“Grace and Our Past Failures”, Dr. Charles Stanley discusses the seven-step spiral downward that people go through when they choose to live independently of God. He begins by explaining that God will allow His children to fail in their Christian life, even if it means they end up in a “hog pen” of sin and despair. However, Stanley also emphasizes that God’s response to our past failures is always grace. No matter how far we have strayed, God is always waiting for us to return to Him. – All sin begins with desire. When we desire something that is not in line with God’s will, we are setting ourselves up for failure. – Once we have a desire, we make a decision to act on it. This decision may be conscious or unconscious, but it is always a choice. – When we act on our desires, we separate ourselves from God. We may try to justify our actions, but the truth is that we are choosing to live independently of Him. – The further we go down the spiral of sin, the more difficult it becomes to turn back. This is why it is so important to repent and turn to God as soon as possible. – God’s response to our past failures is always grace. He is always willing to forgive us and welcome us back into His family. If you are struggling with past failures, we hope this sermon will give you hope and encouragement. It reminds us that God’s grace is always available to us, no matter how far we have strayed. Order this sermon today: https://store.intouch.org/purchase/gr…
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for more content Subscribe for more Dr. Stanley sermons, daily devotions, and bible studies This sermon is part of the sermon series Grace: God’s Second Chance: Part 1 – A Second Chance Now Part 2 – Grace Alone Part 3 – Grace: Our Only Hope Part 4 – Grace and Continuing Sin Part 5 – Grace and Our Past Failures Part 6 – The Gospel of the Grace of God Part 7 – The Cross – Grace Displayed Part 8 – The Riches of His Grace Radio Classics are sermons from Dr. Stanley’s radio ministry released to encourage and build your relationship with Jesus Christ.
[Music]
with a message from God’s word here’s
Charles
Stanley a failure is not someone who
fails but someone who fails and gives up
in all of our lives there are past sins
things for which we are ashamed of Feel
So Unworthy to come to God and ask him
to forgive us and yet he tells us very
clearly in his word what his response to
our past failures our shame our sins our
guilt there are many people who want to
be delivered many people who want to get
out of the bondage that they feel so
desperately about but somehow they don’t
know how to get out they’re not quite
sure how God will respond if they come
to him again and say father here’s my
past will you forgive me will you give
me a new beginning they’re not quite
sure the title of this message is Grace
and our past failures and I want you to
turn if you will to Luke chap 15 and on
this occasion we’re not going to read
all of this because it’s verses 11
through 32 there are too many of them to
read but you know the story of the
prodical son here is the most beautiful
description of God’s work of Grace in
the life of a young man which is typical
really of the life of all of us and
sometimes we ask the question well why
is that prodical sun story so famous and
why is it the one that people love so
much I’ll tell you why
because all of us will find ourselves in
that story somewhere or the other maybe
not to the same degree but somewhere or
the other we’ll find it now let me just
give you a little brief idea of what’s
Happening remember that these two sons
the younger of them said to his
father father I want what’s coming to me
and I’m leaving and so he took his part
of the inheritance he left the Bible
says he went into a distant country and
he squandered it he ended up in a hog
pin and and a point of real true
desperation in his life and it is out of
this story that God displays and
describes for us his own character
himself as in few other passages in all
the Bible now let me just say first of
all at this point that all of the hog
pin are not on farms they’re in big
cities a hog pin is where anybody is
trapped anyone is imprisoned
by anyone is addicted to anything and
they can’t escape they can’t get out
there’s no Freedom they’re in absolute
bondage it is those positions and those
conditions in life where people feel
like they’re coming to the end and
there’s no way out and they do not know
what to do all for example the prodical
are not in hog pins some of them are
sitting in church on Sunday morning they
live in the hog pin six days a week and
on Sunday they dress up and come to
church hoping they’ll be able to silence
or at least quiet or deafen an aching
conscience that keeps knowing all the
time all of the prodal are not in the
hog pins in the world some of them are
sitting in church on Sunday morning In
this passage of scripture what I want
you to see is this I want you to see how
low down a person can become in their
life and what is God’s response when
they choose to come back to him now many
of us have been taught a lot of
erroneous things that sounded good and
felt good so we accepted them a lot of
us have attitudes about God that we
think surely correct because our parents
taught them and or our Sunday school
teacher or our pastor taught them what I
want to ask you to do is to open your
heart and ask yourself the question is
what this man’s saying is this what God
is saying in his word is this the truth
of God’s word is there something about
me that won’t let me accept some of this
and if it is why is it that I have such
a difficult time accepting what God says
about his grace and his love you see
most of us have an attitude ude toward
God that’s not biblical somebody told us
about it it sounds good in fact it
matches up to human nature and their
idea about God that they’ve taught us
really fits what is the most comfortable
with us and so that’s the way we believe
about God what I want you to see today
in this passage is this that it doesn’t
make any difference which hog pin you’re
in it doesn’t make any difference how
deep in sin you are it doesn’t make any
difference what’s going on in your life
God tells us in his word that for our
past sins his response is the response
of Grace so I want us to look at this
passage and what we’ll do we’ll take in
all of these verses before the message
is over but I want us to begin in this
15th chapter and simply say first of all
that God will allow his children listen
God will allow his children to fail in
their Christian Life God will allow you
and me who’ve been saved by his grace
know that we’re saved he will allow was
to make choices in life that’ll bring
about failure in our Christian
experience I didn’t say that God would
cause it but here’s what will happen God
knowing the future and knowing the pain
we’ll suffer knowing the wrongs we’ll
commit even though he foresees our pain
foresees the mistake foresees the
consequences God will allow us if we so
choose to walk away from him in our
spiritual life you know people who’ve
been saved you knew they were saved no
doubt in your mind about it and they
used to go to church sat on the front
row the second row down front had their
Bible took notes and for some reason or
the other after a while they stopped
coming to church and then they stopped
reading the Bible then they stopped
praying and you seldom ever see them
again and once in a while if you run
into them they say well you know I just
got so busy and and so forth or they may
say well you know I don’t much have time
for that now and uh yeah I used to be
committed but somehow I don’t know what
happened I’m just here and I’m just sort
of hanging in here where I am and they
find themselves in a hogpen and the
tragedy is many people are wallowing in
the Hog Pen and don’t even know they’re
there they think they’re still where
they used to be but they’re not they’ve
drifted and so God even though he knows
what’s going to happen if we make the
choice if we choose to live
independently of God in our lifestyle
God will allow it now what I want you to
see is this there is a seven step spiral
downward when a person chooses to live
independently of God independence from
God is the basis of all sin it doesn’t
make any difference if it’s something
simple or something complex any moment I
choose to do it my way and ignore God or
deliberately willfully walk away from
what I know is his will I choose at that
moment to take the first step downward
in the spiral of sin which is going to
lead to defeat and UT of desperation so
I want you to jot down these seven steps
because all of us either now or at some
point in our life have been somewhere in
this spiral now you can step out anytime
you choose to step out if you’re wise
enough to realize that God is able to
deliver you at any point but somewhere
in these seven steps down this spiral
most people are going to find themselves
now listen if you’re one of those
persons and you know that you are saved
but you are living in sin know that you
are and you’ve explained it away you’ve
rationalized it you said yes my parents
taught me about I came from a Christian
home or you didn’t come from a Christian
home but you know that you got saved no
doubt in your mind about it but you say
as you say wandered away from God you
have sort of um shall we say uh Slipped
Away the real truth is backsliding is a
better word that is you have walked away
from God deliberately for some reason or
the other something you wanted you chose
to act independently of God the first
step is desire all sin begins with that
that is all deler deliberate sin begins
with desire this young man the Bible
says in verse 12 the younger of these
two sons said to his father father give
me the share of the estate that falls to
me and he divided his wealth between
them he desired to live his own life
independent of his family he didn’t ask
his father for wisdom or guidance or
Direction he just chose to walk away
from the family whenever you and I
choose to live in sin disobey God we
first of all Des desire listen to this
we first of all desire something that
allures us challenges us Woos us away
from our intimate relationship with God
the Father the second the second word I
want you to jot down is decision he not
only desired but he made a decision he
went to his father and he said I want my
part and I am leaving he made a decision
to leave the scripture says that he
chose to put all of his things together
and once he had them together the the
Bible says that he chose to leave now if
he’d have been a smart boy he’d have
said father what do you think about this
what do you think is the wisest thing to
do but he had a desire and that desire
brought him to a decision his decision
was to live away from the father you see
because in his mind he had to make a
decision that was going to bring about
some dissension probably or mis
understanding and so he made this
decision the third word is departure he
left now what I want you to see about
the departures this when he left he made
sure he put enough distance between him
and his father to be able to do what he
wanted to do when he wanted to do it how
he wanted to do it with whom he wanted
to do it and for the reasons he wanted
to do it and there’d be nobody around to
tell him any different you see all sin
is a desire to act independently of God
our loving father knows what’s best for
us our loving father is a god of wisdom
a god of righteousness and a God who
seeks our best always when we choose to
disobey him we say we’re smarter than he
is we want this even though we know deep
down inside the consequences will be
painful so he departed and it’s
interesting what the Bible says he went
into a distant land or as the King James
says into a far Country Now where in the
world is a far country it’s different
for most people for example somebody who
lives way down in south Georgia here
somewhere could come to Atlanta and get
lost in this big city find their own
apartment get them a job I don’t have
any close friends just do what they want
to do and be what they want to be and
sort of be isolated and exclusive and
Anonymous do their own thing for them
this city would be a far country but
there are other people who live in a far
country whether they go to Miami or
Chicago or New York or some small town
where is a far country a far country is
any place you and I choose to live
outside the will of God any place you
and I choose to live outside the will of
God as a far country which means not
only in a small business Village but
right here in this church building or in
your church where you go to church week
after week you can live in a far country
and still be in a church house it is
anywhere we choose to live outside the
will of God so the third word there is
his departure the fourth word I want you
to notice here is the word deception
because this is always what happens you
see the reason he chose to walk away he
was deceived the very idea that he’d be
better off uh with his little bit of
knowledge making it on his own in that
very very difficult country not seeking
his father’s wise counsel of years and
years and years what happened Satan
whispered in his ear look you don’t need
them you can do it without them you can
make it on your own besides look at all
the wonderful exciting thrilling things
in life that you’re missing living out
here on this old plantation you need to
get in the big city man you need to find
out what life’s all about you need to
try out some things you need to uh test
out your own wings I mean grow up up get
out there in the world do your thing
make it on your
own remember this Satan always tells
us what we’re going to get but he never
tells us what we’re going to miss and
the truth is he never tells us all we’re
going to get he just tells us the part
that appeals to our old fleshly desires
and so the scripture says that he
departed he departed because he had been
deceived by his feelings by his
attitudes been deceived by Satan
everybody living in the far country is
living in deceit living in deception
listening to the devil’s lie it’s going
to work you don’t need God listen just
because your parents went to church
doesn’t mean you have to go to church
just because your grandparents went to
church doesn’t mean it’s necessary for
you today I mean this is a new day man
this is the 20th century you don’t need
all that stuff all these preachers and
this Bible beaten and all this Hellfire
and Damnation and all these Christians
going to church on Wednesday night
Sunday morning Sunday night man you
don’t need all that stuff you don’t even
have time for that man get in the world
and live and see what life’s all about
that is the deception of the
devil but it leads to step number five
and that step is defeat and I want you
to notice what happened to this young
man the Bible says that first of all he
suffered defeat morally and the
scripture says that he verse 14 that he
spent everything and he went into a far
country distant country squandered his
estate with loose living now loose
living over in verse 30 when the oldest
son and his father went a conversation
with each other the oldest son said
about the youngest son and he may have
known the truth about him they probably
knew each other pretty well he said to
him he said this son of yours came who
has devoured your wealth with harlots
you killed the fatted Cal for him so
first of all he suffered defeat morally
the second way he experienced defeat was
financially because the Bible says he
lost everything he had he squandered it
he wasted it he he scattered it the
third thing he suffered defeat in was
this he suffered defeat in his own
personhood because what happened was
when he ended up in the hog
pin he lost his sense of self- reses his
sense of
self-esteem here he was having been the
finest of robes the finest of shoes the
finest of everything the finest the food
in that hog pin he lost it all he
squandered not only his wealth but his
own personhood he lost his own sense of
potential and sense of self-respect and
self-esteem the fourth thing he suffered
defeat in was in his relationships that
is he separed himself from his family
then he seped himself from whatever
friends he had usually if you’ve got a
lot and you’re living in sin when your
lot gives out your friends get gone
that’s exactly what happened to him
because the scripture says he began to
be in need and no one would give him
anything to eat not one single person so
think about it on the spiral of defeat
and that’s what it is the spiral
downward not only is there defeat but
there’s defeat in many aspects of a
person’s life defeat in their moral life
defeat in their financial life defeat in
their relational life and defeat in
their own sense of personhood then the
next word I want you to jot down is
despair because that is exactly what
happened to him he began to despair of
life here he was in a hog pin slopping
Hogs and the Bible says that no one
would give him anything he lost all of
his money he lost his sense of
self-respect his decency he lost it all
and as he looked around he had nothing
he was in absolute Despair and the Bible
says a famine came in the land now
listen if you living in sin and you have
chosen to live disobediently before God
and you just hanging in there with that
sin you can remember this there will be
a famine in your path sooner or later
what kind I don’t know but it is coming
you see it’s amazing when you choose to
deliberately walk away from God and dis
obey him and live in sin and know that
you’re there my friend God begins to put
every force of Life against you not
because he is against you but in order
to bring you from despair down to the
next step and the next step is
desperation because desperation is the
step before there is Deliverance
desperation is the step before there is
Deliverance or absolute utter
destruction now I want you to think
about this story in the 15th chapter you
recall beginning in verse one the
scripture says now all the tax gatherers
and the Sinners were coming near to
listen to him and both the Pharisees and
the scribes began to Grumble saying this
man receives Sinners and eats with them
so one of the primary reasons Jesus told
this story was to make a point with the
Pharisees and the Sadducees all the
sophisticated religious leaders of the
day who thought they knew it all they
couldn’t stand for Jesus to meet with
Sinners and so he tells this story and
there are three Parables here but he
tells this story story of these two
young men and their father what is it
that Jesus is after in telling this
story it isn’t simply that he loved to
tell stories and it isn’t simply that
he’s just talking about lost things
usually what we do when we come to this
story of the lost sheep and the lost
coin the lost son we’re talking about
lost people being saved and that
certainly is true and all the things we
say about those things are true but what
is the real point of these three
Parables and especially this last one
Jesus is about to make a comparison
Jesus is about to nail a point down that
they’ll not be able to accept but I want
to tell you something that a lot of
people who sit in pews week after week
who can’t accept it either and you’ve
listened to the gospel and listen to the
gospel and listen to the gospel for
years and years and years and what I’m
about to tell you is going to be
difficult for some of you because you’re
going to say now wait just a minute hold
it hold it hold it hold it wait a minute
you mean to tell me and the answer
Hallelujah is
yes now listen
this young man reached the point of
desperation and what was that
desperation well look at this the
scripture says in um verse 14 when he
had spent everything a severe famine
occurred in the country and he began to
be in need need of everything he went
and attached himself to one of the
citizens of that country and he sent him
into his fields to feed swine and he was
longing to fill his stomach with the
pods that the swine were eating and no
one was was giving him anything so look
at his point of desperation now Jesus
described this in a way that would put
this man in the most desperate position
that he could be in in the eyes of these
religious Pharisees and Sadducees who
were so hypocritical so here’s what
Jesus said he said this young Jewish
boy got so desperate that he went and
hired himself to a gentile hog farmer
because no Jew would have been a hog
farmer so it had to be a gentile this
Jewish boy hired himself out to a
gentile hog farmer and his
responsibility as a Hired Hand of this
Gentile hog farmer was to feed Hogs and
that is in our day slop the pigs now how
many of you ever been to a farm and SE
have seen them slop Hogs well some of
you have and not very many of you well I
can remember the first time I read this
passage of scripture that that suddenly
it came live to me because I I grew up
in Virginia and my hometown where I
lived was just always a mile or two out
in the country to where the Farms were
and so some of my relatives had a farm
and I’d go out and spend a week with
them and I remember what I used to do
I’d get up in the morning with them and
I’d just go around and watch them do
whatever they did and I did that for
7even days and that was my vacation just
following them around early in the
morning till late night that’s that was
my vacation didn’t have any money you
had to do whatever you could do so it
was different anyway and so I remember
feeding chickens and watching them and
milk the cows and do all these things
but then I can remember slopping those
Hogs listen you know what they would do
they take all of the food that been left
over during the day you know they fed
big big meals three times a day for
these Farmers they take all of this and
mix it up with water and when you say
slop I mean old dirty biscuits and
mashed up stuff in meat and fat and
vegetables and all those things just
sloppy
stuff I can remember five gallon can
taking that 5 gallon can here they came
dump it into the trough and sometimes
two or three of them Here Come Those
Hogs I mean they just come slapping
through the mud stick their stick their
old uh nose down and then just slop it
up I mean just all the noise that going
on i’ think what a horrible mess I mean
it would almost make me sick on my
stomach just thinking about
it and of course they gave him a little
corn and so forth every once in a while
but the important thing was watching him
slop those
Hogs you know it was horrible to me but
it was wonderful to the hog I mean he
stick his nose down and there and it was
it was all gone I mean they slopped it
till it was all
gone now you
know those old Hogs are just as
comfortable as they could be they just
wall around in the mud and just lay
around in the mud but here they come and
if if if they were if they were
coming if they were coming with a slop I
mean everybody got excited in the hog
pin but you know what if you were to put
a gentle little white clean lamb in that
hog pin he’d be very
uncomfortable mired up to about right
there in the mud he’d be very
uncomfortable Hogs they loved
it let me ask you a
question have you walked away from
God and you are living in
sin and what you have feasting on
isn’t kitchen
slop but it’s a whole lot more disa ous
to you than
that it could be
alcohol drugs you bought off the street
or drugs you bought off over the
counter or some kind of sin going on in
your life that you know is absolutely a
violation of the word of God then my
friend you slopping with the Hogs you’re
in the pen and don’t even know that you
are and you see if you’ve been saved by
the grace of God you know what you’re
like you’re like a lamb over in the hog
pin you don’t belong there you don’t
Lambs don’t fit with
Hogs now if you’re lost be a
hog if you’re lost if you’ve turned God
down you’ve never trusted him as your
savior then you’re just doing natural
things you’re just doing what comes
natural in the hog pin living in sin
just taking what you can get your hog
pin may be absolutely beauti beautiful
and what you eat what you’re eating may
be the finest that money can buy but
it’s still slop without God
right and that’s where he was the point
of absolute desperation that Jesus
couldn’t have listen he couldn’t even
have thought up anything that more
depicted the lowest state that a young
man could find himself than where he was
a Jewish boy hired out to a gentile hog
farmer and what was he doing he was
feeding his Hogs now he got in such a
position here the Bible says that he was
racing with the Hogs to find the pods
that fell off these trees and these
trees about 30t tall and these big long
husk would fall off and the Hogs were
eating them for food and he found
himself eating the same things the Hogs
were longing to fill his stomach with
the pods that the swine were eating no
one was giving him a single solitary
thing
nothing he reached the point of
desperation it it was at the point of
desperation that the prodical
son said wait a
minute how many hired servants does my
father have and bread enough to eat and
here I am in need he turned his Focus
from that hog pin back to the father and
my friend in his darkened heart of
Despair suddenly something ignited
inside of him and it was
hope maybe his father would take him
back maybe he wouldn’t have to live like
this the rest of his life maybe his
father would take him back the Bible
says he made a decision he said I’m
going back to my
father you know what he did he rehearsed
what he would say he says I’m going to
say to my father father I have sinned
against heaven and in your sight and in
no more worthy to be called one of your
sons make me as one of the Hired Hands
one of the hired servants the Bible says
he jumped the fence and headed home now
all of that part of this story Jesus
told in order to get his point across
and all of this part of the story simply
says to us God will allow his children
to choose if they choose to do so he
will allow us to walk away to live in
sin if we choose to because God respects
our free will now listen carefully all
of us have a free will with certain
limitations there is no such thing there
is no such thing as an ABS absolutely
free will God who is Sovereign in this
universe has restraints on everyone he
he may appear to have less restraints on
some than others but he has restraints
ultimately on everyone there’s no such
thing as an absolutely free will but he
does respect our desires and our will
that if we choose to walk away he allows
us to walk away but friend you just
heard it and that’s the way it is
there’s a downward spiral of sin that
leads ultimately to Despair and
Desperation and either destruction or
Deliverance this young man focused his
attention upon his father and as he did
he made a decision which leads me to the
second thing I want to say and that’s
this that God responds to our
failure with Grace God responds to our
failure with Grace now there is a
dramatic picture here in a comparison of
something I want you to see here in just
a moment he responds to our failure with
Grace now listen carefully so you won’t
misunderstand this young man decided to
come back home now you listen and say
amen amen he was not forgiven because he
returned home
right he was not forgiven because he
returned
home he was forgiven before he ever
thought about coming home and I say that
because some of you who are saying well
you know I want to get right with God
and I but but I’m telling you I just I I
I I just don’t think God would accept me
I have sinned against him I’ve disobeyed
him I’ve disobeyed my parents I’ve dis
disobeyed my heavenly father I’ve sinned
against heaven and against other people
how in the world is God going to take me
back what am I going to have to do to
get back what am I going to have to do
to get worthy to be acceptable in the
eyes of God you can do
nothing absolutely
nothing his acceptance by his father was
not dependent upon his confessions or
his repentance or uh his desire to do
better that’s not the reason the father
accepted him and that’s not the reason
the father accepts us it is not based on
that listen it is based on the character
of God who is this God whom you and I
serve he is a god of righteousness and
Justice yes but he is a God of all Grace
the Bible says he is the God of all
Grace he is the god of love and
forgiveness and understanding you said
but no wait a minute I have a difficult
time of that well that’s because you’ve
been taught that God is a God of Justice
and righteousness and he is and a god of
judgment and he is but I want you to
look again at the gospels of Jesus
Christ and point out to me anybody that
Jesus condemned Jesus judged Jesus was
harsh
toward who except those who were
self-righteous hypocritical religious
leaders everybody else he said the same
thing you’re forgiven go and sin no more
come on I’m going home with you today
publicans and Sinners and the reason
those Pharisees had such a hard time is
that he was so forgiv giving and so
loving and reaching out to people who
were down and out and up and out and
people in the hog pins of life loving
them forgiving them appealing to them
crying out to them to come to him
Pharisees couldn’t handle
it now when you look at this passage and
you look at what Jesus was teaching here
it’s very evident what he was saying
that listen if it is the character of
God to love and if he loves listen if he
loves you and me
unconditionally then that’s the way it
is it isn’t based on performance of what
I’m going to do it is an unconditional
love now one of the primary reasons that
there are several reasons that people
who get caught up into sin will not come
back to God first of all they feel so
much shame over their sin and what I
want you to see here is this that Jesus
has pictured this heavenly
father as a god of Grace because that’s
who he is a god of Grace now listen to
this he put this young man in the worst
condition he could be in spin it all
squandered it all left it all immoral
bankrupt in every way had absolutely
nothing slopping hogs for a gentile hog
farmer brother that’s his loow down as
you can get as a
Jew Jesus said now I want to tell you
how my father responds to people like
that and so he told the rest of the
story and here’s what I want you to
watch now watch this carefully
listen if the father had died do you
realize that this young man could never
have come
home he couldn’t have come home you said
well he had a brother that’s what I mean
he had a brother that’s the reason he
couldn’t come home because you see his
brother his brother is typical of the
law listen to this now you can be in a
church you can even be a pastor you can
be in a legalistic church whereby you
have been taught in order to please God
you must perform on in the following
manner yes or there’s certain things we
do and certain things we don’t do there
are the Ten Commandments the Beatitudes
and then there are our Commandments
right and so how do you live up to those
you cannot it’s like the fellow who
jumps the high jump the higher you jump
and the better you do they keep raising
the standard on you until finally you
can’t that’s the way we picture God and
so what do we have we have a god of
law rules regulations stipulations live
up to it and as we’ve said before over
and over and over again the Ten
Commandments were not given to us to
live by to get saved by they were given
to us to show us our Absolute Total
inadequacy and unworthiness and to drive
us to Christ so that listen to this
young man the brother now when the son
comes home and they’re having this big
festive party lots of food music and
dancing and I mean they just really
having a big blowout the son comes in
and he says to one of the servants
what’s going on he said well your
brother’s come home and now he’s safe
and sound and we I mean he says even the
slaves are in on this party he said what
yes the Bible says he was angry listen
to this conversation with the Father the
father comes out trying to get the son
to come on into the party listen to what
he says in verse
29 he answered and said to him look for
so many years I have served you
performance and I have never neglected a
commandment
rules and yet you’ve never ever given me
a kid that I may be married with my
friends look at this but when this son
of yours not my brother when this son of
yours who wasted his substance with his
wealth on and devouted it with harlots
you killed the Fatt C for him anger
bitterness resentment hostility
separation I have performed I’ve been
with you all these years I’ve kept the
rules I’ve not
disobeyed now suppose the prodical had
come home to him let me tell you what it
been
like the prodal comes home and the
brother sees
him so what does he do he takes out
heads out toward the field because he
decides he’s not going to be he’s not
going to meet him he’ll have to come
after him if he wants
him oh you’re coming back forget
it man you blew it brother you got your
part of the inheritance what was due you
you got your rightful part and you BW
that’s your tough luck
you messed it all up you blew it the
only way you can come back is to work
for me and not only that you can just
count yourself as one of the Hired Hands
you’re not going to be treated any
better and any differently you get paid
the same thing they do but I’m here to
tell you you going to have to live under
our rules and our
regulations you don’t like it you don’t
stay that’s the
law he’ll never come home to his
brother but let’s look at his father
now suppose his father had been the same
kind of man the Bible says that when
this young man was coming home that his
father saw him a way a great distance
off if this father had been like most
people picture God a god of law rules
regulations stipulations legalistic live
up to perform or else here’s what the
father would have
said that looks like that’s that
backslid waywood despic able prodical
son of mine coming up the road well I’m
getting out of here because I don’t want
him to see me sitting out here standing
out here so the father leaves finally
the son comes and he and the father meet
the father says to him you look like a
mess what in the world have you been
doing you’ve lost weight you’re filthy
you
stink you don’t even have any shoes on I
guess you’ve lost it all haven’t you
what are you coming back here for if you
you’re coming back here let me tell you
something right now you’ve got to make
amends you got to make restitution for
what you’ve done you got to pay back all
you’ve wasted you’re in debt son you’re
in debt to me the rest of your life to
pay back all the money that I gave you
out of those hard years of work that I
did and I gave you your share and you
wasted it and you squandered it and you
spread it around you messed it up and
you you just messed up your life you
come back here you got to pay and I mean
you better perform
how long son I don’t know the rest of
you life I don’t know how long it’s
going to ever take you to pay it back
but I’m going to be watching you and you
better live up to the rules and if you
don’t you’re
out now if you will to come back under
those conditions come on go on out to
the slave’s house and get yourself some
clothes get
busy get to work and start paying back
what you owe
me what would you have done if you’d
have been him and your father had said
that you and I probably would have bowed
our heads and walked away and thought Oh
God right I can’t handle two hog
pins but Jesus told the story so he
could get to the next
part listen to this the Bible says this
father and here’s the here’s the picture
of holy God a god of
Grace this old father standing out on
the porch and he looks down the road a
long ways and he sees that boy and the
more he looks at him he thinks that
looks that looks like my
son and the scripture says when he
recognized that it was his son listen
his heart just ballooned with
compassion and what did what did he do
he went he took off running down the
road now the reason Jesus put that in
there was this in the customs of their
day no one no important person ever ran
in public and what Jesus is saying is
when one of his backslidden children
living in sin comes home God the Father
runs to meet him yes and what does he do
when he runs down the road to meet him
he doesn’t stop and say hold it right
there what a mess hold it you stink so
bad I can’t get close to you the Bible
says he ran to that boy he didn’t stop
he didn’t say anything he ran and threw
his arms around him and hugged him
listen hog slopping all he hugged him
smelly and all he hugged him he kissed
him he rejoiced over him and here’s this
boy trying to say now father listen I
know that I’ve done wrong and I want to
ask you just make M be said oh son I’m
so glad to get you home I just love you
bless you for coming home he couldn’t
even listen to the confession for loving
that boy listen that boy didn’t come
home to get forgiven he was forgiven
before he ever left home and listen that
father didn’t forgive him because he
came home he was forgiven before he ever
came home that boy didn’t have to come
home and repent of his sins to get
forgiveness listen that Daddy didn’t
even listen to any of that he hugged him
and him and he because he was already
forgiven then remember where he came
from this is a Jewish boy slopping hogs
for a gentile hog farmer having lost his
father’s entire inheritance and spent
his life in immorality and debauchery
and has absolutely wasted his life and
what is the response of a loving father
come on
son and what happens while he’s trying
to confess In this passage Mage he says
Hey Ho Let’s have a big party tonight
bring the best robe not just the robe
kill the fatted calf not just the calf
bring me a ring a sign of sunship and
restoration give him a robe let’s he
says we are really going to have it
tonight all the slaves are invited
everybody’s invited big Feast everything
food laughter dancing music Hallelujah
my sons come
home you say well now I I think if I
could
um get that kind of reception maybe I’d
get back to
God my friend listen to me do you know
why that’s in the
Bible because Jesus was
portraying in a language in a culture in
an environment with things that people
could identify with to say to you and me
when you and I come back
and get our hearts right all of the
angels in heaven rejoice and there is
praise and thanksgiving and
blessing you say but you mean to tell me
that I can go away and live in sin and
live like this and all all God has to do
is just say come on in no I didn’t say
that this part is not in the scripture
because this wasn’t what Jesus was after
because he couldn’t have said it at this
point because it had never happened do
you know why God can take folks like you
and me whove sinned against him and
disobeyed
him do you know why he can take folks
like us take us back in love and
forgiveness and kindness and
graciousness because Grace is God’s
kindness and graciousness taught us
without regard to what we deserve or
what we are worth and in spite of what
we deserve you know why here’s the
reason he said in his word here’s the
law the the law is the soul that sinth
it shall die every hog pin boy has had
it that’s what the law
says so how does Jesus Keep face with
all of his holy angels all of his
prophets and all all of us how how does
how do how does God the Father forgive
us and love us
back when he said the soul that sth it
shall die and look what this young man’s
done look what all of us have done how
does he forgive us here’s the way it’s
the only way
he says that he so loved you and me and
everybody else that he gave his only
begotten son that whoever believes in
him would not perish but have eternal
life not if and but except none of that
have eternal
life the only way God can be true to
himself and be a loving God of Grace is
that his son paid your sin that in mine
in full you know you know what that
means that means every despicable year
of your life every sin that you’ve ever
committed all those days weeks and
months and years in the hog pin you know
what that means all of that was dumped
on Jesus and when he died your
forgiveness was provided you think
that’s cheap let me ask you this if
you’re a father who has a son a mom who
has a son or a daughter
father do you think it would be cheap to
you if in order to save millions of
people your son or your daughter had to
be almost stripped naked and hung
between two criminals crucified dying
with spikes in hands and
feet would you call that cheap neither
does God the Father it CS God the
Father the life of his son Jesus to make
it possible for us to be forgiven this
is a god of
Grace you say but but look at that you
mean to tell me I can get by with sin
now watch this always being asked that
because somebody’s so afraid somebody’s
going to get by with something let me
ask you a question are you
listening would you say that the prodal
got by with
anything he bankrupt himself morally
financially relationally in his
personhood lost it all blew it
all do you say that he got by something
because because his reception by his
father was son I love you you were
forgiven before you ever left
home that’s this wonderful God of Grace
that you and I
serve does that mean that there’s no
judgment no doesn’t mean that it means
that God’s not in the Judgment business
today upon his children no
condemnation therefore there is
therefore no condemnation to those who
are in Christ Jesus listen not
any and you know what the wonderful
thing about that is you know I don’t
have to live up to anything that is we
don’t have to perform to get God to
accept us what did this young man have
to do to get his father to accept him
nothing not a
thing
listen his coming home made it possible
for his father to express toward him
what his father felt toward him while he
is in the hog
pin the coming back didn’t get him for
love and forgiveness the coming back
made it possible for the father to
express it I don’t know what you’re
going through or where you are but I
want to tell you this our father is a
father of Grace and love and forgiveness
and kindness toward his children you can
step out of that hog pin and turn your
failure into a testimony of the grace of
God and how do you step out you make a
decision you jump the fence that is you
make a decision you you just turn to the
father and say
father I’ve had enough of this hog pin
living I’m coming
home and you know what
happens you look into the eyes of a
loving gracious kind and forgiving
father who says son daughter I’ve been
waiting come
on how do you reject that kind of
God I don’t know what you’re going
through in life and what you feel
trapped by but if you will turn your
focus to
God and say to him I’m sick and tired of
hog pin living you may be the finest
Dressed Man in your town Drive the
finest automobile live in the biggest
home but you’re in a hog pin if you’re
out of God’s will what you’re eating
will never satisfy the Deep yearning
hunger of your
heart and how do you get out of the Hog
Pen you just tell
him I’m sick and tired of the hog pin
and I want to come
home
trusting this is very important trusting
that in the death of his son
Jesus he took all the consequences of
your hog pin living dumped them on him
he paid the penalty and you’re
accepted accepted in Christ Jesus by the
way of the cross
father when we think of how good and
gracious and kind you are when we think
of the praise that you paid for our
Salvation we tell you this morning that
we love you and feel so inadequate in
saying it I pray for those who have
never been
saved who know in their heart they’re
running from you they desperately need
you would you just enable them to see in
this simple message that if they have
never trusted you as their their
personal savior that’s step number one
it is the first and only step that can
be taken looking to you as a god of
loving kindness and forgiveness and
knowing that their sins Wicked and vile
as they may be that Jesus when he died
took them with him and the moment
they’re willing to accept him as their
personal savior their sins have forgiven
they become a child of God life begins a
new father for so many of your children
who are living in sin and who’ve
wondered if you will take them back
would you
just turn their focus to you today and
remind them that not by performance or
rueping Not by promises or hard
work but by the acceptance of Grace and
oh father that we cannot add one single
solitary thing to your grace our pride
wants to but we can’t it’s all grace and
grace alone
amen