The God Who Pursues Us (Part 3)

One of the subtle yet effective way by which Hollywood has managed to marred the image of God was bombarding the image of the father in the home for the past 20 years. Every sitcom have persistently presented the image of a father in the home is a bumbling idiot clueless disposable and replaceable unloving, uninvolved, a sperm donor insecure and helpless.

Of equal or lesser value than the family pet. These are all from sitcoms that I've been airing in the last 20 years and the tragedy is this. As children sit back and laugh heartily at the foibles of Homer Simpson.

They are subconsciously growing up viewing their own father. That way they grow up with a distorted image of fatherhood and therefore they grow up with a distorted image of God our father now if you don't believe me, just listen to this, the readers digest survey three and four-year-olds and then asked the question, who would you rather give up television or your daddy 33% of those kids said daddy U.S. News & World Report followed with another major survey of 1200 people, 49% of these claimed that the father was still living and of them 7% said that the mother is her best friend, and 0% said the father is a best friend is the secular statistics out has nothing do with Christianity, but here's a biblical fact and you need to understand is I need to understand that Jesus Christ, the son of God who came to tell us and revealed to us what God the father is like. He said God is our father to everyone who would come and take the son is the Savior of the life he is the father in the story that we call the prodigal son is all about the father. It's about the heart of the father.

It is about the character of the father is about the loving characteristics of the father and Jesus wanted us to know what his father, with whom he call existed before the creation of the universe. He wanted us to know what his father is like. So he tells us the story he wanted us to comprehend and take in deep into our hearts deepens our minds what the father is like what the nature of the all-powerful and the Almighty God, whom we call our heavenly father is like, and so he begins the story by saying there was a father and this is the focus please listen carefully whether you and I have had or do have good fathers are not so good fathers. That's beside the point, whether you and I have had harsh fathers all kind fathers.

That's beside the issue whether you are and I have had or have adorable father or abusive fathers resolve the issue. Jesus wants us to know what God the father is like. Jesus is saying that this is what the father in heaven is like, and therefore listen to me any and every sound teaching and preaching and thinking must begin with the father. It must begin with the father and must start with the father and must focus on the father. Why, because when God the father is my primary focus is your primary focus.

Me and my needs you on your needs are going to be met in his glory in his riches, but listen to me of all modern history riprap so all history there has not been a more self focused generation like this generation. When the focus is me and my needs is like drinking salty water and when you drink salty water. The more you drink it, the more thirsty you become and the more you drink at first, you become nothing is quenching the first and thus we as a nation and as a civilization have created a multi-multi billion dollar industry of people dependent on those who can talk to them about them and their needs in them and their needs and then underneath the whole churches that are focused entirely on me and my needs and its official cycle. The ball drink the salty water, the more they wanted and the more dependent they become not God, but on others. The word in Hebrew. Abba is such a rich word to such a powerful word to certain word that is so filled with emotions that it's it's so comprehensive that I am personally convinced that we will never comprehend it completely until we see our heavenly father in heaven. Face-to-face and that is why it was so important for Jesus to let you and me and every subsequent generation from this time on to know what is fathers like there was such a distorted image of the father, even in his time that he is trying to set the record straight, and he wants us to know how God feels when one of his children will fully and deliberately does his or her own way he wants us to know how God the father feels when one of his children lives through their lives as if God the father doesn't exist.

He wants us to know how he feels when one of his children take all of the blessings and all of the resources from the hand of the father and they totally ignore him. He wants us to know how the father feels when one of his children does not even think of coming to him unless they become desperate and they really need something when his children live their lives in different toward him and that's what he tells us an example of the younger boy in the story, but we also see how the father feels when some of his children live a life that's on the surface focused on the rituals tradition.

They might even go to church. They may even sing in the choir. They are in the house but the heart is in the far country as we see in the story of the older boy because his heart was in the far country. This is the third in the series of messages. The God who pursues us and that we saw. First, the story of the lost sheep. Then we saw the story of the lost coin or the engagement ring. As I explained to you what the coin is all about. And here he tells us about the story of lost sons, just like the sheep in the coin. One son was lost in the far country. The other son was lost right in the home, but there's something very very very very very how many versions of these very important. I don't want you to miss and it is this window. She wondered in the wilderness in foolishness.

The shepherd went after him and did not rest until he carried him on the shoulder brought him all the way home and when the woman lost her anger part of her engagement ring that coin that was in the Cindy that she wore at her engagement when she lost that coin as a result of negligence. As a result of carelessness. She searched diligently until she found the lost coin, but here in this story. When the sun deliberately and willfully and premeditated life left home. The father waited for him in the house I'm going to say some more about that, but it's very important for you to get that it's very very important. As part of the whole picture.

But in order to comprehend how miserable an act that this young boy has committed in order to just get it and really comprehend the depths of the hurtful feelings on the part of the father. You have to understand that in the Middle Eastern culture of a particular the time of Jesus. It would be unthinkable for a boy to come to his father and asked for part of his estate if you will be unthinkable because when the child is asking for that part of the state. He's basically saying whether he articulated a not, whether he verbalized, is basically saying father. I wish you were dead. Hurry up and die so I can get my hand on the state can manage in half hurtful that it can imagine how painful it is all but listen, think about how many people how many people who may never entertain the thought that they wish to God in heaven be dead. There may never articulate the thought that there was the heavenly father was dead. There will never say it still never think of. And yet they live their lives as if God is you; and this is too strong. This is watch what you mean.

I never do that well when you go home. I wanted to look at your calendar and find out exactly how much of your calendar. Does God occupy check your checkbook. Find out how much of that God occupies any gives you everything to begin with goal and list your priorities in life and find out where does God fit in your priorities of life. People are living as if God is dead. You say, but that's different. Not at all subconsciously. So many people take all of the resources and all of the blessings and all of the good things that come from the hand of God, and they spend it on themselves, but is something else here that I don't want you to miss. You need to understand to see the reaction of the Pharisees and the scribes, to whom Jesus was speaking. I mean, they must have absolutely had shocked faces. They must've had their mouths open in their eyes wide open because they could not believe what they just heard the rich plaintiff in context.

If a kid back then campus father and said give me the part of your state that our inherited when you die you know about the only thing that this kid is going to see with the back of the hands. I got three of those. But we thought was normal. Never thought anything about it. I never once found rotted Dragon think I deserved it. People talk about how discipline warps her personality.

I tell people I serve the warped certain part of my anatomy but not my personality. And these people who were listening to Jesus at the time were absolutely electives you getting us the father did what you're for real isn't really true. But it gets more hilarious and that according to the Old Testament laws of inheritance that you found to differ on May 21 17. The older boy inherits two thirds of the state and the younger boy would've inherited one third not have half because it was understood and if you read on in the book of Deuteronomy the older boy was expected to take care of his widowed mother and run the family business and so he would've inherited two thirds according to the word of God according to the law of God the father is not before.

Listen to me what Jesus is deliberately doing here was to impress upon them and upon us how incredibly how awesomely how unbelievably how indescribably how integral possibly the love of God and the patience of God. Paul said to the Romans is supposed to constantly bring us to the point, so pitch it with me a better turn my life over to him not to say all well you got over to doesn't care. I can run around I can do whatever I want to do and God doesn't care his love and his patience is long and deep because he wants his patience and his love to draw you and move to him.

That's why here on this one. While the father is suffering and agony over the son's rebellion and rejection you let them go.

Listen. It goes with the money he lets them go. You know why you know why will tell you why, because the father in you the love only hands. What love lets go off if you got that same man will have some of you didn't say together okay. Love has what love lets go off you got it.

Someone here is running away with all of God's blessings in living in the far country you know who you are.

I don't only you know you're totally oblivious to the broken heart of the father who is waiting for you is waiting for you come home to the loving arms of the father, and you can do that today someone here today may have somebody in the life that is so blinded was self that they cannot see the pain that they causing you let them go. Let them go.

Do you have someone who has betrayed you and falsely accused you when you've done nothing but love the person let them go. Why, because often most often it is only in the far country, will they come to their senses.

Those who are blinded with selfishness will only come to their senses when they become so desperate. What is your far country.

What is your far country is if an unwholesome relationship. Is it a misplaced priority. Is it blind desire for accumulating for the sake of accumulating is it worry and anxiety and fear. Is it inability to trust God with your life to trust God with your family trust God of your future to trust God with your business to trust God and he wanted take things into your own hands. What is your far country.

But remember this, the father may just let you keep on going and keep on going to your hearts content, but he's were hurting as is waiting is waiting and he waits patiently, but don't take the patient's for granted and commit the sin of presumption the father in the story, of course, he could have tried to stop the boy.

I know people try to stop it, and they were probably clients of someone you doing what you know. He didn't just go.

Obviously he could afford a private detective and send him a follow-up to find out where the boy every step of his way of report back to Hickerson. One of the servants or just be there to be available to have known because that way the boy will never come to his senses. Some of you might be in a place where the father was your heart is broken into over someone in your life you going through your own private Gethsemane right now your pillows are stained with tears and you hurting so much that you can hurt anymore. Please, please listen to the voice of the father saying to you. I know what you're going through experience that pain when one of my children is living for yourself. Please understand that I experienced that same pains when one of my children insist on going his or her own way. Please understand that experience that same pains when one of my children lives unfaithfully to me. Please understand that I experienced the same pain when one of my children deny me before men, but let me hasten and hurry up to tell you about the father's reaction when is why would boy come home is my favorite part of the story. It really is an operator will be until I see Jesus face-to-face is my favorite part. When the boys finally come to the point of nowhere else to turn, has asked the question why does it have to get this point our stubborn nature, stubborn nature that we have to get so desperate before turning to God. And finally, this boy comes to his senses and the father said to him, you stupid foolish boy you caused me all this worry and pain, you foolish boy. Now you're coming home when you have become desperate. The father said to the boy you thought you got to be a big shot in the big city living the life and now look at your lesson, my boy, you have to earn my forgiveness. You have to work for your key you have to grovel and prove that you really mean it. Is that what the father said, is that what the father said. But listen, that's exactly exactly what the listeners to Jesus would've done if they were in that situation. Six. As part of the custom of the day as part of that culture. The board would have sent outside of the house for about a week and as the passersby mock him make fun of him and as the passersby see humiliate him as they go by and say nasty things. And when I after the villagers have have had their fun and making fun of the boy and when the father feels that the board is sufficiently humiliated, then he would take them home and have them come inside, but that's not what happened because that's not how the heavenly father works.

That's the house and heavenly father responds and that's what he's trying to impress it on in their heads says the father ran it only said was not sweet as that wonderful is not nice, but you can understand my beloved friends you got understand this is a deeper meaning of this this this is huge when you understand that in the Middle East culture, particularly in the days of Jesus men never never never never wrong. They don't only the servants and the slaves_running from the law were run a dignified manner, a dignified father is the one in the story never never. And that is why this is a part of the story's huge part of the story running is a form of humiliation. Running is a form of prediction. Can you see the crosshair confusing the crosshair where the father humiliated himself in the sun as he hung on the cross in order that he might die for everyone who would come.

When I first forgive what does the father in heaven. Do when a person repents of their sin, and asked for his forgiveness when they come under conviction and say Lord forgive me, what is the father do. He embraces him as a form of acceptance. He kisses him as a form of reconsolidation. He washes them and cleanse them as an assurance of local forgiveness he puts on his all roll on him because he had no robe of his own. The board had no robe of righteousness, and you and I did not have any robes of righteousness, not a single good deed that would approximate is acceptable to God the father and that is why the Lord Jesus Christ had to put his robe of righteousness on us. To be accepted to the father.

That's with the guys you got prices going up in price. Some of you here maybe in the far country we respond never received Jesus Christ as the Savior of your life from the Lord of 11 and never really felt his warm embrace. You never understood what it is to be free of guilt and sin. Today you can come home you can come home you be far away from the security and the peace that only the father can give today can come home and you can say father and you know what just like the father of the boy. The boy didn't really fit.

He prepared his speech, and you know that in the story he prepared to speak, but he never got to finish it. He never got to finish the speech is a father, I am certain that the father that's enough in the father would embrace you and the father would tenderly forgive you and the father will bring you home your place of robe.

Jesus was righteousness, and then to call your daughter and a son, and he will adopt you, and once you're adopted and his family. There is no leaving, Jesus said those of the father has given me. I lose none is not up to you is up to him and he's holding you on the strong arms father in the name of Jesus I come to you in gratitude and thanksgiving that on the day you have ran you did run you receive me before gave me a thank you for the thousands of testimonies in this place and around the world of those who have come to you and received acceptance, forgiveness and father I pray for a single person here in this room have never experience this incredible, indescribable, awesome love and forgiveness.

Today will be the day that there will come and be part of this family, for I pray this in Jesus name, amen. Thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael. You sat recently featured on leading the way.

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