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October 21, 2021 6:00 am
Hitting rock bottom. Never been there maybe are there right now. If so, I want you to stay with me for the next 30 minutes is today's message is for you, you or someone you know is struggling. I mean you're really down really struggling. Stay with me. God has a encouragement for you.
He has a plan and you got here that's today welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with your finger tips are Bible teacher for this daily discipleship program motivated Christians to live a Christian.
Thanks for joining us as we continue chip series, Jesus offers hope with a message for those of you who are going through a tough time right foster job family is falling apart situation celestial writing part two of chips message when you hit rock bottom Bible turn now to Luke chapter 50. What exactly does this parable mean what can we learn from first God deeply values your religious and moral loss people. That was his point to the Pharisees, you look down your nose at these kind of people they hang out with me because they understand. I love them. Second, God is actively drawing them to himself.
There's an intensive search. The shepherd goes out for the sheet. The woman cleans the house. He's making this point the father was waiting and looking and longing.
God is waiting searching looking and longing for irreligious people. But what not to have anything to do with him. He's pursuing them. Next heaven rejoices when one lost person repents the very interesting root word in the New Testament for repent, has the idea of a change of mind.
A related root word means a change of mind related to a an emotional feeling of feeling deeply sorry or sad about your behavior of hurting or rejecting someone else is an idea of people have a complete turning it meant to turn or to return each time something very specific returned back to and Jesus would teach that the kingdom of God unless you repent will perish. Before he left he said this message of repentance will go to all nations. The book of acts three different times will talk about this message of you must root tent. You must turn this radical from self to God as the hope of your life. We learn from the story that the value of that which is lost is exponentially increases with each story like a good storyteller. He starts out with something that's common and they would all not all. I go after sheep and in many takes it to the next level and they would hear the story and all the windows all mile would sweep all day and then he says this is what the father does, and by the way, the first two are things that every good Jewish person in that day would clearly understand and they would do in the last one is shocking. No father would be running after the sun. No father would run in public. The father was the patriarch. No father would ever will learn in a minute sell his estate and divide it.
He's really making the point that you would do it for sheet you would do it for a coin, but their view of God was he's down on loss people he doesn't really care about loss people. Sinners need to be judged. The father in story number three represents God the suit, the two sons depict immoral sinners in terms of the younger son the people Jesus is hanging out with in the Pharisees are the older son they do their duty, but their view of their duty before God is that their slaves its external notice. Finally, that both sons are equally lost, but not equally equally aware of their lostness see the reason that Jesus spoke to those that were so far from him.
They understood they had a need.
And the reason that he was so harsh with the religious people is they thought they were okay. They were self righteous. Both the Pharisees and the younger son, our sons that are lost in the point of this entire parable is to speak not just the loss.
People matter to God but to speak to a group of religious people that are lost, but don't know that there lost and he's giving them a shocking perspective of what God the father is really like. Notice in verse 11. The sun requests I want mine now. Now you need to understand is that in Jewish culture of the day, the eldest son would get twice to ask when it's divided so what how many brothers and sisters.
He gets double so you have two brothers so the older brothers. You get two thirds of the estate in this younger brothers going to get one third if you want to have the state they had lands with family names and your reputation was your land and the houses you have in the cattle that you had an all all all your estate was vested in stuff and so this the sun actually what he saying is I want mine now and so what is really communicating is I wish you were dead. I wish you because you always get your estate if your dad dies when he asked for it like this.
He goes you know what I wish you were dead. Now this gets really shocking. She's telling the story because the average Pharisee or good Jew would be thinking my son says I want mine. Now he would be out of the family out on the streets disinherited and out here that would be the perspective, the implications for the father. Our social and economic. He liquidates property he liquidates his livestock. It's a public embarrassment, both socially and economically. He appears like a fool. He's actually going to take 1/3 of the state liquidated look like a fool in front of everyone and turn it into cash given to the kid and sale.
See you later people were shaking their heads. Then we have the father's unprecedented response and this is thunderously shocking to the listeners when he didn't kick him out of the family and he says if you need a season to reject me to wish that I was dead, and not have me in your life and you want to go do something else. Guess what, I'm gonna let you do that, but I still love you to see the picture he's painting what God is like any of us ever basically said to God, you know what all think about you someday some way when I'm done with doing my stuff and have rejected him and kinda wish he wouldn't mess with us and you know what God does his love doesn't change if you want to go do some stuff that will bring destruction to your life and cause you to hit rock bottom and go through pain that he never wants you know what you like to do that, but it breaks his heart. Now, you notice that the sun hits rock bottom.
Literally he comes to his senses when he hit rock bottom, it means you're hopeless hopeless means that there's no expectation there's no sign of a favorable outcome. That's when you're hopeless. Nothing's gonna work when you're hopeless you get despondent you get low spirits is a sense of futility, no matter what I do I'm stuck I'm done. Some of you feel that way tonight and after that it produces despair despairs the utter loss of hope and dejection and ultimately you get desperate and implies you'll do something extreme, and I read a number of extreme stories in this last year of very famous people who were very successful who took their own life because they got to the point where they were hopeless, but before they took their life. They had a window of time each one of us have a window of time to come to her senses and what happens when you come to your senses as you you back up and you say my hope was in that job.
My hope was in that marriage.
My hope was in that kid.
My hope was in that looks my hope was in my 401(k). But when you come to your senses. You realize that doesn't have the power to fill me up. That can't be my hope and then he goes through anything's okay my brother is dead, son. You get two thirds of the stuff minds gone. And then next to him, or slaves in the slaves live in the home and actually they've got quarters and in food and and and they're actually treated like family.
And then there's hired guys, the hired men that they they live on the outskirts and dad just hires them for day wages, but they have a place to stay and have enough food to eat for one day each data time and he said I blown it. He owns a stuff I'm gonna go back and I know it can't be a son, and I know I'm not even worthy of being a slave that I could be one of the hired guys, at least I would have a meal and I could sleep somewhere and so the process goes something like that. The keywords he says all I'm to go back home so he repents the word means to turn around. I'm doing this with my life. My hope is in this. I think this'll fill me up. He stops comes to her senses and goes on to turn around and I'm to go back to my father, God can ask some of you tonight to turn around and get your hope off of someone or something and turn around and come back to your father called repentance and the notice it's followed by a confession. I will say I've sinned against heaven, and my father. He owns his stuff with his words out loud, I blew it I was wrong. I missed the mark.
Third, in this case he thinks is going to make restitution to see in his mindset in a Jewish culture all be a hired hand and earn some money and little by little, maybe over time I can pay dad back. I can pay them back on payback and paying that maybe someday I can be a slave in the neck, and maybe some deck even be well, as president, but maybe I could earn my way back and into dad's favor. That was the Pharisees mentality of drawing close to God works works works perform perform perform. I meet a lot of people that go through very difficult times may lose a maid or they lose a job or they find himself messing around a little and it becomes an addiction and no want to talk to someone like me and will talk and that is pretty much want to start going to church and in the name of the read the Bible more often and you know it you know it is us. I'm good.
I'm going to get right, I'm to earn my way like God has these big scales in heaven. You know he's bouncing and what is gonna learn as you can never earn your way back to the father. Jesus it's gonna teach them it's about grace. It's about a father that you can't comprehend that loves you the way he loves you and the notice.
Finally he says, I will do it now, so he got up and he went no notice in verse 20. The father's response. The father was not at home wondering someday, somehow. If you come the father was out looking when he was still a long way off. The father saw him in the notice.
The words keep ran and he was filled with compassion and in the boy does what he should do.
You know, he started with the speech you know okay I know what was wrong and repent father and his father interrupted quick stop hold up to make restitution not earn your way back. You have no idea what the father is like out of a heart that is beyond what we can grasp. He says here's what I want you to do quick get the best robe, literally. It's the robe of the first guess who that is. That's the dads the best robe and that house belongs to the dead second get the ring but the ring on his finger a sign of authority get the sandals slaves go barefooted sons.
They got sandals and by the way, there was a a fatted calf is like Kobe beef in the day. Literally, it would be put in a stall.
It would never go out and it was grain fed and they would just I mean they would make it overeat over eat over eat and they would say that for a communitywide. I mean big bash. And so the father kills a fatted calf invites everyone in the community that thinks he's a fool and then that there's music and there's dancing and this person who came thinking if I could just be a hired hand and I blown it on feeding pigs and I wish I could eat with pigs written and I've hit rock bottom when he turned when he confessed and when he came. His father said you're my son, and is not about what you can do. It's about who I am and how I feel about you and how much I love you and I want to receive you to myself and the message very simply, is there is hope for you. Jesus didn't just tell the story some day, some way for some other group.
This is there's hope.
Whatever you're going through whatever loss would ever hurt his hope. Second, it's never too late. You can be 7696. You can be through 234 marriages. You can then through four rehabs already.
It's never too late in the messages. Failure is never final.
There is a father who is waiting and watching and longing to forgive you and to cleanse you, and to restore you and to empower you and to give you a second chance to give you a clean slate to put you on a new path and then as a son or daughter place you in a new family where when cancer knocks at the door. Or maybe you lose your job or you gotta addiction that you can't get out of by yourself, this new family will come around you and love you and help you know, by the way there's initiative here and there's honesty here, there's no messing around the sun repents, he turns his back on his former life and he receives the gift of the father's love. Jesus offers hope to people with hit rock bottom have no idea where you're at what's going on in your life but I can tell you on the authority of Scripture. If you have never repented and asked him to forgive you and be your father. That's his will for you and if you have someday some way. Actually, maybe in a camp or maybe years ago, prayed a prayer and the truth would be you know you didn't really know exactly what it meant to quote asked Jesus into your life or forgive you and you prayed a prayer somewhere, somehow. But the fact is nothing changed. There's a great probability that you never repented you never understood it's not about just intellectually agreeing about what Christ did in his death and resurrection. There must be a turning from and embrace radical stem laying hold on today's program I want to ask you what went through your mind as you heard the words that I spoke in the last 60 seconds.
What I said maybe you've never repented lay hold of the gift is God speaking to you. Could it be that on this day at this time exactly where you're at, that God has my voice connected to your ear so he could lay hold of your heart and forgive you and cleanse you, make you his son or make you his daughter.
The next step is yours Christ has died for you in your place. Christ has risen from the dead to prove that it's true he wants you to turn from your sin right now, right where you're at. It's a decision of the heart and invite him to come into your life to put your trust in him and him alone for eternal life, and so right now if you don't know how to do it.
Here's a prayer that you can pray with me and if you can't say it out loud because of where you are. That's okay if you can't stop and pull the car over. That's okay. God knows your heart. But right now you can say dear father, today I admit to you that I've sinned and I've offended you.
I've done things that I know are wrong and violate a holy God.
Today I change my mind. I turn from my sin and running my own life and I ask you to forgive me. Based on Jesus work on the cross and his resurrection. I ask you to come into my life right now.
Make me your son make me your daughter fill me with your spirit right now. And Lord, I want to follow you all the days of my life. If you prayed with me right now right then can I encourage you as fast as you can do two things. Number one call someone and tell them I just made the biggest decision of my life you're the most committed Christian that you might happen to know a second go on the website LivingontheEdge.org and there's a section there that says resources for new believers and I got some information it's absolutely free that will help you begin this new relationship with Jesus Christ. We are now, brothers, we are now brother and sisters and I want to help you grow in your new relationship with Christ this weekend pray very diligently and say God we you lead me to a Bible teaching church where I can get connected plugged in and begin to grow. God bless you, if you just prayed with Chip, we'd love to put a free resource in your hands is called starting out right and it's absolutely free.
This resource will help you gain a clear biblical understanding of what it means to put your faith in Jesus and that's our whole mission here Living on the Edge helping Christians really live like Christians. So let us help you get started in your faith journey. You can request this resource by calling AAA 333-6003 or visiting LivingontheEdge.org and clicking on the new believers button that's LivingontheEdge.org or call AAA 333-6003 will ship you give us a lot to think about process today. I know a lot of people use journals to write down what they're thinking, even their prayer. Sometimes it is journaling something you do were found helpful. You know I do journal and I don't want to make anyone feel guilty, like only spiritual people journal.
I know people that don't journal, but I will tell you that it is been one of the most foundational spiritual disciplines in my life, especially for those of us that happened to be verbal processor. Some of us don't really know what we think, until we say it, and I I think we all have a power or a level of denial about reality that is far deeper than most of us ever imagine that wheat we really think were doing okay in the words we say is really what's really going on and what I found was when I write out thoughts, or even write out prayers or I often will start this is how I feel today or this is what I'm struggling with today or got.
I really want to thank you for this.
Today is I find when I start writing I I've I've actually had times where I've written things down to how I look and I think that's not true, Inc., Ingram.
I can't believe that you're actually lying. I mean, what if what you think someone's gotta read the someday and think your spiritual and what I found is by writing it down. It stares back at me and it really helps me be honest and I think the other thing is that we tend to think that however were doing emotionally is reality. So sometimes I'm a pretty up person yeah Ron, I love God, things are great and other times I get really really down even depressed and I can feel like while you know my lives amassing of a terrible datum a terrible pastor you know no one loves me. Blah blah blah blah blah. You start that pity party. What I have is these journals were I get to see the mountains and the peaks in the valleys and the mountain peaks and then I read the Psalms and I realize you know I'm not alone. This is normal ups and downs are normal and then what I have is this track record of many years. Actually, in my case that God has been faithful and as I journal it allows me to see where he's really working in my life and not get too fixated on how I happen to feel any certain day, so I think journaling or really help and we have a tool that I think be great help for you for next trip. We do have a great resource designed to help you develop the practice of journaling.
It's a beautiful compact notebook as tools full of meaningful scripture versus popular lyrics to hymns and insightful quotes from influential Christian leaders.
There's also plenty of space for your notes and personal journaling. Our hope is that this resource will help you spend more intentional time with God in prayer and if you like this journal get a few more to pass on to friends through perfect gift for any occasion to order your prayer Journal, just visit LivingontheEdge.org or call us at AAA 333-6003 that's AAA 333-6003, or LivingontheEdge.org app listeners tap special offers. Let me take just a second and think the generous people make monthly donations to support the ministry of Living on the Edge your faithful gifts help us inspire Christians to live like Christians.
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If you haven't partnered with us, yet you prayerfully consider joining the Living on the Edge team make a one-time gift set up a recurring donation by going to LivingontheEdge.org or by calling us at AAA 333-6003 or website. Again, is LivingontheEdge.org and her phone number is AAA 333-6003 and no were blessed by whatever the Lord leads you to do little Eckstein this is Dave really saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge