Amazing Love (Part 5 of 7)

The parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15 even after a young man had squandered away his inheritance. His father joyfully welcomed him back home. What that son had prideful he rejected the warm reception today. Untruthful life weekend. Alister beg explains how pride can keep us from discovering the loving embrace of our heavenly father sold us 2011. The phrase he got up and went to his father. He got up and went to this is the second time were told that he got up and gone. Initially he got up and went away from his father's house, and his request. On that occasion was give me. Now he's getting up again and he's going back to his father's house, and his request on this occasion is making me was all the difference in the world and the request by regular garage to give me to God. God is a cosmic principle god was a figment of my imagination. God is a provider of health, wealth and happiness. God is whatever I can seem to be and I go to God regular and I say give me. But if you ever come to God and said make me you can imagine that as he rehearses his speech going back up the road. He has only a mind that is full of questions. Probably his eyes down rather than his eyes. Then look at this, but while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, we might anticipate that the father would seize the opportunity to get on the I told you so speech to make his son stand in his tattered smelly outfit while he let them know that this is the kind of thing happens to a boy who does this boring you look back boring you smell barrio in embarrassment. Those kind of human reactions. We would understand if we are honest as fathers, we can see that in ourselves we might have expected on the human plane and to say listen now that you've a showed up.

Let's just ease back into things because it is to say, you're not going to go away again as to say he will run away again it is going back because your mast once you get the mess the little you'll be gone again. So why don't we do this one we just put you in the servants quarters down there on the corner of the estate and will take a day by day, week by week trial and error basis and will see how you do and if you do well will gradually move you up in the long and perhaps even your way back to your own bedroom, but I wouldn't really hold out a great deal of hope.

You smelly wretched boy. Well, embarrassment.

All of that is true, but none of that is there rights look at the story while he was still a long way off, but we have presented here by Jesus is the father's wonderful readiness to forgive son could never have dreamt. What is surprising. Reception was waiting for, indeed, a variance help us don't. And then in verse 20 but while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, so how did he see because he was looking for.

Why was he looking for because he wanted to find its elementary my dear Watson. It is a wonderful picture as a child in Sunday school. I love this story. I remember the Sunday school teacher. The lady explaining that every morning the father got up and he went on his porch and any when she told me that he would put his hands over his eyes like this to shield them against the morning sun and he would look down the road and he would look for the dust on the road and the dust would be representative of a person and then the person would be simply dust in the distance and then he would become a real person and then he would be watching and watching that eventually that person would not be us, and then again as dust is kicked up he looks again.

Perhaps this is perhaps today and then once again as yesterday on the prior day taking his seat back down on the poor. He was watching for this boy.

Even though his boy had turned his back on it, even though his boy had shamed the family still. He watch that is beware fathers of determining a kind of love for our children which the Aaron if you do this then I'll love you like this in our kids learn that now they don't have to earn our favor. Now then on to earn their keep not have their position within our home to stay up to snuff. If they're going to be love. The boy turns his back. The father watches porn every day he saw him then. Notice he ran to him.

He ran to off down the road he goes a wealthy landowner running down this the main street of his village extraordinary just not done quite on dignified people seeing impacts as he gathers his robes as long rows up to his waist and sets him down the road and sums it that Samuel just went flying. Best guess is that it was Samuel where is Samuel going I don't know what he's going in a hurry. I've never seen him run through the streets like that some of them may have tagged along to see what it was good to have imagined such a scene he throws his arms around him.

That's an experiment. He saw all he ran through all the difference between a hog and you know there are all kinds of there's a kind of hog that is polite you give to your great aunt Mabel from Minneapolis as you think you may be bringing you a present.

But you don't really want to get too close to her is that you give to the headmaster's wife on the day of graduation.

You don't really want to see her but is supposed to do it their all kinds of hugs, but this is this is the apex of honey, this is the throwing, embracing, grabbing, swallowing, enveloping.

I love you ha that he gives this point. He threw his arms around his okay look at you. All right, as you I thought it was you. Well I suppose you had to come back sometime yeah yeah okay we just follow me on the street, if anybody followed after he said not only was Samuel running but Samuel started hugging and whoever the kid is in the person's weight in recognizing me looks like a piece of trash.

Whoever he is.

He is covering him with kisses that is literally in the Greek it says that he threw his arms around him and kissed him all over each unit.

He's like a is like like a puppy that that does that to you know get you everywhere all over you like all that all you know not a polite over the love that sought me know the blood that bought me over the grace that brought me to his full, the seating running, throwing, kissing, welcoming love of the five of you might not every single person that is here today has this in common that irrespective of to what degree, or to what level of understanding all of us have turned our backs on God as father we have walked out of the door and we have told him to get lost. Many of us actually think we're doing them a favor by showing up at his house every so often we have a kind of arm's-length relationship with him. He doesn't interfere with eyes and we don't interfere with them.

We don't want them to call. We will call him as necessary, but we never found that he threw his arms around us and squeezes after death in an expression of his welcoming embrace. That's why you remain unsaved.

That's why you remain on Christian. That's why you remain unchanged, not because the father in heaven is unwilling to see Ron throw case welcome because man and will man in their pride aid are unprepared to say I have sinned against heaven and in your sight and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.

I say we, Mr. Vargas, I did deliberately. I miss the little phrase he saw Heath ran through he kissed him what was the explanation explanation was compassion.

He was filled with compassion for words when you squeeze them. Compassion cannot. If something is filled with something that is filled with shampoo given one of that what you get out of it. Shampoo is filled with all of oil, olive oil is filled with bitterness, bitterness, resentments is filled with compassion. Compassion. Notice that he doesn't finish his prepared speech.

He says that his father have sinned against heaven and against you, and I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. But he doesn't want to say make me like one of your hired men, he doesn't have to. He knows he's not going to meet he's already been swallowed up in the immensity of the father's love.

Most of the commentators Irene said while he was about to get to the final piece but is because his father started organizing the party. He couldn't get it all out. Well, that may be so, but I think it's at least possible that the reason that he never finished.

It is because he didn't have to finish it all and all around in the street when it was talking to me was kissing him. He was shouting out about closing showers and parties that there wouldn't be a silly thing to say by way is one of your hired servant's. I wondered you know this God guard who swallows you up in grace is nothing that makes our sinfulness so obvious there's nothing that makes the wonder of God's manifest goodness so unbelievable to us and when we bring our utter unworthiness into the context of the expression of the father's love the boy's heart wasn't broken before this be broken this afternoon when it we hear about a guilty conscience and stayed there. He could have had a desire to turn over a new leaf and do a better job for his dad and still preserve for himself some measure of self-respect when his dad comes and overwhelms them in this way then would it be possible for them to show contempt for that kindness and tolerance and patience of God, not realizing that his kindness was to meet him towards repentance. Now you've all heard sermons on the on the role open the ring of the sandals and some of it is very good material.

I'm not sure how much justification there really isn't. But that is another old sermon and I have that starts well and explain the role of monies for the rain let me spring the sandals and we could do that but let me just say this to you that the embrace the case.

The role of the rating the sandals are all expressions of the father's love.

They are all emblems of the son's restoration to the family that he had snubbed and abandoned. If his friends were to follow them back from the pigsty arena and seen them within 12 method of 12 hours, he would've said what in the wide world happened to you in the evening hour when they came as the party was ending and the boy comes out from the party and they look undersea glistening in the night. This amazing ring and the last thing they'd seen them peace and on the last occasion he looked like those sandals will rain and coal parties.

This it's my come ha ha know all know what you mean, you came back like a bomb in your dad give you partly about yet a day. He did. How does that work we have to do to get one of these parties.

What you have to do to get your feet shard with the gospel of peace.

What you have to do to get a room of righteousness. What you have to do to get the ring that is in the insignia of honor in the family gathering.

Just tell me what to do. However, try it. Nothing.

Not all come on come on, nothing that you have lost your mind in the pigsty you are crazier than I would now go through it again.

Tell me what you did.

I can back up the road. Determined to ask my father to make me a hired servant before I could get in my mouth. He's kissing me, hugging me loving me and we got a celebration going that will knock your socks off and all that I did was acknowledge that I was a mass couldn't fix myself. I listened as Chuck Colson gave his testimony to this esteemed gathering of people and he said to them, I got in my car outside my friends house and I admitted that my life was a total mess and I ask God to come and save me and he did do anything that this boy if you'd seen him in worship would've been able to sing how deep the father's love for us. How vast beyond all measure though you think that if you'd been present with him and he was in your role when he got to the line that said in royal robes. I don't deserve. I live to see of your Majesty. Think he's going like all in royal robes and there's no question about this. He who is forgiven much understands. Let me wrap this was Jesus teaching here is teaching the fact that all of us like this young man turned our backs on God in 100 ways and we told him to get lost. Not very nice to admit that, but it is true, although our relationship with him is apparently ruined. The good news is that it can be set right when we come to our senses. He uses things to bring us to our senses the birth of a loved one. The loss of prestige, whatever it may be he shows as our need of him.

If we will turn from our rebellion in our foolishness than he threw his arms around us and fight, you would see that the boys desire to go back was more than met by the seeking of the father because Jesus is come seeking to save those that are lost and when we make our way back. The prospect is not to live in shame, but rather that we will be welcomed not to live as slaves as day laborers, but to live as sons and daughters in the family house.

They have time just to redeploying that was given to me some years ago and I've kept it for a while. I'm going to read this and then we're through. You can sort of sit back and seated and follow this appointments not ABA being you know it's not that added added added so you don't have to run out to listen. Some he gave this to me I got: who is the story begins with a boy gone bad faces in the audience light up the boy takes full advantage of his father in ancient kindly man he once the inheritance everything faces grimace and upstart someone says horse whip and teach them some manners, some young men smile, but they all wait eyes fixed on the face of Jesus. The father lets him go after giving everything the whole inheritance the gold or silver. The favorite horse, the treasure cloak. The ring faces show surprise this fool someone whispers the sons of cheat, but they bend forward to hear he spends it all on prostitutes, wine, gambling, the best hotels loose living an old man looks down at his friend and winks.

He should have invested it excess patch the wise way, but this one's a form of the other says heads nod in agreement soon. The boy hits bottom. Nothing left. He ends up slopping pigs faces flinch stunned, but some smile. He got what he deserved an old man says this is a good story, but in the boy remembers on the feast, the plenty the laughter he sits and weeps his head in his hands. He decides to return to ask for a band in the barn someone laughs twist, he says faces show intrigue the boy comes hold hands with the legs start. He is pendulous rag and wasted a scarecrow. Listeners are laughing now revenge. They think the disowning but no, the old man sees them on the road from his chair on the porch when you sat waiting. Each day he recognizes the walk along here the shoulders.

He jumps up and stumbled out to him.

His heart thumping his eyes went. He runs to the boy while the boy stands his head down the old man gathers him into his arms and holds him long short and long do we faces of Stern there. I slept this father's full. They murmur but still they wait. The boy begins his speech, but the old man is suddenly gone deaf. He throws a cloak over the boy's ranks pulls off his last and best ring slides it onto the boys finger in and begins calling for servants caliph.

I think Kathy shouts will have a feast faces our heart.

Now many shake their heads, a bitter elder son refuses even to speak to his lost brother.

He stomps off angry coursing some faces no, but most are gray their lips pressed white their eyes aflame and son stand up to go. Nothing is gone right in this story.

They stalk off bad story. 16 stupid says another not want to visit backs, but something from the crowd. Linger a prostitute tax collector. The liar they glancing Jesus furtively and wait then the approach shyly, slowly, and one by one they fall at his feet and we enjoy what will keep you from this discovery you're praying for price might how is a person to come exactly as we are. When is a person to come immediately if you ever come giving gathered up in the embrace of the Conoco to know how much he loved here comes in is that I am more messed up than I was ever prepared to admit. And yet I discover that I more loved in Jesus than I could ever have imagined. I would ask you to forgive me for all my slamming of the doors for all of my wandering and for all of my rebellion. All my self assertiveness I want to simply acknowledge that I need your heart I need you to embrace.

I need the warmth of your welcome. That is true for all of us as we all need the welcoming embrace of our heavenly father we can listing today to a message from Alastair Begg on Truth for Life weekend. If you're ready to receive God's welcome that Alastair has talked about today, but you're just not sure how to go about this a Truth for Life.org/the story there you'll find a video that helps explain God's plan of salvation God's saving grace is nothing that we can earn on our own. It is a gift that is freely given to those who believe.

Again, find out more@truthforlife.org/the story the story of salvation is a message that we love to share on Truth for Life.

In fact, it's our mission to open the Scriptures so that men and women can come to trust in the Lord Jesus to save them from their sin and to lead them to eternal life. In addition to teaching the Bible. We also recommend books to help you grow in your faith. This is the final week and were offering a book titled alive how the resurrection of Christ changes everything. This book alive, is a practical book. It will help you prepare to answer challenging questions about your belief in the resurrection.

The author begins by investigating the historical and biblical evidence for the resurrection presents that evidence in an understandable way so that you can confidently answer big questions like how you know that the resurrection really happen.

The book alive is great to have on hand friends ask for proof about what it is you believe could request your copy of the book by visiting Truth for Life.or, again, that's Truth for Life.org Bob Lapine thanks for listing. Hope you can join us again next weekend as we continued this message to discover what the prodigal son's older brother burned with anger.

Bible teaching of Alastair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life where the Learning is for Living