021 8:00 am
Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ, some fail. Paul says I fail. I feel all the time so you and so I refill but notice Paul add something that is not doesn't just get on and get going. Notice what he says next brother and I do not regard myself as having me motivate yet. One thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching for the I forget my failure. You are joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie when Pastor Bill Gebhardt. Now once again he shows us how God's word meets becomes a hired man shameful in that it gets worse. Next race and he sent them into the fields to feed swine feed the pigs unclean animal to the Jews can't touch them is an unclean animal what you see in this story is shame and you see it everywhere there's shame everywhere there's failure every level there shame in approaching his father. That way there shame and the father funding the rebellion there shame up selling everything for his estate. Keep the shame of turning it all into cash. The shame of funding a gross the funding of your gross, immoral living, the shame of becoming a bigger attached to a Gentile. Now the shame of feeding pigs is a shameful his failure every level. Jesus is trying to make that point. Now notice what happens to it says and he would've gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the fine swine were eating and no one was giving him anything anything to him.
He would love that.
Just eat what they ate, they were eaten care of pods the care of God comes off the carob tree and it's like a long green with peas and it got a little dark brown black-eyed peas and the pre-nutritious their unbelievably bitter humans can really eat it. It's too bitter for them to eat and he said notice.
He said he would be glad eat those, but he didn't but he said I'd been glad to but it could need. It was so bad and so consequently what you find here is he one seat these care of pods. His failure is that a catastrophic level and everything changes in verse 17 she had of what we do when we feel like this first step. Notice what he does, and when he came to his senses that's first step of repentance, you come to your senses.
What am I doing why why did I do that.
You see, comes to her senses he starts thinking about her from that point of view when it came to her senses he said, how many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread.
I'm dying here. Hunger notices a lot. By the way, about the father because he talks about the father's hired men November the father's wealthy is a landowner. One of the things that have been a culture she has tenant farmers, workers, landform, and they get a percentage of they give him a percentage of negative percentage, so he has tenant farmers. He also has indentured servants and will run in one of them. Later he runs into indentured servant. These are people that owe money and become slaves or indentured servants to pay it off there treated more like family. But after the tenant farmers and indentured servants, and you have hired men hired man is just like a guy go to Lowe's or Home Depot every morning and wait for someone to pick him up and take them off in a truck and get a days work hired man works for one day at a court in the book of Leviticus. Once you finish a days work. You have to be paid that day they needed the money immediately so we hired a man. You paid him at the end of the day.
He said I like to be like one of my bun. My father's hired men a day labor.
Notice what he said about them know it's really intriguing because he said how many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread to Terry about his father is generous is a very generous man is representing God here, but he's very generous. He gives him more than enough bread while and then it says next step. I will get up and go.
There is a rise stand up, get going, move, do something you see whenever you and I feel get up and go. He said all right I'll get up and go and I'll go to my father and was say to him a father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, not it's a bad translation because I don't think there sure what it really says he didn't say I've sinned against heaven he actually littering the Greeks as I've sinned into heaven and are not sure what to do with into, but I think what it's saying is that I've sinned as high as having my sins so high goes right into heaven. The metaphor is the same boy really center. I really messed up. I really failed. You see, I've sinned against you, and I've sinned he said all the way into heaven he said I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired men.
So I ask just make me as one of the hired men, I have no rights and no rights. All I deserve is to be a hired man true repentance or this is true repentance. By the way he represents us. We all felt almost in the fall short of the glory of God.
We've all squandered in Atlantis in. We've all done that we've all come to Christ only by faith. You see will have any rights to become a Christian to Donatella my rights are no everything I am I am because of Christ, see, and that's a very important thing, in spite of all my failure.
So in verse 20 we have the word so and so something is going to happen and the scribes and Pharisees are thinking right there now is going to get it. You see, now he's going to get it now is going to go back and he's going to get justice because he is brought so much shame to that village of that family so much shame to his father is going to get what he deserves.
Now they believe there could be no reconciliation without restitution. They believe that with all the hard you can never be reconciled with someone gives restitution for but that's not grace, so I got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father Solomon left and felt compassion for any rent and embrace the many custom this is when he was a long way off. The father saw he was into the village.
It what does it tell you about the father is looking for a look every day for just a God looks for you and me is looking for sieges and come in. He spots him so as he sees them. And as he looks form he sees him.
And then it says something this just this Pharisees were been shot by. He saw and felt compassion and then it says and he ran Jewish men don't run not ever never never run not ever your garment can never, the government touched the ground. Basically you can that you are not a lot of the Jewish men.
The lifter garment if you were a priest and you were standing and blood of sacrificed animals under the law, you had to let your garment be in the blood you were allowed to raise and expose any of your leg. It's undignified for Jewish man to do so is says here the father lifted up and took off in the Greek word for one, there is the word Sprint in Traut walk fast he ran he pulled his garment up expose his legs. The Pharisees would be like oh my goodness, how shameful you just don't do that and it says and he ran. He embraced him and kissed him why, if he would've waited for the prodigal to come to him. The particle would have become through the village and with the village would go to the prodigal. It would ashamed him, you disgusting young man you terrible sinner you failure as a son. So what's the father do. He runs through the village, raising his garment to run to the sun.
In other words, what the father say I'll take all the shame you want to bet they want to point shame if someone pointed me by the way, isn't that what happened on the cross need to go to shame.
She became sin for us is I'll take the shame I love you on one DUI compassion for you.
I'll take all the shame and he does and it says and then he kissed him and the son said to him, father, I've sinned against heaven and in your sight. I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. True repentance on that is right and you think the father's response but Yep you're right it's not the father said to the slaves notice their slaves or he said quickly, immediately bring out the best robe and put it on all this the best robe. This very special this is a robe, likely from his grandfather is set down by generations, the more money you have, the greater the robust a lot of embroidery sometimes drools on it. You only use it for the most important things like a wedding you see are some main event like someone someone of a higher government official came to your house you put on the best robe. He says getting the best robe just go get them get the best robe. I got think it the best robe, one of the sons of everyone the best robe. Now the sun gets the best robe, in spite of all the shame and failure that he does uses quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand, is not anything that's not give a little bling. No jewelry form. That's the signet ring that's the family's authority, their wealthy family. They have rings that ring when they seal it means it's their name that's only do contracts is a put a ring on his finger he gets at signet ring back best robe, signet ring, while it is not even finish. Then after he says that he says put sandals on his feet and toes are destitute.
He was barefoot.
Put sandals on his feet and then he says this and bring the fatted calf what the fatted calf.
I got understand you only have a fatted calf for something particular. What they would do is that overfeed a young calf.
Make it a fatted calf, and almost always and we don't know this because Jesus made the story up or we can ask him in heaven. We get to know if you want to. But the point is normally what you have a fatted calf for that would've been the wedding of the firstborn. The first ones getting married you have a fatted calf. He says get the fatted calf.
I mean, this is like what you get, the fatted calf.
This is Celebrex. Describe the role of Frank Kerry is all this failure and he says get the fatted calf, he says, and bring the fatted calf and kill it and let us eat and celebrate for this son of mine was dead, and is come to life again.
That's us all of us sinful for the glory of God. The wages of sin is death robe that become the life again been born again into the family of God through faith in Christ easily celebrate. Let's do this. He said he was lost and is found. We want to celebrate some of the commentators believe when he said twice.
He said it is as though we were dead but they probably had a funeral service for as I was with her family would do if they disowned her son. We don't know that for sure. Now, here come the Pharisees and scribes into the story now is older son was in the field and when he came and approached the house he heard music and dancing in the sum of one of the servants to begin inquiring with these things could be and he said your brother is come in the father is killed. The fatted calf, because he is received them back safe and sound.
He became angry was not willing to go in and his father might begin pleading with him and he answered he said was father look for so many years I've been serving you. I've never neglected the command of yours and yet you have never given me a young goat so that I may celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours. Notice he doesn't call his brother. You know why he feels the shame is disgusting person is a failure this son of yours.
He says came, who has devolved your wealth with prostitutes. You killed the fatted calf for him and he said son.
He says you've always been with me all that is mine is yours.
The two thirds are still yours. Everything I have is yours. He said, but we had to celebrate and rejoice for this brother of yours was dead, and has begun to live.
He was lost and it was found of the point of that story is what can result in failure. I don't know of a story in the Bible has more failure than this in its failure at every level possible. Shame failure and notice God's perspective of it are turned the sewer line to demonstrate my grace and success and that's exactly what he does. But we have to get up from our failures. You have to rise you have to cool get up, stop wallowing, stop the self-pity stop identifying yourself as a failure for your past is one more step go with me to Philippians chapter 3 Philippians chapter 3 verses 13 and 14 to break chapter, Paul starts to beginning the chaplain said you know if someone could brag I got I brag him go see my resume this the best you ever see if your religious your love, my resume on Jewish summer size and the eight-day tribe of Benjamin. I'm a Pharisee, not any Pharisee or Pharisee. You want to want to brag a signet want to count all that Dong that's what I think all that is is just dumb compared to the surpassing value of knowing Jesus Christ and so he says look I'm just like you are. I'm in this race I wanted. I want to live my life to the best I can to the very best that I can and he just kind of verses 13 and 14. He says this he said brother and I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet. I'm not arrived, pulses of not arrived. What you mean. Once your saved goggles about the business of conforming you completely in your character.
The image of Christ posted I'm not arrived.
What you say I feel I just want you know I feel first Timothy chapter 1 I am the chief of sinners is Paul talking what that mean I feel what about number seven. You know, I find myself doing the very things I don't want to do and I found myself not doing. I know the very things I should be doing.
I feel pulses I feel I feel all the time and so do you and so do Y.
We fill but notice Paul had something do this, not dizzy, just get up and get going. But notice what he says next brother and I do not regard myself as having me hold of it yet but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies I had Janet I forget my failure. Do you do you forget it when you wallow in it. You see, and by the way, think of some of his failures. He hunted down people in the church and had them executed now could that make you going to 30 years of therapy.
You see what I mean. It's in enormous what he did is I forget.
I forget what's behind me.
I just forget it. We have to forget our past. We don't we start identifying ourselves to a past failure. By the way, on the other side of the coin.
If someone is filled you take a lesson from the product was father.
How many times the product was father bring up you are such a disgrace is a son son. Do you know how much pain you caused me do you know how hard this was for me. Does he say anything like that. No he said I forget it. Number God said I forgive your brother sins I remember them no more. He shall take all your sins are taken. Mother seen him dump them overboard is as far as the east is from the West.
That's all farm and remove your sins will what you said. I forgot about that but about you and me you forget about your failure pulses you should use it. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. I forget what lies behind. I reach for for what lies ahead.
That's our faith.
Christianity cannot be it cannot be defined got your past it only as defined in the present and future.
That's all the that's all there is the steadfast love of the Lord never changes his mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning every morning when you open your eyes. God says, arise get going. Let's go know you instantly was a really bad day. Forget you gotta move forward.
John MacArthur writes this, he said what we have to forget he says good things and bad things achievements virtuous deeds great accomplishment, spiritual ministries, as well as all the bad things sins and iniquities failures and disasters. All of it, forget it. You see, forget it all. That's right.
Why, because it has nothing to do with the present and the future don't understand that it has nothing to do with what you're doing right now absolutely nothing to do with it. You cannot live on past victories you cannot celebrate your value but something you did in the past. You should never be rehabilitated by your past sins or your failures or your iniquities or your burdens of guilt and yet most people are so much distracted by the past. They never get about doing anything in the future. He said shut up and run the race. I love that is in nobody's interest and all that stuff for your past, nobody's interested I tell you right now no one's interest in what you did in the past. No one's interested in what I did in the past what God is interesting is what we doing right now what we going to do in the future, disappointments and temptations and failures of the past must not depress us, put your hand to the plow don't look back. You said in move pursue the price of Jesus Christ is how we should look at our lives. Failure is universal. But failure doesn't have to be fatal for all this morning.
Just a two point sermon feeling for dummies but sometimes I think we need something that simplistic. You have to get up from your failures. You have to get going and you have to forget about the past spring father. If there's one thing that we all have in common we fail. Some of us feel more regular than others. Some of us had bigger failures than others, but we all fill in the question for us. Father is not the failure, the question for us is to be get up to regularize do we get going, we come to our senses and realize that wallowing on our past would do nothing but bury us in the quicksand of our own thinking father.
I would pray that this would penetrate our hearts in such a way that we decided I'm no longer identify myself with my past failures. I'm simply going to get up and get moving. I'm going to count on the direction and the power and the wisdom of God in my life. I'm been forget the past. Father if we do that, it's clear in the word of God that you can use us and really great ways. I pray father that we avail ourselves to be instruments of yours to all the people around us that we see ourselves as a conduit by which your grace and love flows, though others we don't have the power and rubber cells, but we have it from you before that we do have the power to stop. We do have the power to wallow in our past to identify a failures find ourselves never moving. I pray this lesson helps each and every one of us for our own good men to pastoral on the radio ministry or fellowship nor if you ever missed one of our broadcasting or maybe you just like listening to the message one more time. Remember, you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online at that website you will find on today's broadcast but also many of her previous audio program at Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible.
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