all right Lord bless you all what a
privilege to be here on this on this
Father's Day I'll invite you to please
open to Luke chapter 15 I'll tell you
something interesting about this morning
sermon the Lord actually gave me this
sermon I there's a reason why I keep I
keep journals around and and when I see
the Lord when I hear the Lord calling me
hopefully the Lord will give me
sufficient warning that he's calling me
to my eternal home so I could send about
15 crates of journals to the care of
pastor Greg too I don't know to give to
the Smithsonian Institute or something
but meanwhile they're quite useful to me
because it reminds me of my
conversations with the Lord and they
remind me of the Lord responding it's a
sort of a transcript of our
conversations the Lord actually gave me
this sermon I'm preaching it on Father's
Day but the Lord actually gave me this
word back in February februari eighth
and the moment I received that word you
know in my living room doing that
devotional I knew in my spirit that that
was that word was meant for this
particular fellowship I I knew I had to
share it at one point or another here
and just a word about that as we pray
you know the reality I feel so bad for
dad sometimes because isn't it always
always the case Mother's Day Holy Smoke
you know you would think every woman in
the congregation was Mother Teresa
and the sisters of the church know
better and dad's boy I mean I use I used
to go to church man dad's got beat up
real bad on Father's Day that's what we
would get on father anybody ever go to a
church like that y'all step up do right
thing do what you gotta do thank you
Pastor happy Father's Day to you too
yeah but the truth is we've had all
kinds of father some of us have had
marvelous dance exemplary God's
sacrificial dads dads who really
incarnated fatherhood in such wonderful
ways many others we have very imperfect
debts of some extremely extremely
imperfect dads and we're reminded of
their imperfections every time we shave
in the morning because there they are
right there staring back at us we've
become in many ways this man and the
glory of God has over Layton over that
and we've become all the more aware of
God's grace ironically because of this
imperfect man others of us will tell the
other two-thirds of the room guys don't
complain at least you met your dad he
had one my dad just a few wondering
where I was you know my dad I you know I
them to this day it's days like this you
know when you when you have a dad and
God calls them home just like your first
Mother's day without a mom here you know
you never so my dad was somewhere
between dad number one number two just
as I am I guess I'll be completely
honest with you but you're here we are
here sir
for something else and someone else some
of us come here precisely all of us come
here and pursuit of some very important
stuff at one point or another we need
healing frankly or we need the Lord to
illuminate us for something or we need
we need this we need were lonely we need
the fellowship of saints an inheritance
from the Holy Father we need we need
that if you come here in pursuit of that
I promise you you're going to find what
you're looking for in Jesus name I
declare that over you but if you come
here looking for the Father's heart
seeking the Father's heart that the
Father's heart may be revealed to you
you're going to find everything you're
looking for and more my prayer amid my
infirmities as a human filter of this
beautiful word is that somehow here
whether through what you hear or in
between these lines or even despite what
you hear the Father's heart may be
revealed to you it's a passage that
we're all familiar with a story that
many of us heard in Sunday school that
we find in Luke chapter 15 verse 11
Jesus continued there was a man who had
two sons the younger one said to his
father father give me my share of the
estate so he divided his property
between them not long after that the
younger son got together all he had and
said offer a distant country and there
squandered his wealth in wild living
don't you just love that Spanish to
translate I wish they would translate it
verbatim in spanish la vida loca I mean
that's what it is in the greek wouldnt
it be cool if they did that after he had
and everything there was a severe famine
in that whole country and he began to be
in need so he went and he hired himself
to a citizen of that country who sent
him to his fields to feed pigs which is
an extreme and dignity for a Jewish
young man he longed to fill his stomach
with the pods that the pigs were eating
but no one gave him anything when he
came to his senses he said how many of
my father's hired men have food to spare
and Here I am starving to death I will
set out and go back to my father and say
to him father I have sinned against
heaven and against you I'm no longer
worthy to be called your son make me
like one of your hired men so he got up
and went to his father but while he was
still a long way off his father saw him
and was filled with compassion for him
he ran to his son threw his arms around
him and kissed him the son said to him
father I have sinned against heaven and
against you I'm no longer worthy to be
called your son but the father said to
his servants quick bring me the best
robe and put it on him put a ring on his
finger and sandals on his feet bring the
fattened calf and kill it let's have a
feast and celebrate for this son of mine
was dead and is alive again he was lost
and is found so they began to celebrate
meanwhile the older son was in the field
when he came near to the house he heard
music and dancing so he called one of
the servants over and asked him what was
going on your brother has come he
replied and your father has killed the
fattened calf because he has found him
back safe and sound
the older brother became angry and
refused to go in so his father went out
and pleaded with him a father with two
sons and both of these guys both of
these sons are in trouble I'm reading
from the NIV the title that the NIV
editors have for this portion is the
parable of the lost son we're actually
going to be speaking about both sons but
you might be reading from attacks
perhaps even the King James that it has
entitled this section the editors have
been titled it the prodigal son and you
have known this as the prodigal son
coming from the word prodigal which
means literally extravagant we never use
it's one of those words try that in a
you know try that and it's in a
boardroom meeting or or you know you
don't use the word prodigal anymore in
fact the word prodigal in them in modern
parlance refers now almost exclusively
to this tale to this young man but
prodigal really what to define prodigal
means extravagant in the way you invest
it doesn't necessarily need to be a bad
thing its extravagant in the way you
invest or you spend or in this case
waste your property what's wrong what's
yours and Tim Keller wrote an
interesting book a pastor in a hue of a
huge church in you in New York City the
prodigal father I recommend it to you
it's on one of those guys that will
recommend you books he hasn't quite yet
read the Lord is my witness I recommend
it to you my wife has read it I guess
that's half of me has read that all
right and I've heard him speak about it
in purpose in person okay so that counts
I heard him preach about it I was in the
room and I heard Tim Keller preach about
this so
all that counts so Tim Keller in his
book the prodigal father actually argues
that the true prodigal in the story is
the father not the Sun the true tale of
extravagance is the father and I having
read this I tend to agree and it the
tale begins the story of these two sons
and by the way you'll notice I'm going
to tell you up front I believe I would
wager that we have both sons represented
in this room right now where can I look
so I'm not looking at anybody look at
the hosts of heaven there are two sons
in the story both for them are
represented in this tale and represented
in this room I honestly believe that I
honestly believe that and it begins see
verses 11 and 12 there was a man who had
two sons the younger son said to his
father father give me my share of the
inheritance it actually begins this
story two chairs begins with this this
house that that is this household that
is predominant for two things it's known
for two things number one property
property actually figures very early on
and it's very important here on
inheritance and estate represented by
abundance there's livestock there's
apparently a farm there are servants you
could guess there's some income involved
here there's money one so it's we so as
the story begins the two key elements
here are a the property the inheritance
and in this house there is somebody who
administers or governs over this
property and who actually who is
actually responsible for the
administration of this property and that
is the father you have
stuff or property and you have the
father those that these are actually two
integrated streams throughout this story
let's start with let's start with the
stuff let's start with with with
examining this stuff let's start with
examining the property because there's
so much emphasis emphasis on that the
younger son asks I want my share of the
estate I want my share of this property
and that word that you see you know
translated and it's alternatively
translated property it's a toner
alternatively translated estate in the
Greek that is well in the case that it
uses here tom beyond and the accusative
say in it and it's uh and and it's
infinitive it is tongue bios or the life
the life bios the life and what it means
is this it's actually illegal to a in
the classical Greek this was a legal
term having to do with with you know the
I know the lawyer in me is loving this
because i had this class in law school
never used it michelle may use it more
than I do I I hardly I hardly touch this
stuff but I sir oh I remember that it
was on the bar that's right so the term
in Greek the life means it's a legal
term and what it literally means is that
this property so say it's a an
inheritance a it's some farm that you
leave somebody say it's your you know
your your favorite watch but this
property is representative of the life
literally the bios the life of the donor
it is a product and what they mean is
this and this is true to this day it is
in fact the spinal cord of all trust in
the state's law even now into
14 and it means this nobody earns an
inheritance legally or spiritually you
didn't earn it you didn't earn it it is
the product of the bios the sweat the
work the genius the investments the
risks and the toil of the donor that
stuff was a product of something that
came out of the life of another human
being and that person chooses to give it
to you you haven't earned it it's
impossible to earn an inheritance
legally because you didn't work for it
belongs to it's the product of the life
of someone else and that's present that
precisely what you would expect out of
scripture doesn't the word say that
every good and perfect gift comes from
where comes from above from the father
of heavenly lights and each of us we all
enjoy a Tom BIOS a bios from our Father
Heavenly Father we all have an
inheritance from our Heavenly Father a
functional brain let's start with that
the breath in your lungs the capacity to
dream and to plan the ability to think
around the corner that's a gift from the
Lord your your your hamster does not
have that but you do and some of us have
been given a little bit more some of us
have so you know God has thrown us a
couple of extra stuff that's just I mean
that that would be enough to make it on
the surface of this planet but God
this extravagant prodigal god some of it
gives us gives us you know a couple of
Benny's some of us have a family some of
us have been given children some of us
have been given a wife some of us
actually have the key to our own space
our apartment or house and then if that
weren't enough this prodigal dad he just
keeps giving us gifts like some of us
are remarkably creative where poets like
my brother Shelton or we read well like
my brother Shelton are we sing like my
sister Chantal or we danced like my
sister kennis I'm praying in Jesus name
that we see you up your booking it soon
in the name of Jesus we love you
creative some of us are really really
good with our hands this altar is
brought to you by the creative gifts of
some important people in this sanction
in this in this church that we often
take for granted but everything here my
god this building you should have seen
it in 1993 and you should see it I mean
looking at now there are people who went
literally making this place it's a labor
of love you never hear them you know
ministering very seldomly you don't see
them up front they don't need one of
these this was their ministry and they
did it with as much anointing and love
the Holy ABS of this congregation that's
a gift we've all received a gift and
inheritance that makes sense in the
context of home and this kid this young
man asked his father for his inheritance
his BIOS while his dad is alive which is
extremely wet rare in Jewish culture
that's a huge no-no in Jewish culture
this far
other could have just done so he could
have disinherited him in that spot but
his father gives it to him can you
believe it that's one of the first
remarkable scandalous things about this
story is that his this kid has the
temerity to ask his dad I want I want
what I I want what's coming to me now
and his dad gives it to him go on ahead
verse 12 the younger one said to his
father give me my share of the estate so
he divided his property between them in
other words he didn't he doesn't just
give the younger son his property he
gives a property also to the older son
who by the way is entitled to two-thirds
of the property or twice the property of
the younger son in other words a double
portion so the older son gets a double
portion the younger son gets his estate
his part of the estate verse 13 not long
after that the younger son got together
all he had and set off for a distant
country where is that the Bible doesn't
tell us it's far from where ever was he
was and then squandered his wealth in
wild living two things that we can learn
from this number one you could already
pick up these two things from Scripture
number one about our stuff say with me
nothing oh come on yeah this is this
work work we're about to Coastal's we
know how to do call and response tell
your neighbor nothing that's what I Sam
get it right that's how it's done all
right nut that's right they tell your
neighbor thing I got to remember that
tell your neighbor nothing nothing we
have will last
none of our stuff will last this
includes your physical health this
includes the car and the lot this
includes guys your your your your frame
of mind this includes your your breath
in your lungs none of the hour prior are
cherished property well you can't
protect any of it we can lose it all at
a moment's notice it's extinct it's it's
fungible that's another wonderful trusts
and estates word anything that you can
give to somebody else anything you can
give away is by its nature fungible you
can lose it lesson number one lesson
number two free will guys this prodigal
father gives him his inheritance watches
the Sun get up and leave he lets us he
will let you your heavenly Father will
let you administer or invest or use or
grow in or absolutely squander the BIOS
the stuff of life that the Lord has
given you he'll let you why because he
loves you he trusts you he respects you
he respects you and it is in this
fashion that we learn we learn as we
administer the stuff that God has given
us we learn and this kid did some
serious learning verse 14 after he had
spent everything there was a severe
famine in that whole country and he
began to be in need so he went and he
hired himself out to a citizen of that
country who
who sent him to his fields to feed pigs
he longed to fill his stomach with the
pods that the pigs were eating but no
one gave him anything he's far from home
far from for the protection of his
father how many of us have ever been
there you ever been there you know what
that place is like anybody in this
industry I'll be I'll I'll help you with
this I know I've been there it's not a
fun place it it is no one can you cannot
expect to come to anything good they're
far from the protection of the Father
Satan is there too with one mission in
mind which is to help us forget we were
ever a son help us forget there was ever
a home and the first thing he does as he
wears away at your dignity here's this
Jewish young man son of a proper deed
father and some i think the word fits
well here god forsaken place doing
things he never imagined in his life he
would ever do just things that would I
mean if he was with his buddies he did
not you know I'm sure when he was
growing up at his bar mitzvah when they
talked about well what do you what are
you going to do when you grow up one I'm
gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna feed pigs for
a living and I'm gonna I'm going to envy
what they feed these things like that
was his am no kid grows up no mother's
son grows up with those ambitions by the
way bipods there were these care
seeds that in in this agrarian society
that they fed pigs in the ancient world
and they in particularly near East it
was known throughout the ancient world
and the only time that you they were
they were seldom digested by humans the
only time humans in this society in the
the in the Near Eastern society it fed
on them was in times of extreme hunger
when all other crops failed when there
was nothing why because they gave you
the sensation of filling your stomach
but they were almost utterly free of any
kind of nourishment they would fit they
would fill the hole but there was no
there was no it wasn't in there was no
nutritious there was no nutrit nutrition
there was no nutrient coming from it and
so many of us when we were out there we
had to fill our whole with something so
many of us spend that kind of time just
you know we go from one experience of
feeding on pods feeding on pods going
from one experience to another you know
today this party tomorrow this
relationship tomorrow okay let's swing
over here to this religious experience
this a SRAM somewhere else and let you
know let's let's figure out my zone I
let then you go from that to this other
experience and you were going from pod
the pod you just just you know pastor
Santa hat I was hungry I was hungry
pastor Sam and I fed pigs
I had to do what I had to do it's
shameful I'm sorry I don't know it's
nothing that I'm going to be proud of
ever but have you ever had to do that
pastor Sam just because I was I was
hungry I had if I had to fill the hole I
had to do something to survive don't you
think your heavenly Father knows that he
knows what that's like and the entire
time your heavenly father is watching
the road pining for you grieving over
you worrying about you morning you
praying you come home let's talk about
him for a little bit because this
parable has more to do with the heart of
the father it has more to do with the
heart of the father than anything else
and that's the whole point you know when
this chapter opens there are some folks
Pharisees the religious leaders who
commented to Jesus and not not
complement rly this guy this man
welcomes sinners and eats with them
verse 2 in fact this is a running theme
in the Gospel of Luke in chapter 5
there's a group of religious leaders who
who approached Jesus and asked him why
do you welcome sinners and eat with them
and break bread with them it's a running
theme throughout the Gospel of Luke
which is directed by the way at Gentiles
which is because you know Gentiles were
everyone who was not Jewish when you
hear Gentiles in Scripture there it's
usually not it's
that's not a complementary term either
it usually means not just the fact that
you were not Jewish but everything that
went with that they were a dollar ters
they were they were into everything they
experimented with everything they were
about everything but the god of the
universe why on earth do you break bread
with those people Jesus why do you eat
with sinners and in response the Lord
tells them these stories he's he
responds with a parable now a parable is
a way of trying to explain remarkably
complex eternal truths to finite human
beings not unlike trying to explain
really crazy things mommy where do
babies come from to a child how do you
respond to some of the things when a
child asked it's it's it is very
analogous you know it puts Jesus in the
same spot that you're in when your
four-year-old ask you things like daddy
why do you love mommy and there's
something daddy can say and there's a
lot of stuff daddy cannot say unless you
know you know he's totally inebriated
but he there's some things that daddy
should not say or it's trying to explain
to a Martian love love I hear this word
love what is that could you explain to
me what love is what do you do do you
you know do you go to Pandora write the
word love and have him here like half a
million songs and poems and so you know
how hard it has been for the human race
to try to explain love
to each other let alone to someone who
has no frame of reference to what this
means that is the spot Jesus is in how
do you explain what's going on in God's
heart and in the heart of the father to
repeat to someone like this is to
someone like this way are you why do I
break bread with sinners are you not are
you kidding me why do I break bread with
sinners okay how do i how do I where do
I start knowing that if this kid or in
this case this Pharisee gets ten percent
of it we're good there's a lot here that
still locked up in the heart of the Lord
in the heart of the father we're all
living through we're all looking at God
through a glass like the darkling my
friends all we're seeing his shadows and
images it's enough to thrill our hearts
it's enough to blow our minds it's a
loft introduces the tears but all we're
getting is glimpses of his majesty what
he's really about his heart we've yet to
really feel we've not felt his hog yet
and I'm waiting for my when he when he
when we see him but right now we are
content with receiving these fragments
of Revelation and the Lord says look why
do I dude the father is heartsick why do
I break bread with sinners let's see and
he tells him a series of stories says if
you if I had you know if you had nine if
you if you had ten drachmas and you lose
one you have nine like this with the
first Powerball in looper in Luke 15
you're going are you going to be content
with those nine drachmas or okay
oh it you win you lose no you tear the
house around until you find that last
drachma or if you had a hundred sheep
you lose a sheep what Shepherd worthy of
the name Shepherd is going to be content
with watching one of the Sheep wander
off and die no you leave the rest of the
flock you leave the ninety-nine you go
off over hill over Dale in the rain and
wherever you need to go you find that
sheep and you bring that cheap safe and
sound because that's your job as a
shepherd if you can understand that and
you can understand that that kid is not
expendable you're not expendable either
you matter to the Lord there's nobody
anonymous to God especially if you find
yourself in a far country until your
home this God will pray and intercede
and wait and let nature take its course
he'll let nature take its course not it
makes your take its course which means
you're going to be hungry and you're
going to suffer human little humiliation
and you're going to go through the dregs
and you're going to know what that feels
like not because he doesn't love you but
because he cannot force you to come home
he created you with free will he did not
create a robot he did not create a slave
Satan would be content with you being a
slave you've got the wrong God in mind
if you think that God can force you
compel you to come home you have
I'm mistaken with somebody else God is
not going to force you he is not going
to compel you to come home his nature
won't allow it his love for you won't
allow it he instead will pray that his
nature takes its course you come to your
senses as the NIV translates it I prefer
actually the way it's translated in the
in the new evidence you nintendo co not
in the spanish a que diga in the reina
valera in the spanish version because
it's actually very close to the Greek
the Greek for that phrase came to his
senses ace a con el phone actually
literally means he came to himself he
comes to himself what happens at that
point and it's very close to the Jewish
idea of repentance that we see
underlying scripture to come to yourself
means i know a dawns on me for the first
time Who I am in relationship to my god
what he means to me and it awakens us
through the idea that without him I I am
dead I am lost and I need him he's my
Heavenly Father and I am fragile and I
would be nuts not to be in his presence
and this kid comes to him census verse
17 when he came to his senses he said
how many of my father's hired men have
food to spare and Here I am starving to
death I will set out and go to my father
and say to him father I've sinned
against heaven and against you I'm no
longer worth
to be called your son take note of this
make me like one of your hired men so he
got up and went to his father this
younger son comes to his senses and he
says and you the key here is that phrase
you come to yourself you come to your
senses you realize who you are a
relationship with your God when you
start with when you declare listen I'm
not I'm not worthy even of being called
your son make me like one of your hired
men holding a little this is I mean
notice we're not talking servant there
he says I would be content you know what
a hired men ahern a little did in those
days was basically somebody who was a
day laborer who worked for bed and for
hire you know a meal at the end of the
day of bolas oops oatmeal in the morning
a bed to sleep in I'll be content to do
that I'll be dad I would be content to
wash the dishes I'll be content to plow
the field I'll be content to take out
you know to clean out the barn I'll be
content to do anything just don't let me
leave your presence I do now ever want
to find myself far from home he comes to
his senses his father of course had
other ideas verse 20 so he got up and
went to his father but while he was
still a long way off his father saw him
and was filled with compassion for him
he ran to his son threw his arms around
him and kissed him the son said to him
as he had planned father I have sinned
against heaven and against you I'm no
longer worthy to be called your son but
the father said to his servants quick
bring the best row which represents
covering his shame cover covering his
filth not unlike a vision that you see
in Zachariah chapter 3 cut covering
covering him covering covering god knows
what he looked like her he got there
bring the best robe and put it on him
put a ring on his finger representing
Authority this is not just anybody in
this house this is my son you will treat
him as you treat me authority the the
church word for that is anointing by the
way anointing put a ring on his fingers
sandals on his feet distinguishing him
from slaves and servants who walked
around barefoot bring the fattened calf
and kill it provision provision the Lord
providing for us let's have a feast and
celebrate for this son of mine was dead
and is alive again he was lost and is
found so they began to celebrate you
know this is conduct unbecoming of a
Jewish father on a couple of levels
number one legally once this father
gives the inheritance away to a son to a
living son he is by all legal means dead
to him he's really he's not a part of
the estate legally there's no you know
the father you're you struck out on your
own there's a horizontal relationship
now with the father but but here this
dad gets up sees the kid coming down the
road and which is why we know that this
kid this father's pining for him he's
literally can you imagine him watching
the road day after day is it today will
they come today maybe
tomorrow there's still a couple of hours
left of daylight get up at dawn is he
there did you see anybody on the road
did y'all notice did y'all notice anyone
and everyone everyone in the house
moo-hoo anyone was let me know anyone
comes down the road they knew that the
old man was still looking for this kid
people in the washroom people in the
kitchen were all talking about this
everybody knew this kids business it was
the scandal of the house the kid shows
up the dad goes nuts he leaves his stool
runs after him daddy's a good
self-respecting daddy does not do that
he doesn't care runs to him grabs him
and it's not you know and he throws a
good old-fashioned Pentecostal Puerto
Rican party I mean this is this was not
this was crazy this was a the word for
music that you see in Scripture there is
literally seen for Nia as in Symphony is
this is correct the wedding yesterday
right okay let's start with the
horse-drawn carriage and make our way
down and here we are we're having such a
wonderful time and we thought we thought
I mean it was and this couple deserved
it really it's couple deserved it but
all of a sudden we hear when changing
Boone Jeong Jeong Jeong Jeong Boone
janta and out of the Isles comes a
mariachi band drop it to the cords and
then we are
jaja bruta to do touch I mean they spent
some time and keep in Texas and he says
you either you go big or go home you
know but then so I imagine this father I
imagine you know a mariachi band at this
thing and his brother this is wonderful
right praise God the Bible says over and
over there is rejoicing in heaven when
the kid comes home rejoicing in heaven
when the kids comes home folks I rest my
case this is what we mean by rejoice
this is what you mean to your heavenly
Father I pray in Jesus name that the
heart of the father be revealed with you
that you mean this to him and all is
cool all is perfect all is wonderful my
son came home right except there's two
sons we're not done with this tale
there's two sons meanwhile the older son
was in the field when he came near the
house he heard music and dancing dorada
jihad so he called one of the servants
and asked him what's going on your
brother has come he replied and your
father has killed the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound
the older brother became angry and he
refused to go in so his father went out
and pleaded with him you see are you
getting a nature of how humble this this
man is he's the father of the estate his
his his younger son has come back from
the dead and when his older son refuses
to come in he
leaves that party to end goes out to
plead with him our Heavenly Father is a
one of the humblest beings in the
universe but he answered his father look
all these years I've been slaving for
you isn't that an interesting word
slaving for you will pick up on that and
never disobeyed your orders yet you
never gave me even a young goat so I
could celebrate with my friends if
pastor Sam is imitating him well is for
a good reason but when this son of yours
who has squandered your property where
prostitutes comes home you kill the
fatted calf for him my son see that word
son in this text in the original you'll
see two words for son one is the very
neutral word wheels which just means
male progeny my son a a male child or
male progeny this in Spanish it's so
much easier because we have mean you and
we have many mini it might even be I
mean the best way to translate this for
you is actually to say son with us you
know with a southern accent my son my
child the word is deccan on my child
you're always with me everything I have
is yours but we had to celebrate and be
glad because the brother this brother of
yours was dead and is alive again he was
lost and his phone some of us have been
this guy actually some of us have been
both of them right it's not on it is not
out of bounds to actually have been both
of these sons
to have been the younger son at one
point and then you morph into the older
son it is totally possible to be both in
this tale and this guy is in trouble too
he's religious you know I've never
disobeyed you he's dutiful faithful I've
slaved for you all these years he never
leaves the house but you know what he's
never a part of it either he never
leaves the house but he's never a part
of it either there's no joy there's no
real love even no real intimacy with the
father he's in the house sees his father
day to day brushes shoulders with his
father goes out and serves his father
does things for his father does things
in the name of his father but doesn't
know the man has no intimacy with him
you know what he's no different in many
ways in part of his heart he's no
different from his younger brother in
this respect they're both after the
inheritance that's what really all they
were matters to them is the stuff except
with this guy with the older son he
believes he has a right to it he
believes he's earned it he believes that
it's his as a matter of justice he
believes that it's his as a matter of
right not as a matter of grace not as
the bios from his dad everything his
father says all that I have is yours
doesn't dawn on him
in the house but no joy in the house but
there's no intimacy with his hiring
father in the house but because he's
never known grace all that I have is
yours my nanny my child it's impossible
for him to show grace to somebody else
to extend grace to somebody else my my
prescription for this older son is the
same prescription for the younger son
this kid just needs a hug from his death
I pray for the older sons in the room
that as you journey here you realize
just how much your heavenly father has
poured himself into you and that you
lose nothing in fact you gain so much
more by just pouring yourself back into
him I'll invite island by our
worshippers
to join us
how's this for a wonderful midlife
discovery life is way too short not to
experience the heart of the father
life is way too short not to make the
father's heart your priority
you