Opening:

There was a popular book a few years ago titled, Love Wins… by Rob Bell. The book made certain claims that in the end everyone goes to Heaven. Yet, we cannot get that from the Scriptures, or from the Parable we will look at today.

Who can tell me my theme for Lent? Someone, anyone shout it out—

The Gospel is for everyone… So, I do not have to have a lot of money, do I? No, not at all. I do not have to be highly educated, do I? No, not at all. The Gospel is for everyone. My other theme is that we serve a Mighty Savior.

There is a professor at the seminary which I attended who gave an illustration of the wrath of God. Dr. Mulholland, said that if I walk out of a window, what makes me fall? The consequence of jumping out of a window is gravity makes you fall. Gravity does it. God’s wrath on sin is like gravity. God’s wrath on sin is a natural repercussion of sin. When I break God’s law His wrath is a natural response to that violation.  The subject today is on one hand a tough one. We are looking at the eternal destiny of those without Christ. On the other hand we have an encouraging subject as we look at the eternal destiny of those with Christ. We also will see how Jesus sympathizes with the poor man. Jesus, once again, looks after the poor and the marginalized.

From this passage I could preach on hell. I will just a little bit. But, this passage is also saying that the Jewish lineage does not take care of your eternity. Jesus is also saying that your wealth does not take care of your eternity. Jesus is also saying that if people do not believe the Scriptures they will not believe a resurrection.

I am going to teach this passage and I wish to show you:

1.        The Gospel is for everyone, regardless of wealth.
2.        The reality of eternity.
3.        The supremacy of Scripture.

Read with me Luke 16:19-31:

The Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹ “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. ²⁰ At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores ²¹ and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

²² “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.²³ In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴ So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

²⁵ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

²⁷ “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, ²⁸ for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

²⁹ “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

³⁰ “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

³¹ “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

1.                    In verses 19-22, The rich man and Lazarus introduced:
2.        This is a parable, it is story with a purpose. I wonder what it would look like on the big screen. Think with me. There is a certain rich man. He has lots of wealth. In fact, the literal wording says that he was eating sumptuously every day. He had it his way, every day. He was wearing purple linen. It was rare to be able to afford this type of clothing, yet he could.
3.       Now, at his gate… stop right there. He had a gate. This was rare as well. He had enough wealth to have a gate around his home. I remember being in the Dominican Republic and I saw people with gates around their homes. I saw businesses with gates. We built a gate around a church. But that gate we built to protect the place. We saw others with gates and they were elaborate, it was displaying their great wealth. In this case the indication is that this man had the wealth and he was displaying it.
4.        Now, at the gate sat Lazarus, who was poor. This is the only parable where Jesus gives a character a name. By the way, Jesus may not have made up this parable. It could have been a common Jewish story at the time.
5.       Also, this is not the Lazarus whom he would raise from the dead later on.
6.        The Bible says that this poor beggar was laying at his gate, but the language really says that he was thrown at the gate. That is some strong verbiage.
7.        Now, imagine with me: Every day the rich man walks right by the poor man. Every day, maybe he tries not to look, because if he looks, he may feel guilty. Maybe, just maybe, he looks on purpose. He does not care. He wants to flaunt his great, great wealth. He walks right on by the poor man and he does not care. He will look at him and think, “Oh well, you should work harder.” Or, “Serves you right, you were born to the wrong family.”
8.       Maybe the poor man Lazarus, made the rich man sick because of his sores. The Bible says that he had sores on him. The Bible says the dogs licked the sores. These sores would not be leprosy. They would be sores from malnutrition or something else. The dogs would not be Ol’ Shep, or some “Man’s best Friend” dog. These dogs were wild pests. I remember being in the Dominican Republic and Belize, Central America and I saw dogs which were wild. The people did not like them around. They were scavengers. Jesus, including these dogs in the parable shows how bad Lazarus’ condition was. When the dogs lick his wounds it would make them hurt worse. Yet, you know what? Imagine, the rich man, he still walks right by this poor man Lazarus. 
9.       Jesus came for this poor man in addition to the rich man. Certain people always think they have a free ticket everywhere because of something they have accomplished, or the family they come from, or their great wealth. In this parable Jesus is showing that the Gospel is for everyone. That He cares about the poor and the destitute.
10.         I recently heard a speaker on a video. She talked about being a pastor’s wife in Austin Texas. Her family and a few others moved onto a nice street with a nice house. Everything was good except for that house next door. That house was overgrown and unkempt. They would not cut the grass, or take care of the upkeep. She said something like: “Bye, bye resale value.” But then she realized something, whether through getting to know the person or God’s conviction or both. This house belonged to an elderly widow (I believe), and her children were draining her of her finances. She was not able to keep up the house and her children were not treating her right, then she has a pastor next door and all they think about is how bad the house makes the street look.
11.         I do not know what the pastor and her family did in order to help their neighbor but that was a good example of what we as Christians ought to be doing and what we ought not to be thinking. Instead of thinking “How can I serve my neighbor,” many times we think, “Why don’t they clean up their house?”
12.       Back to the parable.
13.         They both die. It has been said that death always evens the score. We all die. No matter how good you are or even you are, you will die. I will die. In this case, death switches their roles. The rich man did not care about poor Lazarus in life, but God cares about Lazarus’ eternity.
14.     Avoiding Hell

Not everyone is as fortunate as Alfred Nobel who in 1888 read his own obituary in a French newspaper. One of his brothers had died, but a careless reporter had used a statement prepared for the wrong man. Alfred, principal inventor of dynamite, was disappointed with the published account. He was described as a “merchant of death” who had made a fortune from explosives and human exploitation. This haunting image caused him to reevaluate his life and revamp his will. Consequently, his money has made possible the famous Nobel Peace Prizes.^[1]

1.       The poor man died and is carried to Abraham’s side. They would have all known that this was paradise. This was Heaven.
2.       The rich man dies and was buried. Notice that Lazarus was not even buried. This means that he was very low in his station in life. Everyone was to be buried.
3.                 In verses 23- 24 we see in Hades their roles are reversed.
4.        The rich man is in torment. He is in Hades. Hades is not hell. Hades would be called Sheol in the Old Testament. It was known as a realm of the dead. But Jesus, in this parable indicates that there was suffering. The text says, multiple times, that he was in suffering. (verses 23, 24, 25, 28)
5.       Again, I think I could pull out things about hades and hell from this passage, but my purpose is to show that The Gospel is for everyone. This poor man was not in hades. He was in paradise. The rich man who ignored the beggar was missing something in life. He calls Abraham “Father Abraham” meaning that he was Jewish, but he did not take care of the poor.

The Reality of Hell

The rich man of Luke 16 became painfully aware of hell and its stark reality, as will every person who rejects the love of the Savior. As one old preacher expressed it, “After you’ve been in hell five seconds, you’ll believe in it!”^[2]

1.        Now, the roles are reversed. Lazarus is being comforted. Actually, the Bible says that God is comforting Him. The rich man is in torture.
2.       Notice, and this goes along with my next point, the rich man wants help, but it is too late. He sees Lazarus and he just wants to dip the tip of his finger in water. But it is too late. Again, the roles are reversed. Before, Lazarus needed the rich man’s help, but now, the rich man needs Lazarus’ help. 
3.              In verses 27-31, we see that the Scriptures are sufficient as a witness.
4.        The rich man wants someone to warn his five brothers, but no. Abraham says that the Scriptures are sufficient.
5.       Notice that the text says in verse twenty-seven that he wanted Lazarus to warn his brothers. The literal word is to “testify”. He wants someone to witness to them. All throughout Acts that same word is used of the Apostles being a witness.
6.        The rich man thinks that if someone rises from the dead, they will believe. Abraham says, no, if they do not listen to the Scriptures, they will not listen, even if someone rises from the dead.

Close:

This passage says that the Law of Moses is a witness.

I have Naked juice right here. This is perfectly healthy stuff. But, you know if it is healthy, it may not taste very good. So, why don’t I add some whip cream, everyone likes whip cream. You know that probably is not enough to make it taste good, so let me add something else. How about I add some chocolate chips. Hmmm, everyone likes chocolate chips. Okay, now it may taste good enough. But, what else could I add? Any other ideas, please share???

What did I do? I just ruined the value of this drink. Okay, God has given us His Word in order to be a witness. His Word is sufficient to be a witness, yet sometimes we do not trust His Word as a witness so we want to add to it or take from it. Sometimes we wish for a special sign, but Jesus is telling the Pharisees that His Word is enough.

This passage says that His Word is enough and the Gospel is for everyone. It is not about money. It is not about possessions. It is not about having a nice gate around your place. It is not about having plenty of nice food. No, it is about our faith in the Savior and our works matching that faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Do you have this faith??? Jesus came for everyone.

In Matthew 25:40 Jesus says that when we take care of those need, we take care of Him. In James 2:14-26 the Bible teaches that our works must match our faith.

So, I hope you noticed.

1.                    The Gospel is for everyone, regardless of wealth.
2.                    The reality of eternity.
3.                    The supremacy of Scripture over the desire for miracles.   

Apply this to your life this week. Look to take care of those in need. Look to make sure your faith is verified by your works. Trust in the Scriptures and remember there is a real eternity. Be a witness.

Pray. 

^[1] Jones, G. C. (1986). 1000 illustrations for preaching and teaching (p. 153). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

^[2] Jones, G. C. (1986). 1000 illustrations for preaching and teaching (p. 155). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Below is a really amazing article on why most churches do not pass the 200 mark. The article goes along with everything else I’ve read.

Carey Nieuwhof: 8 Reasons Churches Don’t Break the 200 Attendance Mark

Below is an article titled “Slice of Infinity” I read these through Ravi Zacharias Ministries. This is really good about worship songs and a random group singing the Hallelujah Chorus at a Macy’s

http://www.rzim.org/a-slice-of-infinity/random-hallelujahs-2/ 

Below is today’s Swindoll “Insight For Living” Devotion for today:

http://www.insight.org/resources/devotionals/peace-amidst-unpleasant-circumstances.html

God bless, 

Pastor Steve

Below is a link to a recent blog regarding the new Noah movie:

http://www.albertmohler.com/

Below is yesterday’s sermon, but first a few good articles:

This article was written by Dr. Tim Tennent, the President of Asbury Theological Seminary. I love how he writes about church history and doctrine. 

http://timothytennent.com/2014/03/30/remembering-the-source-of-aldersgate/

I love the below article writes about how an atheist responds to his daughter’s letter to God.

http://www.rzim.org/a-slice-of-infinity/the-world-without-story/

Now the sermon. (Note, it was originally not written in this numerical format. Sorry for that, it happened when I pasted it in.) 

Opening:

There is a book called: Same Kind of Different as Me.

This book is a true story that follows two people’s paths in life until they meet up.

One person was raised in a middle class white family. He grows up and becomes very successful and very wealthy.

The second person is a poor uneducated black man. He grew up as a modern day slave. His parents worked a farm and he did too. He experienced heavy racism. Eventually this man ran away. However, he never had been educated. He lived homeless and learned how to fend for himself.

Eventually the wealthy white man, now married, is convinced by his wife to begin helping at a homeless shelter. They had committed their life to Christ and she wanted to go deeper. He was willing to give money, but she wanted to do more. So they start helping at a homeless shelter. She then says that she wants to take one group from the homeless shelter to dinner and a play.

Now the relationship grows between this wealthy man and woman and this uneducated poor black man.

The wealthy white man asks to take the uneducated black man out to breakfast. At breakfast the black man asks, “Why are you doing this?” the white man says, “To be your friend.” The black man says, “I like to fish, but I notice when white people fish they catch and release. I don’t want a ‘catch and release’ friendship.”

Well, this wealthy husband and wife decided to do more than give money and because they did they touched many lives. One of those lives was that uneducated black man. Later on they formed a friendship that will last the rest of their lives and has lasted the rest of her life, as he was there for the woman’s death.  The wealthy white man and the uneducated black man published this book together.

It is essentially because this man stepped outside of his comfort zone that the black man came to know the Lord. It is because this man was willing to serve and to serve in a lowly way that that black man’s life was changed, wow!

In a similar way,in today’s text Jesus lays aside His social status in order to serve the disciples. Once again, I notice the commonality of the Gospel. Once again, I notice that the Gospel is for everyone. I also notice that we serve a great and mighty Savior. The disciples are common, ordinary, everyday men. They are not high on the social ladder. They are not even a little bit high on the social ladder, yet Jesus serves them. Jesus is beyond high on the social ladder. Jesus is off the charts. Jesus invented the ladder, yet Jesus lowers Himself and lowers Himself even more to serve in this dirty way.  Jesus knew all and Jesus knew that He came from God and He knew He would be betrayed, yet, He serves. Our mighty Savior serves in the lowest way possible.

Please read the passage with me and let’s talk about it. Notice the commonality of the Gospel and notice our mighty Savior.

John 13:1-11:

It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

² The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

⁷ Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

⁸ “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

⁹ “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

¹⁰ Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” ¹¹ For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

As we look at this we can notice Jesus’ love stated, secondly His love rejected, then His love shown.

1.                     In verse 1 we see Jesus’ love stated, this shows that Jesus came for everyone. This shows the commonality of the Gospel.
2.        Now let’s put this narrative in context. It is just before the Passover festival. It is now Thursday of Holy week. That is the time of the week and the time in the ministry and life of Jesus.
3.       Later, on this very night, Jesus will be betrayed and so will begin the crucifixion process. 
4.        John spends a lot of time on this evening, more than the other Gospels. John spends chapters 13-16 on this supper.
5.       I must read Luke 22:24-26 to put this in context. John does not record it, but Luke records a conversation that took place right before the last supper. Listen to this passage: Luke 22:24-26:  ²⁴ A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. ²⁵ Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. ²⁶ But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.
6.       Here we have the disciples competing to be the greatest and now Jesus sets things straight in this way. Now, Jesus will show who the greatest is.
7.         But in this passage, it says that Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave the world. The text is saying that Jesus knew that He came from the Father and it was time to go back.
8.        Jesus loved the people He was with and He loved them until the end. He loved them until the crucifixion.
9.       There is a Greek verb for love used and it is agape. This is a type of intentional love. This is not brotherly love. This is intentional love.
10.                   In verse 2 we see that Jesus’ love is rejected. We see that His love is spurned.
11.        Judas is going to betray Jesus. The verse says that the devil prompted Judas. Actually the text originally says that the devil threw himself into Judas. In verse 27 it says that Judas was possessed by the devil.
12.       Now, Judas is already making plans to betray Jesus.
13.                 Jesus shares His love. This is verses 3-11.
14.        Notice our mighty Savior.
15.       In verse 3 it says that Jesus knew that He had all things under His power.
16.        Who was the greatest the disciples were asking. Jesus is the greatest. All things are under His power. Jesus knew that He came from the Father and He will go back to the Father.
17.       Yet, for common, ordinary, everyday men, Jesus stooped as low as He could go.
18.       Only slaves and women and children would wash feet.  It was not acceptable for a man to do this, yet Jesus did it.
19.         I wonder if the disciples were all thinking, “No, this is not for Him to do.” Yet, Peter spoke up and told Jesus not to.
20.        One source tells me that he knows of no other ancient source that has the leader doing something so humble: He writes: A familiar rabbinic story is told in Pe’a 1.15c.14 of Rabbi Ishmael, whose mother sought to honor him by washing his feet when he arrived home from the synagogue. After he refused her because he viewed her effort as dishonoring to her and ultimately to him, she sought a censure against him from the rabbinic court for his refusal to allow her to honor him. This story provides some insight into the perspectives of shame and honor in Judaism.^[1]
21.       So, Jesus showed His love. Jesus loved them till the end and He shows that we are all called to serve. 
22.          When I was an intern at a church I was going to preach, yet prior to my sermon the pastor had me take off my shoes and washed my feet. Many times churches will have foot washing ceremonies during Lent on Maundy Thursday.
23.         I recently listened to a book called “Breakout Churches” by Thom Rainer and he referenced churches that grow usually have pastors that do not credit themselves but those around them.
24.         But in the first century humility was not a strong point. It was not a trait one wanted to have. Yet, Jesus taught the disciples to be humble. Jesus showed these common, ordinary, everyday men, that the Gospel is for everyone. He taught them that, though He is the mighty Savior, and the Greatest, He would serve them. He washes their feet. 

Sometimes I watch the show, Undercover Boss. The show is about different corporate C.E.O.’s who actually go and work a few days in the company. They work as common employees in training. I always wonder what that is like. But you know, Jesus is the creator and He became part of His creation. This is a much lower step to take than an undercover boss. Now, Jesus serves His creation. Next, Jesus will die a death of humiliation for His creation. He did this for everyone. The Gospel is for everyone. Now, He also calls us to serve everyone and to take the Gospel to everyone.

Let’s pray

^[1] Borchert, G. L. (2002). John 12–21 (Vol. 25B). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Noah and the flood– see the video link:

Noah Redivivus— Revisiting Gen. 6-9

Below are a few links. The first article is regarding modesty. This is addressed mainly to women, though it sounds like his personal blog had a post to men previously. You can search for that. Modesty in all ways has not been talked about enough in the last few years or decades, but I know that the church must talk about this more. That is not to say that this pressure is all on women, the men are guilty of their own thoughts and feelings. 

Sisters, Are You Helping (or Hurting) Your Brothers With That Outfit?

The below article is appalling and it really makes us think about our worldview. In the Old Testament there was a pagan god called Molech, This god was to be appeased by child sacrifice. Children under two years old were burned in order to appease this god. Now, today, though not for pagan ritual, we still are burning babies. In this case the children are already dead, but it does make us think. The Christian worldview teaches that babies are a gift from the Lord.

(Psalm 127 is an example also Luke 18:15-17) 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10717566/Aborted-babies-incinerated-to-heat-UK-hospitals.html?utm_source=Albert+Mohler&utm_campaign=fe356ac62e-The_Briefing_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b041ba0d12-fe356ac62e-307773537

Have an awesome day in the Lord!

Below is yesterdays sermon manuscript:

Opening:

The Gospel is for everyone, amen? Last week we talked about the transfiguration of Jesus. Peter, James and John saw Jesus talking with Elijah and Moses in His glorified state. These common every day men saw our glorified Savior in His glory. These common every day men saw two Old Testament heroes, Moses and Elijah, and this was grace. This was unmerited favor.

Two weeks ago we talked about the woman with the issue of blood. For twelve years this woman was unclean. For twelve years she could not enter the temple. For twelve years anyone she touched would have been unclean. People would have been afraid to be around her, but not Jesus. She touched the hem of His garment and she was instantly made well. We serve a Mighty Savior who came for everyone.

As we look at this passage we see that Jesus came for everyone even the person living in sin. Jesus came for those that the church makes outcasts, or those that feel they could not enter a church. When I was in college, I worked in children’s ministry at a church that would use the church van in order to pick up children from an apartment complex that was lower class. There were comments from church leaders that those children would corrupt our children. The idea is that we do not want those people around. But you know what, Jesus went to those people. Jesus came for those people who may not fit in the typical church gathering.

Luke 7:34:

The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

The story today is about two brothers. One brother is the older brother. Think of him as the religious person. The younger brother is the worldly person. He is not religious. He is anti religious. Then there is a father. The father represents God.

Let’s read the story and I wish to show you that God is loving and He desires a relationship with everyone. God desires a relationship with unrepentant sinners. God desires a relationship with worldly people. The Gospel is for everyone. The Gospel is for everyone even the church outcasts.

Let’s read Luke 15:11-32:

¹¹ Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

¹³ “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.¹⁴ After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

²⁸ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

³¹ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

1. First, let’s say that God desires a relationship with the unrepentant. God desires a relationship with the worldly person, who is living for the world.
   1. Remember that Jesus is in Samaria at this time. At this time He is telling all these parables in an area that is hostile to the Jews in Jerusalem. The Jews in Jerusalem were hostile to them as well. I read about Samaritans a few weeks ago, so I won’t be labor those points, but I do want to emphasize that Jerusalem Jews did what it took to avoid them. They would travel extra just so they don’t come in contact with them. But Jesus goes right through the heart of Samaria and He tells parables. He tells parables that are not in the other Gospels.
   2. To the Jerusalem Jews the Samaritans would be unrepentant worldly people. Unrepentant people are in the world, living for the world and they do not care. They only care about themselves. They live for themselves and God wants a relationship with them.
   3. So, here is Jesus in this worldly area, in this area forsaken by most Jews, but not by God. He tells a parable.
   4. We call this the parable of the prodigal son. Prodigal means extravagant or wasteful. As you heard in the parable, the son wastes his father’s money.
   5. There are two sons in this parable and the younger tells his father that he wants his share of the estate. Now, you must know that there are a couple problems with this. The first problem is that asking for an inheritance early is like saying, “Dad, I wish you were dead!”
      1.                                                    i.      Regardless of the insult the father divides the inheritance between his two sons. This is the second problem. According to the Old Testament (DT 21:7), the elder son was supposed to receive a double portion.
      2.                                                  ii.      Now, what you need to know is that this is a parable; it is a story with a purpose. It may or may not have really happened. Jesus is setting this parable up in order to show God’s great grace.
      3.                                                 iii.      Jesus is showing that regardless of what we do, God is our Father and as our Father he loves us. He welcomes us into His loving arms. This younger son is blasphemous to his father, by asking for the inheritance, but the Father represents God. The Father still wants a relationship with him.
   6. Verses 13-14 show that the son takes his father’s money and he leaves. Jesus says that he wasted his wealth with wild living. Jesus doesn’t tell us what the son was involved in but we can take a guess. We can take a guess because some of you have been in situations like this.
      1.                                                    i.      I also think that some of you have had children leave home and disgrace your name. Still some of you have had situations where you were prepared to welcome a child back home. You have been where this father is. Some of you are the father and you have had your heart broken by what your child has done. For you it may not be that your child has wasted your money. You don’t care about the money, it is that your child has made poor decisions and consequently ended up in a very bad situation. It may make you nauseas to think about the situation your child is in.
      2.                                                  ii.      Some of you have done this yourself. Some of you are the younger son and have experienced drastic forgiveness and reconciliation.
   7. Verses 15-16 show that now, this son is feeding pigs. Pigs were an unclean animal in Judaism, so for Jesus’ audience this is a big deal. This son has sunk to a very low station in life. But Jesus is setting this up to show the great, great love of God, our Heavenly Father.
2. Second, let’s say that to have a relationship with God we must repent. However, whether we repent or not, God wants a relationship with us.
   1. Verses 17-19 show that the son is repentant. He realizes what has happened to his station in life. He is ready to confess this to his father.
   2. Verses 20-24 show us that as he comes back to his father, his father sees him from a distance and runs to him. We also see that his father wants to throw a party to welcome his son home.
      1.                                                    i.      In that day it was considered a breach of an adult male’s dignity to run, but this Father is so excited to see his son come home that he runs to him and embraces him.
      2.                                                  ii.      Some of us can hear this story and think like the eldest son. We see his reaction in verses 25-32
   3. The eldest son’s thinking is on the side of TRUTH—all TRUTH and no grace. His thinking is that the younger brother made his decisions and he should live with him.
   4. But I think that no matter what that elder son cannot see things the way a parent would. That elder son just can’t think about watching the boy learn to walk, rocking him to sleep at night, teaching him to fish, taking him to Chipotle for the first time, school programs and all those other things. A parent thinks with their emotions.
      1.                                                    i.      I believe that God made us emotional because I think God has emotions. The Father in this parable is clearly God and when we are in the filth of life; when we are in bad situations, I think that God hurts. Some of you know what it is like to hurt and ache and lose sleep because your child is in a bad situation. Then I think you have a small element of how God feels when we are in a bad situation. God grieves and God hurts. Then when we choose to come back to God, He runs to us and throws a party in Heaven.
   5. God desires a relationship with all so He sent Jesus for everyone. The Gospel is for everyone!

Close:

The Gospel is for everyone. God desires a relationship with unrepentant sinners.  God desires a relationship with the neighbor who goes to strip clubs. God desires a relationship with the person out late at night drinking because they are depressed. God desires a relationship with the man who has burned every bridge they have formed because he was never taught how to work with people. God desires a relationship with the person who cannot hold a job because he never had a father to mentor and teach him to work. God desires a relationship with the person who even cannot parent because he was never modeled or taught how to parent. You know what? God desires a relationship with the guy blaspheming Him on the news. God desires a relationship with the Muslim terrorist. God desires a relationship with the Nazi solder. God desires a relationship with every unrepentant person and God desires a relationship with us.

The question is: who do you most identify with? Are you the older brother? If you are a believer, are your interests, God’s interests? Do you desire to introduce those unrepentant people to Jesus? Know that coming to Christ does mean repentance.

Remember the example I gave about the church I served at in college? Remember how they did not want those children corrupting the church children? Jesus came for them. They had parents and family who needed the Gospel. The Gospel Is for everyone even the church outcasts.

Do you know Jesus?

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

Pray

This is a really good article by Dr. Witherington about the people who saved Jewish history during and following the Holocaust:

The Monuments Men— The Book by Robert Edsel

Below is an article by hiring staff as church leaders:

Why Your Church Needs to Be More Picky About Hiring

One final article for today: The below article is about social media:

How to Lead Your Facebook to Christ

This was a really interesting read regarding salt in ancient times:

The Salt of the Earth

The Salt of the Earth

The article below gets into great detail on what happens with pornography and the brain. There is also a link to a free e-book:

Hot Bods, the Bible and the Brain: The Truth About Porn Addiction

Along similar lines, this next article is written by Dr. Al Mohler regarding an article that J.R.R. Tolkien wrote to his son about sex and purity.

http://www.albertmohler.com/2014/03/11/from-father-to-son-j-r-r-tolkien-on-sex/

Have a good day in the Lord!