Living a 220 life

The Prodigal Son (Part 4 of 4)

My friends, the final character we’ll look at isn’t actually in the story but rather is the story teller; Jesus. In part 1 we looked at the younger son who represents lost people through open disobedience to God. In part 2 we looked at the older son who represents lost people through self absorption over being “good” or “religious”. Remember, all people are born lost. We all fall into one of two categories: We either go to the left and live a life of open sin like the younger son or we go to the right and live a life trying to “earn” God’s love like the older son. Both are sin and both are lost. In part 3 we looked at the Father who represents our loving and Graceful God. Our God who reaches out to both sons in a symbolic effort to bring all mankind back into communion with Him. In part 4 we’re looking at the story teller and what He’s trying to accomplish through this story.

The first aspect about Jesus in this story we must understand is who He’s trying to reach and why. At the beginning of Luke 15 we see the Pharisees and scribes complaining about Jesus receiving tax collectors and sinners around Him. In response to this complaint 15:3 says, “So He spoke this parable to them”. Therefore, Jesus’s primary audience for this story isn’t the younger son but rather the older son. All too often the younger son gets the attention through this story because his sin is open to see and is rather blatent. The older son looks like the good son and so fly’s under the radar. The Pharisees and scribes were the very people the older son represents…Folks, many people in our churches today are the very people the older son represents. Jesus was telling this story for them. Jesus was trying to tell them they were lost and didn’t know it; they thought they were the good son who “earned” something from the Father. My friends, I beg you to look at your life and ask the Lord to reveal if you’re living an older son life. If you are, Jesus is telling this parable for YOU! Not to condemn you but to find you.

Jesus delivered this story to the religious elite about the religious elite. Think about what He’s saying and doing here. Jesus is addressing someone like a Billy Grahm or a Dr. Dobson here and telling him that he’s lost. (I’m not saying Billy Grahm or Dr. Dobson are lost, I don’t know them that well) That is huge. Jesus is telling him that noone is without need of the Father. My friends, unfortunately we can fall into the same trap as the Pharisees. As we grow in the church we can all too easily begin thinking we’ve got it all figured out. Usually this arrogance begins to creep in when we see younger sons but it creeps in none the less. We’ve become proficient at hiding this arrogance in false humility because we’ve learned through the church that we should be humble if we’re to be good “christians”. The lesson Jesus is teaching us in the parable is this: The most important aspect of life is close fellowship with the Father simply to be in His presence, not to get His inheritence. Close fellowship with the Father results in a deep love for people. (John 13:34-35) Do you love other people? Not just your friends and family but all people. Here’s a better question, Do other people think you love them? In other words, are you viewed in your community as a loving person? I’ve met a lot of good people in the church who really don’t enjoy other people, let alone love them. Folks, if you’re living a life void of joy, if you’re living a life void of love for others, you may be a lost older son.

Here’s the beauty of Jesus the story teller. Jesus told this particular crowd two stories prior to this one. He told them about the lost sheep and then the lost coin. In both stories someone went out in search for the lost item. This concept is carried over into the story of the lost sons. Folks, the Father is coming out to find us. Both sons had the Father come out to find them. If you’re living a life without close, deep, and intimate fellowship with the Father I’m telling you that He’s searching for you right now! If you aren’t experiencing a passionate relationship with God you’re lost. It’s ok to be lost as long as you realize you’re lost. The Father welcomes you back with open arms. Friends, I beg you, please, consider your current position and run to the Father. AMEN!

The Prodigal Son (Part 2 of 4)

The parable of the prodigal son is also referred to as the parable of the lost son. However, a more accurate title would be the parable of the lost sons. You see, we discussed the younger son in part one but will discuss the older son, who is also lost, in part two. Though the younger son has attained more recognition in the parable I believe the older son was actually the character Jesus wished to highlight in the story.

First, we must understand the background of the story in which the older son is set. In Luke 15:12 we find the father dividing his inheritence between the two sons. Culturally, he would have divided everything he owned into thirds. The younger son would have received one-third and the older son two-thirds. The younger son took his third and went away to waste all he’d been given. The older son remained with the father and continued to work. We see the older son in verse 25 working in the field when he hears the sound of music and dancing.

The older son sends a servant to inquire what the music and dancing are for. He finds out his younger brother has returned and the father is throwing a party for him in honor of his return. Now understand, the father has already divided all the inheritance and the younger son spent all of his. Therefore, anything the father gives the younger son is coming from the perceived inheritance of the older son. Need less to say, the older son is not too happy about this. In fact, verse 28 says, “But he was angry and would not go in.”

Friends, I would imagine many of you can sympathize with the older son’s anger. However, let me lay out the facts: The father is throwing a feast and the older son refuses to come in. Compare this with Luke 14:18-24. Of the people who refused to come into the feast God says, “For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.” (Luke 14:24), also, the son is upset because he believes he is due a certain amount of inheritance, and finally, the older son chooses to place his inheritance above his relationship with his father. Do you see that the younger son is lost but the older son is lost also?

The two sons represent the two ways we are lost from God. The younger son lived an open life of rebellion and only cared for the father based on the material things the father could give him. The older son lived a life of labor in the fathers field in an effort to attain the material things the father could give him. Do you see? Both sons only desired the things the father had to offer…neither desired the father for his relationship. The older son represents many in the church today.

Are you living a life of service just to get stuff from God? Are you trying to earn your way to heaven or even simply the approval of God? Look at the older son’s argument to the father, “Lo these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.”

Do you see the older son’s belief that he ‘earned’ something from the father through his righteous living? Have you spent many years laboring for the Lord and now believe God ‘owes’ you something? The older son represents a very dangerous place to be lost. All too often, the older sons in our churches today are blind to their lostness because they’re in the fathers field. Are you bitter at your lot in life? Do you wonder why others seem to be blessed by God while you’re not? Do you think you deserve more blessings from God based on the work you’ve done for Him?

Friends, I beg you to consider that the older son didn’t enter the fathers feast. Humble yourselves and understand that a relationship with the Father is to be desired above all else. Only when we seek to be in His Grace and understand we don’t earn anything can we rest in His presence and enjoy the fatted calf that has always been ours for the taking. The Father desires to lavish us with all His livelihood but when we seek to earn it we remove ourselves from the inheritance. Surrender your religious living today and humbly fall at His feet. Accept His Grace and give up your pursuit of a life that’s ‘good enough’. AMEN!

How YOU can literally change the world

My friends, I’ve been in the book of Numbers recently and have found an amazing example of power; power great enough to change our world. I know the book of Numbers isn’t typically an awe inspiring book however, Moses’ example as presented in Numbers is amazing and it’s applicable for us today. Before I get into the scripture revealing the power available to us, I must preface two verses that led Moses to the power verse.

The first verse is describing the character of Moses. Numbers 12:3 states, “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.” This verse lays the bedrock of the power we have available to us. The second preface verse, Numbers 16:28, demonstrates this humility when we read, “By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will.” Friends, the teaching point we MUST GRASP from Moses is this: He clearly understood his own inability to do anything and equally understood God’s ability to do everything through him. Do you see this? Moses’ humility was actually a true understanding of reality. Moses understood he was weak and could NOT do much on his own. Humility doesn’t stop at self pity or self denunciation, no, that’s where satan wants us to stop. True humility must equally see the Lords ability to do ALL things through US!

When we fully understand and believe we can do nothing on our own and God wants to do all things through us, we can step into the power verse; Numbers 16:46-48, “So Moses said to Aaron, ‘Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it, and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the Lord. The plague has begun.’ Then Aaron took it as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and already the plague had begun among the people. So he put in the incense and made atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped.”

Oh people of the Lord, don’t you see what happened here? Moses prayed (the incense) and altered what God had already begun. We are all heirs in God’s kingdom and have this same right to come to Him in prayer expecting our prayer’s to be answered. God wants to receive all the glory on earth and does when He does all things through us. God receives none of the glory when WE do great things. Moses acknowledged he did nothing on his own and therefore relied on God to do ALL things.

Friends, when we pray, we are inviting God to be glorified in us and through us. No hidden agendas can be present; no, we must rid ourselves of the pride that desires to do things on our own. Acknowledge right now that you can do nothing and He can do anything He desires through you; regularly go to Him in faithful prayer and see if God doesn’t use you to change the world for His glory! AMEN!

How big is your God?

“Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” (Psalm 100:3)

How hard have you worked to get where you are today? Do you aspire to be a ’self-made millionair’? Perhaps you aspire to be a great pastor, teacher, preacher, or Christian leader. Our world today, Christians included, drill it into our heads that we can achieve greatness if we just work hard. “Put your mind to it and you can achieve anything” is a sound bite I’ve heard more than once from well meaning parents. But my friends, scripture teaches us something a little different.

You see, the underlying foundation to the thinking of ‘you can make it, just work hard’ is that you control your own destiny and you have all the power. This is faulty thinking with roots tracing back to the venomous pride Satan breathed into the world in the Garden. My friends, if you can make it on your own then what do you need God for? If you try to make it on your own then you’re revealing your arrogance and foolishness. The Lord has made it clear that His plan is for you to rest on Him for everything you need. Allow Him to make you what He wants you to be. Psalm 101:5 says, “The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, him I will not endure.”

If you desire to be successful in life you have only one option; trust in the Lord. Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” This verse is telling us to remember that our days will end; we’re not eternal, we’re not God. As we learn to number our days we’ll learn to trust on the One who has no end of days. Only when we humbly fall before our Creator and trust in Him to sustain us will we be truely succesful. So let me ask you, How big is your God? AMEN!

Are you committed or surrendered?

“But he said to Him, Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” (Luke 22:33)

Jesus had just brought up to the Disciples that one of them would betray Him and then Jesus tells Peter that Satan has asked to sift him. Jesus says that He has prayed for Peter, that he won’t fall during the sifting. Peters response to Jesus shows his commitment and zeal for the Lord. I believe Peter meant this response with his whole heart and truely believed that he would follow Jesus to the grave. However, Peter greatly over estimated his own abilities to carry out his commitment.

The word commitment is not used very often in scripture but when it is used it’s almost always negative and means, “to pledge or promise to do something”. This was Peter’s position when he responded to Jesus. In fact, this is Peter’s position throughout much of Jesus ministry here on earth. Peter was a very talented guy and was able to rely on his own strength and abilities for much of the ministry he was involved in. The problem with Peters commitment is that it hindered the work of the Lord through Peter. As long as Peter was operating by his own power, he wasn’t operating by the Lord’s power. Therefore, the Lord needed to do a work in Peter before he could do a work through Peter.

After Peter explains to Jesus that he’ll follow Him to the grave, Jesus tells Peter that he’ll actually deny even knowing Him three times that very night. As we already know, Peter did just that and was devastated by what he had done. I tell ya what, I’ve felt like a failure sometimes because of my mistakes and my sin, but this event had to take the cake. Peter denied even knowing Jesus after Jesus had already said he would do it. Peter was crushed by his sin. However, Jesus knew this would happen and used it for Peter.

The word surrender is used throughout scripture and it means, “to give over, or to yield”. Jesus used Peters sin to bring him to his knees, understanding that he couldn’t keep his commitment on his own. Jesus led Peter to surrender. After this event in Peters life he was a changed man, exhibiting humility at every turn. Peter was submitted to the Lord and operating in the power that comes only from the Holy Spirit. The Lord had done a work in Peter and was now doing a work through Peter.

My friends, are you currently committed to the Lord or are you living a life of surrender to Him? Are you conducting life and ministry by your own power or are you resting on a strength that’s not your own? This takes some soul searching but it’s important that you do. The Lord wishes to do a work through you but won’t until the work has been done in you. AMEN!