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September 3, 2020 1:00 am
As part of a classic dysfunctional family, Absalom rebelled against his father David. He went his own way and ended up losing his life. The story is in the Bible for us to read and heed its warnings. In this message we find crucial lessons for all parents of prodigal sons.
Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)The classic dysfunctional family. Absalom rebelled against his father David went his own way and ended up story is in the Bible for us to read and then he gets warning today crucial lesson all parents prodigal son from the Moody Church in Chicago. This is going to win with Dr. Erwin Sir clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Estimates are why is rebellion so common among children, both then and now you know Dave, there may be various reasons, but there is some within the child, particularly teenagers. They want to assert their independence. And if they get in with the wrong crowd and they begin a series of wrong decisions. It's very difficult for them to reverse their behavior. We as parents have to be aware of that in the Bible tells us stories and gives us instructions that we might be able to bring them up with prayer and with the hope that they'll walk with God. You know were living at a time of panic archway. We may think in our minds that call. That is something that is passed or were getting beyond it, but I believe that there are economic ripples that will continue into the future. That's why I've given a lecture entitled, coded, 19 the economy and our future as a matter fact, the subtitle is five economic effects that will continue well after the health crisis has gone I'd be very interested in you receiving this either as a DVD or CD.
Here's what you can do good RTW offer.com RTW offer.com or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337. Remember to ask for Colby. 19 the economy and our future for gift of any amount. It can be yours. 1-888-218-9337 and now we go to the pulpit of Moody church where we learn the results of a rebellious child life lessons.
Now that I want you to write down my want you to keep put them on your refrigerator until you know them all by memory your dying in a hospital. Someday, the doctor says no. What were those five lessons that pastoralists are taught you about Absalom you spit them out, one right after another.
Because now we get to pay dirt. Now the transformation happens one of the five lessons number one, although a father might repent of his sin.
Children might not.
Although a father might repent children might not. David bounced back from murder and adultery. It was back in fellowship with God you read Psalm 51. I mean, he was pouring out his soul, he was admitting to everything and God even restored the joy of his salvation. He lost his family and after he committed adultery and murder God says to David he says you're going to pay for this sin fourfold and more obvious signs die.
First of all, you have the baby that Bathsheba board died and you member, David wept and prayed that God would heal the child but when the baby died he washed his face and I said that's unusual. Why are you not morning now. David says I will go to him even though he will not come back to me.
David said I expect to see my baby again. We will be reunited and I'm sure that they have been. But when it comes to the other sons you have, Amnon, who was murdered by Absalom you have Absalom who was caught in an oak tree and murdered by Joab and then you have by Adonijah. Adonijah rebelled after David died.
He wanted the kingdom, but David had given it to Solomon so they had to kill Adonijah to and when David wept over those son. He could not be comforted because he knew right. Well, he would never see those sons again. They parted their ways, not only in life but in death and for ever because there is no evidence that Absalom ever received God's grace, or forgiveness or help or reconciliation. He went his own way and I'm sure that that was true of rebellious Amnon and Adonijah to parents separated from their children forever. No wonder David would not stop.
You see we as parents might bounce back. We walked with God for many years. We fall into sin, confess our sin when we lose moral authority in our family.
Kids might not. The kids might not bounce back to God. Sobering.
Second, the lesson to be learned is unresolved sin leads to further sin. Unresolved sin leads to other sins it always increases because sin basically comes in clusters. Now here's what happened. Absalom commits murder trying to bring justice to the situation that his father ignored so Absalom commits murder and now his conscience is his heart in my book. Hitler's cross I talk about the fact that Hitler had a procedure by which the consciences of young German soldiers would be hardened so that they could murder without conscience. This is very important but deadening of the conscience and what deadens the conscience is sin that is unresolved. It is unforgiven that is not dealt with. That is kind of just stuffed in the soul and it stays there and in the case of Absalom. He went from stealing the of the revenge I should say revenge killing Amnon to being willing to kill his father.
That's what sin does it always goes farther than you thought it would, in the Bible talks about those who add to sin to sin. You know you're in send you learn to manage it.
So you keep on going because you know that for every mile you go you got a mile to return and so what you do is you keep going in the same direction and you say I don't care. This is the direction I have chosen you add sin to sin many years ago when I was the pastor of another church here in Chicago and that was many, many, many years ago I was asked to visit a man who was dying in the hospital. I explained the gospel to him but to he wouldn't believe that it's not as if he had some intellectual doubts he just kind of shook his head and said I can't. I can't will why can't you later on I discovered that that man. I was told on good authority had been guilty of murder and it never been charged many many many years before that.
So here's a man you see was lit learn to stuff it in your soul.
You learn to live with your sand. You learn to live with a guilty conscience until in some way you deaden it and then you come for God's forgiveness and you think one of two things either a God is gracious enough to forgive me, which would be wrong because God forgives murderers and adulterers and all kinds of sinners. Thank God and thank you for saying amen. Praise God because were all sinners. Remember that college retreat where the kids put up a banner over a door and said that you know where you went to the auditorium. It's is for sinners only and some of the college kids that were to we go well. You need a little lesson in theology, I think, and you need a little bit more honesty so are all sinners and God could've forgiven, but I think also in retrospect what that man was thinking maybe was this that if I received God's forgiveness freely, God is going to require me to deal with issues of lying and deceit that I have stuffed into my soul and I just don't want to touch. I don't know but you add sin to sin, hard conscience leads to other hardness of heart.
The second lesson. There's 1/3 lesson and that is that there's a lesson in judgment. There's a lesson in judgment. Sometimes those who are struggling with God like some of you who are here. I have no doubt that struggling with because in some sense you see yourself in Absalom not in detail, but in principle and in your struggling with it and you say to yourself level I have time before I die. I hope that I'm going to get all this right but like somebody told me cyst regarding God, I'm just pushing that out to the circumference for now and I'll deal with it later. We can say that you heard it here, but you don't know that there's going to be a later you know that morning when Absalom woke up thinking that the battle was going his direction and he was riding his mule and he was on his way. He had no idea that morning that he be dead by evening. The Bible says in Proverbs chapter 29 verse one that the person who is often reproved who hardens and stiffens his neck will be cut off without remedy, God will just go.
Zach will be over. Absalom did not have time to repent he did not have time to get right with his father. He didn't have time simply died bone.
You know those of you who are struggling with God today.
You're saying why am I struggling I'm pushing God off. You do not know that you'll even have tomorrow or maybe even tonight.
Your soul will be required by God. So that's 1/3 lesson.
The fourth lesson is this today. Today it is easier to repent then it will be tomorrow. Today it is easier to repent than it will be tomorrow because you'll be a little harder. That's why the Bible says today. If you have heard his voice. Don't harden your heart, look at Absalom when would've been the easiest for him to repent. Well first of all, he should've repented before he even killed Amnon and figured out a different way to resolve that situation, but after he had killed Amnon the least thing that he could have done is go to his father and say I have sinned against heaven and against God. I want this resolved.
You have to understand that I want to be back in the good graces of the family and I want to receive God's forgiveness that would've been much easier.
My after he stole the kingdom and stole people's hearts through his charm and after he committed adultery with David's harem. There was no chance that he could repent than because the hardness of heart was so great it was like Flint there is no way then he would change today if you hear his voice. Don't harden your heart. I woke up at 4 o'clock this morning thinking about this sermon and I thought, why am I preaching at the end I had to myself. Well, I want to explain to people the nature of Chronicles that seems to be a good reason and it was as if something impressed itself mightily upon me as if to say that is not the reason your to preach the sermon you are to preach this sermon with one intention and that is that Chronicles come to God for forgiveness and to believe that because of this message. Some of you for on the fringes, either who never believed in Jesus or you have and you have backslidden that you'll come back today to God. That's why I preach.
And every once in a while when you say something to somebody you say oh well. Now don't take this personally will today. I want you to take what I'm saying.
Personally very personally. Okay it's for you, not the person sitting next to you is for you when you hear his voice, do not harden your heart today is going to be easier.
It's got easier after this artist when I was pastor of the other church that I mentioned. I remember some teenagers sitting in the balcony.
I don't know where our teenagers are seated today, but I know that we used to have teenagers who, for some inexplicable reason that we've never been able to investigate love the balcony should do some research on. I remember one time they told me when you are finished preaching before you pronounce the benediction we are already out here we are in our cars and we turn up loud music to stifle the work of the Holy Spirit.
Bible says if you hear his voice, don't harden heart. Don't you dare stifle work of the spirit is easier today to repent than it will be tomorrow. Finally, I think we are at number five. Are we not, people repent, not because of judgment they could care less about judgment they repent.
Because of the grace and because of the work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. If God were to withdraw his Holy Spirit from you.
You would not heal even the slightest desire to come to God through Jesus and be reconciled to God, not even the slightest desire there's a passage in the book of Revelation. The just astounds me. Now Revelation it's got all of these judgments mean hailstones are coming out of heaven, scorpions are coming. The over over the whole earth, and you know just one awful judgment after another and this is what it says but the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or walk, nor did they repent of their murders, their sorceries, which is basically the New Age movement or their sexual immorality or their thefts. After all, that they still don't repent and a little later it says in chapter 16.
The people gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and their sores, but they did not repent, you can't repent. Unless God by his spirit moves you and shows you his love and shows you his grace is grace. Ultimately causes people to repent. The fact that you of all people could be saved and forgiven is think of it, think of you even as I think of me that we could be forgiven that motivates me.
I say my goodness of God can forgive me. He's got me for the rest of my life. We are motivated by the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, no man can, except spirit drawing. Even today, the work of the Spirit is happening in your heart to draw you to Jesus who died for sinners who was crucified on the cross was raised again so that we might be forgiven, that we might be reconciled that we, with our need. We come we bring nothing except our need to receive his love and his grace. Absalom perhaps didn't know that. Not sure exactly what he knew but he should've seen that his own father understood God and had a connection with God. Based on the coming Messiah who would eventually come and die. You know there's that old story about a miser who used to live in a cabin, then he would hide some of his money in the floor every once in a while he took the money out and counted it.
Maybe he thought it just felt good.
Should've known how much was there. He didn't know the two thieves were watching him do it through the window so I put the money away under the floor as he did, and then he took a drink and he fell asleep middle of the night's dog begins to park tries to get the dog to shush the quiet dog's quiet for a little bit but then continues to park in his stupor. The man gets so angry he takes his gun and he shoots the dog will you know the rest of the story, don't you, the thieves came and stole his money. He shot the voice that warned him that could have saved him. Don't you dare turn away from the voice that is drawing you to Jesus. Don't you dare either.
As one who knows Jesus, but you've decided to go a different direction or you have never connected with God for your unsure if you have don't you stifle that voice today if you will hear his voice, don't harden your heart. Don't be like Absalom be like the prodigal who came all the way home to the father. Would you join me as we pray now before I pray I want you to pray. I want you to talk to God. Based on what you've heard today. If you've never received Christ as Savior say Lord Jesus save me I'm coming home. You know him, but you've walked far behind him and you know there's a whole backlog of things would you come back to him right now.
This is your opportunity.
God is listening to your heart listening to your prayer. What about you, are you struggling. Are you stifling the voice that spoke to you today if you've heard his voice. Don't harden your heart.
Father, for those who are struggling. May they continue to struggle until they say okay Jesus is calling me. I'm coming home.
What an important message for today. You think of the number of people who have walked away from God, even from Christian homes and have ended in a disastrous way very important lesson for parents know were living at a time of panic. I want to ask you this. If we as Christians relate to covert, 19, just as the people of the world. What does that tell us about our real view of God's sovereignty. Are we able to trust him. Some of the other implications have to do with the question of government dependency and the creation of money virtually out of nowhere. These are the kinds of issues I deal with in the DVD or CD entitled covert, 19 the economy and our future. Five. Economic effects that will continue love for you to have a copy with a gift of any amount. It can be yours. Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 ask for COBIT 19 the economy and our future. 1-888-218-9337 it's time once again for you to ask Pastor lutes or a question about the Bible or the Christian life. Married couples enjoy kissing as well they should.
Tony and Judy have written asking the question about kissing our question refers to Romans 1616, where Paul talks about greeting one another with a holy kiss. What does the original language say about this verse. What do you believe Paul was trying to tell us in this verse will Tony and Judy.
This verse says in Greek exactly what it says in English namely greet one another with a holy kiss. Fact is, this is the greeting that was given in those days, you know, if we were saying this today if we were writing a letter we'd say shake hands with everyone and greet one another. Now this holy kiss was not an essential kind of kiss you sometimes seen even today in some of the Eastern countries you see men kissing each other on the cheek.
That's the idea here one day I was speaking to our singles and I was asked about this question and I said yes you can greet one another with a kiss as long as it is a holy kiss and that clearly is the apostle Paul's intention was the custom of the day and he was just simply saying in our language shake hands all around.
Thank you Tony and Judy and thank you Dr. lutes or if you'd like to hear your question answered. Go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask Pastor lutes or or call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 many a parent has a heavy heart knowing that her son or daughter is far away from them and from God, a famous Bible story gives hope to all parents of prodigal children. Today we heard the sad accounts of Absalom. Next time I'm running to win a story with a happier ending.
Join us for the prodigal who came home. Thanks for listening, or Dr. Erwin lutes or this is Dave Callister running to win is sponsored by the teacher