The Rebellion, Repentance, and Restoration of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) | Pastor Peter Kim

Thank you. Thank you.

Good morning, church. I wanted to encourage you all with something. He is risen.

We can try that one more time. We can try that one more time. He is risen. Yes, he has. We're here to celebrate that. And as we sing this first song, turn your eyes upon Jesus. There's a lot of things happening on campus, but our main priority is now, as we come before our God, that we turn our eyes to Christ and honor him with the songs that we sing with our hearts that we render. Oh, soul, are you weary and troubled, no light, no light in the darkness, you see. There's life for a look at the Savior, and life more abundant and true. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face.

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. Through death into life everlasting, He passed and we follow Him there. O'er us sin no more hath dominion, for more than conquerors we all turn. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

His word, His word shall not fail you, He promised. Believe Him and all will be well. Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell us. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. One more time, turn. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face.

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. All right, good morning. Welcome to Bering Community Church. And I know it's been a busy week, but what we celebrate this morning is central to our faith. And so, again, we have a few announcements before we get started. First of all, our Women's Ministry Tea Time is a fellowship for all the women in our church. This is all the way from high school, all the way up to Jubilee. If you are planning to participate, today is the last day to sign up. It's happening on April 25th at 9.30 a.m. But, again, today is the last day to sign up, so please sign up today if you can. And then our next round of membership class that's happening on April 12th, which is next Sunday.

And during the second, during this time, there's a membership class that's going to be happening. It's an eight-week course. We go over our church doctrines, our ministry philosophy, and most of the leaders in our church will be teaching it. So you'll be able to meet them and interact with them. And so that's happening starting from next Sunday. So if you are planning to become a member, please sign up. And then the first class will start next Sunday. And you'll be getting an email about instructions when you show up next Sunday. And then lastly, today, I know some of you guys may have come as an invitation of family and friends and possibly co-workers. And so after our service, there is going to be a resource booth.

So as you're coming in, you probably saw a red canopy out in the courtyard. And that's where our outreach team and our pastor, Mark, and various people are going to be out there. So if you have any questions, just you want to ask after the service anything that you've heard and you want some answers for that, just to kind of ask broad questions about the gospel and what you heard, please go to that table. And they also have resources that you can take. They'll give you some material for you to take home. And then it'll be good to connect with them if you have any questions. Okay. And then as you saw, as you're coming in, our lunch is being prepared by our team. And so this is open to everybody.

And as we celebrate the resurrection of Christ, after the service, you can just get in line and grab it. And if you aren't going to stay, you can go off campus and you can just take that home. But if you are staying here, we have tables here. We have tables in the youth group room and also in the cafe. And you can find a seat somewhere and enjoy your meal for that. Okay. And I think that's all for the announcements. I'm going to pray for our offering. And then afterwards, we have a special choir presentation that they're going to come up. And then I'll come up after that. All right. Let's pray. Father, we praise you and thank you for your goodness. We thank you for what this day means to all of us.

Help us, Lord God, to lift our eyes to Christ. That our worship will be an overflow of gratitude of the sacrifice of your son, Jesus Christ. We pray that you would open our ears and our hearts, Lord God, that we may see your glory. We pray, Father God, that offering that we give, that it would be a reflection of this worship to you. It may be handled with integrity, with care. It may be multiplied by your hands, 30, 60, 100 fold for the sake of your kingdom. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you. church family, why don't we stand together as we come before God to sing.

And while we're standing, there might be someone new around you. If you want to take a time to say hello, introduce yourself. church family, why don't we stand together as we come before God? church family, why don't we stand together as we come before God? O most high King of the ages, great I am, God of wonders. By the blood you have redeemed us, led us through mighty waters. Our strength, our song, our sure salvation.

Now to the Lamb upon the throne. Be blessing, honor, glory, power for the battle you have won. Hallelujah, amen. Sing it together, "Almost High." Almost High, dwelling among us, Son of man, sent for sinners. By your blood you have redeemed us, spotless Lamb, mighty Savior. Lord, who lived, who died, who rose victorious. Now to the Lamb upon the throne.

Be blessing, honor, glory, power for the battle you have won. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, O most high King of the nations, rolled in praise, crowned with splendor. On that day, who will not tremble when you stand?

Christ the victor, who was and is and is forever. Now to the Lamb upon the throne, be blessing on and glory. Power for the battle you have won, hallelujah. With every tribe and every tongue, we join the anthem of the angels in the triumph of the sun, hallelujah.

Amen, amen, amen, amen. Amen, amen, amen, amen. Amen, amen, amen. Now to the Lamb upon the throne, be blessing on and glory, power for the battle you have won. Hallelujah, amen, amen, amen, amen. We join the anthem of the angels in the triumph of the sun, hallelujah. Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen.

Amen, amen, amen, amen. victory of the Lamb. Hallelujah. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. In Christ alone, my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song. This cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are stilled, when strivings cease. My comforter, my all in all, here in the love of Christ, in Christ alone, who took on flesh, fullness of God and helpless faith. This gift of love and righteousness, scorned by the ones He came to save. Till on that cross that Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied.

For every sin on Him was laid, here in the death of Christ I lay.

There in the ground His body lay, light of the world by darkness slain. Then bursting forth in glorious day, up from the grave He rose again. And as He stands in victory, sin's curse has lost its grip on me, for I am His, for I am His, and He is mine. Brought with the precious blood of Christ. Brought with the precious blood of Christ. Brought with the precious blood of Christ.

So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off. His father saw him. And felt compassion for him. And ran and embraced him. And kissed him. And the son said to him. Father I have sinned against heaven. And in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his slaves. Quickly bring out the best robe. And put it on him. And put a ring on his hand. And sandals on his feet. And bring the fattened calf. Kill it. And let us eat and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead. And has come to life again. He was lost and has been found. And they began to celebrate. Let's pray. Father we thank you for your living word. We thank you Father God.

Of what we were able to take time to celebrate. And to remember. And walk with the last days. Of Christ on this earth. And we pray. That as we celebrate. The resurrection of Christ. That you would allow us. To have. Be deeply affected Lord God. That everything that we do. Would be calibrated. According. To this day. So we pray for your blessing. Upon this time. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. They say that the largest crater. They found. On. In the world. Is found in Yucatan Peninsula. In Mexico. And it is 112 miles wide. Some say that it may. Probably. Be an asteroid. That might have hit it. And if it is an asteroid. They believe. It has to be the size of. Six to eight miles. And again. It's a debate.

As to how long. Or what impacted it. Because of the size of the crater. But it's always interesting to me. How. They are fixated on this gigantic hole. And saying. Something. Powerful. Must have hit it. Because of the size of the hole. It's just an empty hole. Right. Something crazy. Something big. Must have hit it. Because. Because it's a hole. And it's interesting to me. That scientists. Are racking their brain. Trying to figure this out. And yet. They're living on. This gigantic earth. And the universe. And all that it's created. And yet. That same question. Is never asked. This hole. Must have come from somewhere. Something must have hit it. Something gigantic. Must have hit it. And yet.

The whole earth. That they're looking at. They don't have to. It just happened. Right. Well. They won't accept the answer. That this crater. Might have just happened. But yet. When it comes to the universe. About the human body. About the galaxies. It just happened. It's just interesting to me. How we get so fixated. On a. On a hole. Which in comparison. To the universe. Is just. A tiny dot. And they're wrestling. And arguing over. It must have been. Something huge. Well. In. Human history. There's nothing. That has happened. That has more impact. On human history. Than the resurrection. Of Jesus Christ. Whether you are. A believer. Or not. It is a universally. Accepted fact. That this resurrection.

Has affected science. Human history. Government. Morals. Economics. And even art. That in the last 2,000 years. That in the last 2,000 years. If you were to. Pinpoint. A single event. That has had the greatest. Greater impact. Than any other event. That has ever happened. In history. Is that it's the resurrection. Even if you don't believe. That the resurrection. Actually happened. How can you believe. A human being. Actually came. Back to life. Even if you have a hard time. Believing that. To be honest. It's not that hard to believe. If you believe. That God created the universe. How difficult. Is it. To believe. That God. Raised. His son. From the dead. But even if you don't believe it. It is.

Understood. That it has. That kind of effect. See. All of Christianity. Hinges upon. What we believe. Of this day. If. Christian. If. The resurrection. Did not happen. Is that everything. That you and I believe. Is for nothing. Paul himself says. In 1st Corinthians 15. 14 to 19. If Christ. Has not been raised. From the dead. Then our preaching. Is in vain. Your faith. Is also in vain. In other words. This is all. Just a show. Moreover. We are even found. To be false witnesses. Of God. We're not speaking the truth. It's all hinges upon. Did the resurrection. Actually happen. Because we testified. Against God. That he raised Christ. Whom he. Did not raise. If in fact. The dead are not raised.

For if the dead are not raised. If Christ has not been raised. Your faith is worthless. You are still. In your sins. There are people. In our generation. That say. That Christianity. Whether it is. Jesus was resurrected. From the dead. Or not. He had a positive effect. On humanity. He teaches us. How to be good. We have the golden rule. Treat others. The way you want them to be. You want them to treat you. And so. They take out all the miracles. Of Christ. And even if he wasn't. The son of God. Even if he wasn't. Resurrected from the dead. It has had a positive effect. But that's not what the first century. Believers said. Because they gave their life. Testifying to this. He said. If Christ.

Wasn't raised from the dead. He says. Worthless. Were still in our sins. Then those also. Who have fallen asleep in Christ. Have perished. There's no hope after death. If we have hope in Christ. In this life only. We are all. Men. Most to be pitied. The man who wrote this. Ended up getting beheaded. He ended up getting beheaded. Because of this message. And not only him. Every other disciple of Jesus Christ. Ended up giving their life. Testifying to this. With the exception of one man. John. And it wasn't like. John lived a comfortable. Easy life. They tried to. Burn him in oil. And he didn't die. And out of fear. That he had some sort of. Special anointing from the gods. That they left him alone.

And he lived in misery. Every single one of the apostles. If Christ was not raised from the dead. Was a liar. Because of the effect. Of the resurrection. Either. This was the biggest lie. And it has ruined. Hundreds of thousands. Millions of people's lives. In the last 2,000 years. Years. Because so many people. Gave up everything. That they knew. Testifying to this. In fact. The bible tells us. That Jesus. Showed himself. To over 500 believers. And all the other disciples. Now. If you were trying. To perpetrate a lie. You wouldn't say. There's 500 witnesses. That are still living today. That you can go and ask. And interview. Instead. You would say. You know. I'm out of Tel Mountain. I had this vision.

From a specific angel. And came down. And he said. How do we believe you? You're just going to have to believe me. You're just going to have to believe what I say. If it was a made up story. For the purpose of his own benefit. You would try to make it as difficult as possible. To prove his story. But that's not what happened in the first century. Christ rose from the dead. And his first eyewitnesses. Ended up giving their life. So there's one thing that we universally agree. Whether you believe in the resurrection or not. That the first century believers believed it. Because they were willing to give their lives. And all of a sudden. People who hated each other. Called each other brothers and sisters in Christ.

You had tax collectors. That they believed to be traitors to the country. All of a sudden. They were the teachers in the early church. Runaway slaves and slave owners. Would call each other brothers and sisters in Christ. And serve the same church. People who are enemies of Christ. Were sitting in the same church. Or learning from tax collectors. From sinners. So whatever we believe about the resurrection. It is universally accepted. That at least the first century believers. That they must have believed. Because what happened in the first century. It doesn't make any sense. Now obviously you and I are here. I believe that most of you. Because we believe that this resurrection happened. And that's the only most logical thing to believe.

We're here today because we want to see the effects of this. But the parable that we're looking at. Basically it's Jesus himself summarizing what Christianity is all about. This is not just one of many stories that he gives. This is the central story of why Jesus came. Why he suffered. Why he died. And why the resurrection is something that we celebrate. It is a brief story about the prodigal son. And his rebellion. His repentance. His restoration. And in summary of that basically it's the whole Bible. The whole Bible is about God who created us. Mankind in rebellion against him. And God making a way for mankind to repent and come back to him. And then God promising ultimate restoration in eternity.

So some of you probably may have heard of this story before. Maybe some of you are new to the church. Maybe you have never heard of this story. But in this brief parable. In this brief story. We get a summary of what Christianity is really about. Maybe you're here today because you wanted to hear. What is. Why is my friend constantly badgering me to come to church. You know. What has happened to my son. My daughter. My daughter. My friend. My co-worker. And so. Today. We're going to be looking at the parable. And again. In this parable. There's four scenes. The first scene is in verse 11 through 16. And it's about the rebellion of the son. The second scene. We see him repenting in verse 17 to 19.

The third scene is his restoration. Verse 20 to 24. And then there's actually a fourth scene. The rebuke of the older brother from 25 to 32. And today we're going to be looking at the first three scenes. Rebuke will save till next week. All right. Because this will. This is kind of going to summarize why Jesus came. So first thing that he says. Is records. The second son's rebellion. The story begins. With the second son of two sons of this wealthy man. Demanding his dad give him his inheritance. That the word for asking or demanding. Is in the imperative. Meaning it's a command. It is something that somebody who's in a higher position. Who would command. His servants. Or employees. Or maybe even his children.

But Jesus says that the younger son. Is basically demanding. From his father. Give me my inheritance. Now you have to remember. This inheritance. Was not a small amount of money. This is a wealthy man. He has many servants under him. Many cattle under him. And the scripture tells us. In Deuteronomy. There was specific law. That the first son. Would get the double portion. And then the other children. Would get their portion. But the first son. Would get the double portion. And the reason why. Is the first son. Would be the one. Who would be carrying out. The name of the family. So he would get the double portion. To make sure that that happens. And then all their other siblings. Would get their portion.

So. Seeing that there's only two. Boys that are mentioned here. The first son. Would get two thirds. He would get the greater part. Of the portion. And then the second son. We get one third. Now again. Remember. This is one third. Of all the wealth. Of this wealthy man. This was not a few dollars. I would expect. That this one third. In modern terms. Would be in the millions. Considering how wealthy this man is. So he demands this. And then. You know. What's interesting here. Is the father. Doesn't resist him. That you would think. That he said. How dare you ask of this. Because. Asking for the inheritance. Before the father dies. Basically. Is saying. I can't wait till you die. I mean. That's how bold.

And rebellious. This request was. I want to live. Before you die. I can't wait. And again. Because he's a son. Of a wealthy family. It's not like he was starving. It's not like he had. It's not like he had. A difficult life. That whatever honor. And whatever wealth. The father had. He was a beneficiary. Of that. He grew up comfortable. With all the bills paid. But yet. He says. I want my wealth. And he says. The father gives it to him. But the word for wealth. In Greek. Is bios. Where we get the word. Biology. So basically. The father was giving. A portion of his life. To his son. Now. Why did he do that? Why did he allow this. Rebellious. This disrespectful request. And why didn't he just give it to him?

Now. I believe. It's going to be made known. A little bit later. But the father already knew. That his son was lost. The fact that he was. Even asking for it. Already tells you. His priorities. Something was already gone. And I believe. That he was willing. To give it to him. In hopes. Instead of forcing him. To stay. And instead of kicking him out. That hopefully. That his rebellious heart. Would run his course. And eventually turn back. The father gives it to him. The son. Obviously. You know. He's a fool for asking. You know. Fool who's going to ask. He's not going to go. And be wise. When he gets the money. He goes to a far country. It says. Right. He goes to a far country. And it's pretty obvious.

Why he would go into a far country. Like. We have. Younger people. Asked him. What school they want to go to. And they said. I don't know. But I want to go far. And you ask him. Why you want to go far. And typically. The reason why. Is because they want to get away. From their parents. Maybe some of you. Went to UCI for that reason. Right. Maybe. But they want to go far. Not because they're intending. To be rebellious. Because they want to go away. From the scrutiny. Of their parents. I want to be free. I want to be able. To make my own decisions. I want to get out. I want to come home. When I want to come home. I don't want my parents. Breathing down my neck. And. And nitpicking. My life. This young man.

Takes whatever. Possession that he has. He sells it. Takes it with him. To a far country. And the money. Doesn't last long. And again. This was a lot of money. That he took with him. And he burns through it. Quick. And then afterwards. When he has lost everything. Famine comes into this land. And then he becomes desperate. And the scripture tells us. According to Jesus' story. That he sells himself. To become an employee. Of this farmer. And he becomes a caretaker. Of the swine. Now. A modern day hearer. When you hear that. It's like okay. Taking care of pigs. And he's gotten low. But you have to understand this. From a Jewish year. Swine is the dirtiest animal. That they can be a part of. You would have never seen.

A Jewish young man. Even around the pig. But the fact. That he would volunteer. To feed the pigs. It tells us. How desperate. He has become. In fact. It goes even a step further. Than this. And not only. Was he feeding swine. It tells us. That he. Was envious. Of their food. The pot. It was pigs food. That's how low. That's how low. He went. Now again. Jesus is telling us. All this story. Because he's trying. To convey to us. Man's rebellion. This is not just about. Some. Some story. Of something. That happened. In the past. He's basically. Describing for us. Mankind's condition. I remember. Years ago. And I. And I shared with you. Multiple times. That. You know. I used to clean toilets. For a living.

You know. When I. Went to college. Because they gave. A little bit more money. Than working at Carl's Jr. So I remember. They offered me. To clean toilets. And then I cleaned toilets. Eight hours a day. From five. To two in the morning. And I remember. The first time. Going in there. You know. Just how dirty. It was. All the rubber gloves. That came up to. You know. My shoulders. And put a long. Rubber rope on. And then I would just. Stretch over. And just kind of. Do whatever. I did. I'm pretty sure. I didn't do a good job. But I realized. That every time. I did that. It would take a lot. A lot of time. So after a week. Or two weeks. You know. You become accustomed. And say. Yeah. It's dirty.

You know. But I'll go home. And take a shower. And so I did that. It used to be there. Right. But I got accustomed to it. Well it was so. Like. Dirty to me. And it was disgusting. I hated going into work. And then after a while. I was like. I can get it done much faster. If I didn't worry about that. Now the reason why. I tell you that story. Was. After that job. I quit that job. And then. I was looking for a summer job. And I found out. That Bellflower. Was offering this job. And it's great pay. But they couldn't hire anybody. So I thought. That's interesting. Why couldn't they hire. Especially because the money was so good. And I went for an interview. And I found out why. So in the interview.

They asked me. Part of your job description is. You have to climb into sewers. And then I said. Are you willing to do that? Again. I spent the whole year. Cleaning toilets. I said. Yeah. I could do that. And God had mercy on me. I never had to do that. But that was part of the job description. And the reason why. I tell you this. Is that. Sin has a way. Of progressive. Right? And he asked me was. Sometimes there's dead animals. That are caught in the sewers. Are you willing to fish it out? And I said. Man. I was low. But that was pretty low. You know. And I realized. Why people were not signing up for this job. But again. I spent the whole year. Cleaning toilets. So. You know. And I said yes.

And God had mercy on me. I never had to do that. But that was part of the job description. That was a way. Of progressively. Causing us. To feel more. And more comfortable. With filth. And that's how. Jesus is describing this young man. His rebellious heart. Led him into debauchery. And debauchery. Led him into humility. And then he was living. As humbled. As he could possibly be. The bible tells us. That God created all things. To be good. He was good. He created everything. To reflect who he is. It was all good. Except. They wanted. More. So they coveted. What God had. And so they rebelled against him. The bible says. All have sinned. And fall short. Of the glory of God. And as a result of that.

Mankind has been drifting away. From God. Longer and longer. And his sins has become. Darker and darker. And as a result of that. That everything. That you and I experience. In this world. Is because. We have fallen away. From the author of life. In Isaiah 53:6 says. All of us like sheep. Have gone astray. Each of us has turned. To his own way. We didn't all rebel. The same way. Each one of us. Wanted to go. Our path.

The word for sin. In the bible. Is hamartion. And hamartion. Basically means. To miss the mark. And it doesn't sound that bad. When you hear it. You just missed the mark. It was just a mistake. You tried. And then you. You didn't get an A. There are certain things. That you cannot miss. If you're in a world series. And you're trying to hit. This 90 mile per hour ball. And you miss it. By a millimeter. It's a strikeout. You go to the hospital. And you need a certain type of medicine. And they give you the wrong medicine. It's just a tiny little pill. But that. Tiny little mistake. Could be fatal. You can get on an airplane. And you're looking for. SW 200. And you got on SW 201. You're not going to land next to that plane.

You might be in a different country. There are certain things. That you cannot miss. And if God is the author of life. To miss. What God intended for us. Means life and death. And so the scripture tells us. And Jesus has explained. That this is what happened to mankind. Just like this younger man. That we coveted something. That didn't belong to us. And as a result of that rebellion. We have gone to our own way. And so what mankind experiences. In this world. Is not what God intended. What is good. Has turned bad. And so maybe some of you. Are sitting here thinking. You know the life. It didn't quite turn out. The way that. I thought it was going to. Maybe my marriage. Didn't turn out. Quite the way that I thought.

Maybe my children. Didn't turn out. Quite the way. Something is amiss. And you can't quite. Put a finger on it. But somewhere deep in your heart. Something has gone wrong. Well the scripture tells us. Is because we have strayed. From the author of life. Each of us. To our own way. But the second scene. Is where we begin to see. The glimmer of hope. Verse 17:19. The young man. Comes to his senses. It says. And basically when it says. He comes to his senses. Up to this point. He wasn't living by his senses. He wasn't being rational. He was led. By his flesh. He was led by whatever. He thought was going to make him happy. So repentance. In the Bible. Basically means. To change your mind. Metanoia.

And so. This man. Hits rock bottom. He realizes. That he missed home. And he realized that. That. What he did. Is has caused the pain. In his life. Verse 17. How many of my father's hired men. Have more than enough bread. But I am dying here. With hunger. He comes to his senses. In Psalm 16:11. It says. You will make known to me. The path of life. In your presence. Is fullness of joy. In your right hand. There are pleasures. Forever. See. If God is the author of life. And we have strayed. Repentance basically means. We recognize. That that's what happened. The reason why. The world is the way it is. The reason why. I'm experiencing so much. Hardship. Is because we have strayed. It is in his presence.

That we have life. It is in his presence. That we have joy. It is where he is at. That we find pleasure forever. But because we have strayed. That is not what we are experiencing. And at the end of this. The Bible says. That there will be. Justice. For our sins. For our sins. But repentance begins. With the changing of mind. But repentance is. When we recognize. The seriousness of our offense. He says. I will get up. And go to my father. And will say to him. Father. I have sinned against heaven. And in your sight. Now. When did he sin against heaven? He sinned against his dad. Maybe brother. Or mother. But he says. I have sinned against heaven. Because at the end of the day. Every sin. Is a sin against God.

Because this is not what God intended. God created us. For his glory. That we may reflect him. So every sin that we commit. Ultimately. Is a rebellion against God. And that's what David says. In Psalm 51:3-4. For I know my transgressions. And my sin is ever before me. Against you. You only. I have sinned. And done what is evil. In your sight. So that you are justified. When you speak. And blameless. When you judge. You know. What prevents us. From repentance. And really. Finding our way back to God. Is that we have a tendency. In our culture. To justify every sin. I'm an alcoholic. It's because I come from an alcoholic family. If I'm abusive. It's because I've been abused. If I treated certain people that way.

It's because my mom did that to me. My brother did that to me. You don't know my background. You don't know how I grew up. You don't know how I was treated. You don't know how poor I was. The reason why I need to have money. Is because I grew up in a poor family. So everything that we do. We justify. But repentance is when we come to recognize. That the corruption is not simply my behavior. But the corruption is in me. What God intended. How he created me. That I'm living. For my. For myself. You know what's interesting here. Is that. The Bible describes. The son. You know he lived in debauchery. He lived in sin. And he. Loses everything. But the word. For. His. Loose living. Is. Zoe. Some of you guys already know what that word means.

We have two words in Greek. We have bios. Biology. Where we have a chronological life. Zoe is when you feel alive. So every instance in the Bible. When the Bible promises us eternal life. He uses the word Zoe. I have come to give you life. And give you this life abundantly. God sent his only begotten son. So that you and I may have eternal Zoe. Not just existence. But to live. So that word is equivalent to happiness. To joy. To have joy. To have joy. So the son. All he was doing was pursuing. What he thought was going to bring life. And instead of bringing life. It brought humiliation. It brought heartache. And brought him back to where he was at. So repentance is recognizing. That we have strayed.

That we have sought life. Where. There was no life. There was no life. And then finally. Repentance is when we are reconciled. With our father. In Luke 15:18-19. I will get up and go to my father. And I will say to him. Father. I have sinned against heaven. And in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired men. Can you imagine if the son came back to the father. And said. You know. Can I come back home. You know. I wasted all my money. And I shouldn't have done that. But. If you didn't pay a little bit more attention to me. You know. Maybe. Maybe I wouldn't have rebelled. Maybe. If you gave me a little bit. Instead of making me work. Maybe. Maybe instead of favoring my older brother.

And. And. And making me feel. Less worthy. I wouldn't have done this. Imagine if he. Came back. And that's what his repentance sounded like. No. He recognized what he did. He said. I am not worthy. In other words. I don't deserve your forgiveness. I don't deserve your forgiveness. In fact. Sometimes in our generation. We've made it. You know. We preach in such a way. Where. We think a sinner is deserving. Of the grace. And he said. Oh. They're not good. What's wrong with that? How come they're not showing me grace? By definition. Grace. Should be. Ask. Beg. Grace is something that you and I don't deserve. So this son recognizes where he is. That he squandered a third of his father's possession.

And he has nothing to show for it. And the only reason why he's coming back. Is because he's starving to death. So he comes to his father. And repentance. Father forgive me. I'm not worthy to be your son. In Psalm 84:10. For a day in your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God. Than dwell in a tent of wickedness. There might be some people in this room. That thinks that maybe because of something that you've done. Maybe that's something that you've said. Something that you've experienced. I don't know. I know God. You say God is gracious. But I'm not sure if God can forgive me. If that's you. You're in a good place. You're the kind of person that God is looking for.

That's somebody who recognizes. Somebody who recognizes. That we don't deserve this grace. But you come to him anyway. I remember when I first became a Christian. I was so excited about my faith. But I soon realized how difficult it is to live holy righteous life. And I started seeing myself struggling with the same things that I did before I became a Christian. So every Friday night we would go to prayer meetings. And I would repent. I would always begin with repentance. I have a start. Fresh start. Friday night. And I would feel great till Sunday. Monday comes around. Go back to school. Same struggle. By Tuesday I'm waiting for Friday. Friday I would do it again. In fact, I was crying so much.

Every Friday night one of the leaders basically told me. Peter, can you stop praying? Because we can't hear ourselves with you screaming all the time. Right? And I remember I was so bothered by that. It's like I'm praying. My leader is telling me to stop praying. It's because every Friday he said, what could you have possibly done? That every Friday that you're repenting. Well, after about a year and a half of that, I basically quit. Not because the world was attractive. Not because I was tempted. I said, why would God keep putting up with it? I can't keep going to God saying the same thing over and over again. And that cycle became old. So about a year and a half, I just gave up. And I just kind of embraced whatever life I came from.

And it was much worse because when I became a Christian, I was 16 years old. And by the time I backslid, I was about 18. And so by 18, I was already driving. My friends had money. And so things that we got involved with was much worse than before when I became a Christian. We got into drugs. We got into everything you could possibly think of. After a year and a half of this, I remember being drunk in my parents' living room. And again, my dad's a pastor. At 3:00 in the morning, just sitting there thinking, are you having fun? I'm talking to myself. Is this fun to you? And I remember thinking, this is so dumb. This is not me. The God that I met, I could never forget. And I knew in the back of my mind, at some point, I would need to return.

But how am I going to return? Why would God accept me? But I remember at that time, and it wasn't anything profound. And I was just saying to myself, I'd rather be the least servant in the kingdom of God than be rich and comfortable in a fallen world. I don't belong there. I don't belong there. So at that time, I made a decision. Even if it takes me the rest of my life to take one step toward God, I'd rather do that in the kingdom of God because I can no longer see the world the same way. That was it. That's all it was. I just wanted to be him. I just want to go in the right direction. I'd rather be in a train that's headed toward the right direction. It's going to take me a long time to get there than to be on the wrong train and go to the wrong direction in perfect peace.

That's what this son came to realize. A servant in my father's house. I'd rather be there than to be a king in the world. So he comes back and he's hoping that the dad would receive him as a servant. But the third scene, the restoration, is really what Jesus is trying to get at. He was basically presenting that this is the reason why Jesus came for the restoration. He comes humbled, humiliated, and repentant. And you would expect the father to be angry. He blew a third. And imagine how hurt he was when his son said, "Give me a half. I can't wait for you to die." He doesn't come back successful. He doesn't come back to pay with interest. He comes back with nothing. Being around pigs and dirty.

And as Jesus tells us that God was looking from far away. And as soon as he saw him, he ran to him. Again, the question that we had in the beginning is why did he give him the inheritance in the first place? Knowing that he probably would squander it. Because he knew that he already lost him when he asked for it. And that's probably why he was looking far off. And as soon as he saw hope that maybe his son was coming back, the scripture tells us that he runs to him. Now you have to understand, at that particular time, a man in his position to be running is undignified. A man of that kind of honor does not do that. He would send his servants. He would wait until he comes to him. But the fact that father runs is automatically tells us that he was outside eagerly waiting for him.

He says instead of anger, he says he has compassion. You know the English word for compassion, it doesn't carry the same kind of weight that it does in Greek. Because in the Greek it means like somebody who gets punched in the gut. Your bowel. When you're so emotional, whether it's anger or happiness, it just bursts out. Whether you burst out in joy or either burst out in anger. It's an immediate response. It's not just, you know, I feel sympathy for you. The Bible tells us that he had compassion. He embraces him and he kisses him. And you can imagine that scene. Now we don't know how much time has passed, but it's enough time. And that every single minute that the son was gone, I can imagine that that's probably all he was thinking about.

And if you have any child that has gone astray, you know exactly how that feels. Every single minute he's out there working, doing his job. He's hoping one day, one day maybe my son would return. And when he sees a glimpse of hope, he runs to him, compassion embraces him and kisses him. Not only does he do that, he puts the best robe on him, tells him to put a ring and sandals. And all of these things were symbolic of him being restored as a son, not as a servant. It breaks out into a banquet. You know what's interesting about that is at that particular time, they had a specific banquet to receive a son who has strayed and he's coming back humbled. And that ceremony was called kazaze. And when the son would return out of shame, they would take a pottery and they would break it between the father and the rebellious child.

What that means is that even though you come back, it will never be the same. Just as the pottery is broken, you may come and serve and you may eat at the table, but you will never be like you were before. They actually had a ceremony for that. Instead, the scripture tells us that he breaks out into a banquet, puts him, brings him all the way in to put the ring on him, put the sandals on him. And they say, kill the fattened calf and let's celebrate. Why does he do that? Again, Jesus is describing his father. Jesus is describing why he came. That our God is eager to forgive. Nobody is twisting his arm. Nobody has earned this. But by Jesus' own words, our father is eagerly waiting to forgive us.

Luke 15:23-24, "And bring the fattened calf and kill it and let us eat and celebrate." Instead of shaking his fist and saying, how dare you do that? Now you're humbled and you got nothing to show for it and you're going to come into my house? Then eat with the pigs. Be with the servants. Prove yourself. He doesn't do that. He said, let's celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and has come to life again. He was lost and now he is found and they began to celebrate. And again in the previous verse, in verse 10, chapter 15, I tell you there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. This is why Jesus came. This is why he suffered. And this is why he died. And this is why he resurrects.

And this is why people all over the world today gather together. Wake up early in the morning. And celebrate his resurrection. And then celebrate. Because Jesus said this is why he came. And a single sinner that has strayed, that returns to him. Our God says not only will he celebrate, he said all heavens will celebrate with him. Maybe you've been brought here by a friend, a family member. Anybody who cares about you. And maybe you're just kind of curious. Why is this so serious? And maybe just, oh no, just get this person off my back. I'll go to church with you. Right? Just stop. Stop it. Maybe some of you don't need convincing that you strayed. Something has gone wrong. I don't need to tell you that there's sin in you.

You already know it. And maybe what's preventing you from coming to Christ is thinking that maybe you've gone too far. And it's too far to get back. And I hope the story of the parable make that clear to you. That there is no darkness that Satan can create that the love of God cannot penetrate. And this is a quote from Corrie Tambun. There is no darkness that Satan can create that the love of God cannot penetrate. And maybe there's some of you who maybe don't know the weight of the sin. But you don't think everything is right either. Something has gone wrong. I can't pinpoint it. Maybe it's politics. Maybe it's religious people. But something has gone wrong. This is not what it ought to be.

But the reality is you're not alone. Almost every human being who was born and lived and died testified the same thing. Why is there so much suffering? Why is it so hard to get along with people? Why are there wars and rumors? Why is there sex trafficking? Why is there suffering? Why is there famine? Maybe there's something inside of you. And you tell yourself there's something wrong. And you don't know why you're here. You don't know where you came from. You don't know where you're going. It's like, ah, I'm never ever going to know. I'm just going to focus right here. That's just like being on a train. And you're not sure if you're on the right train. But you're not going to find out. Because I'm comfortable.

I have food to eat. And wherever this goes, it's going to go. Now we wouldn't do that. We'd have to be on the right train. And maybe, maybe anything that I've said, any part of this story resonates that something has gone wrong. And could it possibly be what Jesus says? That we have strayed from the author of life. And as a result of this rebellion, everything that you're experiencing and knowing in life, and the reason why we don't know where we came from, where we're going, is because the one who has the power over all these things, we don't know him. So I want to invite you this morning, the same invitation that Jesus made 2,000 years ago. He says, "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Weary and heavy laden is a direct result of sin. And the word for rest is just another way of saying salvation. That I will give you this life. "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Take my yoke upon you, the work of Christ on the cross, who took our punishment that you and I deserved. That he absorbed all the punishment that you and I deserved. He said, "Take my yoke, take my work upon you, and learn from me. For I am humble and lonely in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Maybe just some of you are just restless. Maybe that restlessness is God drawing you to himself. That any part of what was said, not to simply dismiss it because of prejudice.

Not to simply dismiss it because, "Ah, religious people are like this, and I hate Christianity, and you people are like this." Could it possibly be that even if you don't like Christians, that there is a God? And that God is trying to reconcile the world to himself? Could it possibly be that resurrection actually happened? To prove, to call sinners to himself? So after this service, if you have any questions, please go to the booth, and you can have a direct conversation. And don't worry, we won't be offended. You know, say, "I don't believe this is all junk." That's okay too, right? But if you have any questions, you want to engage and talk to somebody, that tent is set up for you. And then you can take some material, or you can just come and ask.

the person who invited you. But I pray that again, as we celebrate and remember the resurrection of Christ, that even if one soul in this room gives their life to Christ, the Bible says that all heaven will celebrate. I pray that some of you may come to know this, Lord. Let's pray.

Father, we pray that your word, as you promised, will go forth and will not return until it has accomplished the purpose that you have ordained. I pray that your living word will soften our hearts. And I know that there are friends in this room who have been hurt, maybe by the church, or Christians, or something, Lord God, that has caused them to be bitter and angry toward Christianity, or just religious people. I pray, Father God, that your tender heart, your love, and as you ran to embrace your prodigal son, that you would receive them, that you would soften their hearts and you would draw them to yourself. That you would help them, Lord God, not to remain in their prejudice, but to come to you, that they may know the life that you have promised us in your son, Jesus Christ.

So for that end, we continue to pray, continue to strive, that your name may be magnified, and that the world will know that there is hope in the name of Jesus. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Let's all stand up for the closing praise. Let's all stand up for the closing praise. The Father's heart displayed for us. Oh God, we thank you for the cross. Lifted up on Calvary's hill, we curse your name.

And even still, you bore our shame and paid the cost. Oh God, we thank you for the cross.

Behold the Lamb, the story of redemption written on His hands. Jesus, you will reign forevermore. The victory is yours. We sing your praise. Endless hallelujahs to your holy name. Jesus, you will reign forevermore. The victory is yours. Offer the sacrifice for every sin. A Savior done, the Lord of life, can be contained. Our God has risen from the grace. Oh, our God has risen from the grave.

Behold the Lamb, the story of redemption written on His hands. Jesus, you will reign forevermore. Jesus, you will reign forevermore. The victory is yours. We sing your praise. We sing your praise. Endless hallelujahs to your holy name. Jesus, you will reign forevermore. Jesus, you will reign forevermore. The victory is yours. When the age of death is done, we'll see our face bright as the sun. We'll bow before the King of kings. Oh, God, forever we will sing.

Sing, church. Behold the Lamb, the story of redemption written on His hands. Jesus, you will reign forevermore. Behold the Lamb, the story of redemption written on His hands. Jesus, you will reign forevermore. We sing your praise. Endless hallelujahs to your holy name. Jesus, you will reign forevermore.

Jesus reigns forevermore. Jesus, you will reign forevermore. Jesus, you will reign forevermore. Now the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and eternal, deep, deep love and compassion of God the Father. Rest, restore and strengthen all believers, people who have come to hear of you. That your blessing and your grace will be upon them. That they may be the light of Christ wherever they go. In Jesus' name we pray. God sent His Son. They called Him Jesus. He came to love, heal and forgive.

He lived and died to bind my pardon. An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives. Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know, He holds the future. And life is worth the living, just because He lives.

Amen.