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Six Reasons You Should Want to Be Like the Prodigal Son
For the next three weeks I am preaching through Luke 15:11-32 at Neel Road. Most of us who grew up in church call this passage the parable of the prodigal son. To be honest, and to be true to the scriptures, the story is not just about a prodigal or wayward son. It’s actually about two sons (who both have their issues) and their father.
Each of the characters in the story offers us some great insights into life, the meaning of faith, and the nature and character of God.
The so-called prodigal son, or the younger son, is usually looked down on for his reckless and irresponsible behavior…and for good reason. He disrespects his father by asking for his inheritance early. Then he blows his inheritance while living wildly. His life is a complete failure.
But then something remarkable happens. After some time soul-searching he realizes just how much his father loves and cares for him so he decides to turn from his pointless life and return home.
This is when we see some of the prodigal son’s best qualities:
1. The prodigal son was an adventurer! (He just needed some direction!)
2. The prodigal son learned from his mistakes.
3. The prodigal son took full responsibility for his actions.
4. The prodigal son confessed his sins and asked for forgiveness from his father and from God.
5. The prodigal son had a genuine change of heart.
6. The prodigal son developed a new appreciation and respect for his father.
When we look more closely at the life of the prodigal son, I hope we see a man that we should all want to be like!
Upcoming Message Series
If you were to take a snapshot of your family, what would you see? I’m not just talking about taking a picture of your family! What if you were to take a really close look at each person in your family, including yourself, their roles and relationships and ask the question, “Is this what God wants my family to look like?”
In society today, couples are divorcing, children behave disrespectfully, and many families are too busy to spend time together as a family. What advice does the Bible have for us?
On Sunday, May 6 we will begin a new message series called Family Portrait! In this message series we will explore God’s plan and God’s desire for families. We will discover what God’s expects of families and his expectations of each family member.
May
6 Family Portrait: Godly Families
13 Family Portrait: Godly Women (Mother’s Day)
20 Family Portrait: Godly Children
27 Family Portrait: Godly Parents
June
3 Family Portrait: Godly Elders (Senior Adult Appreciation Sunday)
10 Family Portrait: Godly Couples
17 Family Portrait: Godly Men (Father’s Day)
If your family is something you care about, then this message series is for you.
Make War: Growing Old and Fighting Sin
An elderly man was telling his neighbor, “I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost me four thousand dollars, but it’s state of the art. It’s perfect.” “Really,” answered the younger neighbor. “What kind is it?” the younger neighbor asked. The elderly neighbor glanced at his watch and responded, “Twelve-thirty.”
An older man was wondering if his wife had a hearing problem. He had asked her to do several things and got no response. So one night, he stood behind her while she was sitting in her lounge chair. He spoke softly to her, “Honey, can you hear me?” There was no response. He moved a little closer and said again, “Honey, can you hear me?” Still, there was no response. Finally he moved right behind her and said, “Honey, can you hear me?” Then he heard her say, “Frank, for the third time, Yes!”
Most of the older people I know love to joke. They like to laugh and have a good time! But they also know that growing old is no laughing matter. Sometimes we forget that getting older doesn’t mean that we become exempt from temptation and sin. Just because we are older doesn’t mean that Satan leaves us alone.
My goal is to get us thinking about growing old and thinking about fighting sin at the same time. For all of us, whether we realize it yet or not, this may be one of the biggest spiritual challenges we ever face in life. Now, not everyone lives to be old. But for those who do, living out our spiritual lives and living faithfully to the gospel can be a big challenge.
First of all, how does Satan attack us when we get older? What kinds of sins do we have to fight in our golden years if we live that long?
The ways that Satan attacks us as we get older can be very different than when we’re younger. They are usually very personal.
In his recent book called Nearing Home: Life, Faith, and Finishing Well, Rev. Billy Graham shares about his own experiences of growing old. I highly recommend his book. He explains what he considers to be some of the “hidden perils” of growing old that he had not anticipated:
1. Fear – Satan places fear in our hearts.
2. Depression – Satan places depression in our hearts.
3. Anger – Satan places anger in our hearts. Anger sometimes manifests itself as bitterness or a mean spirit.
4. We eventually lose the ability to make wise decisions.
5. Intense Loneliness – Satan attacks our minds and convinces us that nobody cares about us. Makes us feel like we’re all alone in the world. We spend a lot more time alone.
6. Self-centeredness – Satan uses our aches, pains, and other things close to us to get us to focus us on ourselves rather than on God. If we aren’t careful, we become absorbed by our own problems even to the point that we don’t care about anyone or anything else.
When you look at it this way, growing old may not exactly be something to look forward to like the world tells us it is. In fact, if we just listen to what the world tells us about growing old we think it’s about retiring, spending our money on whatever, playing golf, and traveling. The truth is that the world only tells us part of the story and most of it isn’t true!
What does the Bible say about growing old? What encouragement does it offer us for getting older?
Genesis 25:5-8
Abraham gave everything he owned to his son Isaac. But before he died, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them off to a land in the east, away from Isaac. Abraham lived for 175 years, and he died at a ripe old age, having lived a long and satisfying life. He breathed his last and joined his ancestors in death.
1. Death is something we should prepare for physically and spiritually. As we get older we have a responsibility to get our houses in order. Notice also that he did everything he could to prepare his family to carry on after he was gone.
2. Think about what a difference it would make if we just decided to be satisfied with the life God has given to us? If you just decided to be satisfied with the body God has given you? Abraham lived to be 175 years old and he was satisfied with his life.
Proverbs 8:10-11
Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge over pure gold. For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can be compared with it.
1. One of the reasons we find ourselves discontent in life, particularly as we grow older, is because we have desired the wrong things in life. The Bible tells us that God gives us the desires of our hearts. Well, what are those desires? If we spend our lifetime chasing after worldly desires then we are going to be very discontent when we get older because we won’t have the most valuable desire of all and that is the knowledge of God and a relationship with him through Jesus Christ.
2. What does your heart desire? Just look at how you spend your time. Look at how you spend your money. Look at the people you spend your time with. That will tell you what your heart desires. Some of the most discontent people I know are people who desire the wrong things and the longer we do that the more discontent we become.
Isaiah 46:4
I will be your God throughout your lifetime – until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.
1. God does not give everybody a long life, but for those who believe in him who he does give a long life, he promises to love us, he promises to care for us, and he promises to walk with us every step of the way. He never gives up on us. He never abandons us. He never stops loving us! Listen to this verse again…
How do we fight sin as we grow older? Just because we grow older does not mean that we will not be tempted. Here are some practical strategies for fighting sin as we grow older:
1. Know and trust in God’s promises. The only way to do this is to read the Bible. We can either choose to listen to what the world tells us or we can listen to what God tells us. Know and trust in God’s promises, because for as long as we are alive, they will always be good!
2. Learn how to spend time with God one-on-one. Learn how to pray. Why is this important? When we get older we have a lot of time on our hands. If you spend a lot of your time staring at a television or staring at a computer and less time talking to God and listening to God, I’m afraid you will be greatly disappointed when you get older. Just think: God, I can’t watch tv anymore so can we talk now?
3. Remember that our physical sufferings are temporary. Do not let them take your eyes off of eternal life with God! Don’t let Satan use your aches and pains to train-wreck your spiritual journey.
4. Embrace every new day as a gift from God…because that’s what it is! Do you realize that neither you nor I would be here if he didn’t want us here?! Today is a gift! God has us here, even right here, for a reason; for a purpose! Every new day is a gift! Open it up with Joy!
5. Love your family and let them love you! This includes your church family. Don’t isolate yourself physically, emotionally or in any other way from the people who love you the most! One of Satan’s oldest strategies is separating sheep. Love them and let them love you! Sometimes that means letting go of our…control, power, freedom.
6. Remember that God is always with you. No matter how old you get! No matter what you’re going through! Even when you’re all alone! God promises in his word that he will always be with us. Don’t ever forget that promise!
Not all of us will be blessed with a crown of grey hair! But for those of us who are, we have to remember to prepare for our golden years spiritually too!
Make War: The Dangers of Sexual Sin
Notes from Make War: The Dangers of Sexual Sin
Today we live in a sex saturated society. Evidence of this is easily found by a quick search of the following topics on the internet. Here are some facts and statistics.
Pornography
- The #1 search term on the internet is the word “sex.”
- The total porn industry revenue for 2006: $13.3 billion in the United States
- 89% of pornography in the world is created in America.
- The most popular day of the week for viewing pornography is Sunday.
Sex Trafficking
- An estimated $9.5 billion is generated in annual revenue from all trafficking activities, with at least $4 billion attributed to the worldwide brothel industry.
- An estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked each year.
Prostitution
- At this moment there are approximately 40 million prostitutes working all over the world.
- In America around 80,000 citizens are arrested annually for soliciting sex.
Adultery
- 17% of all divorces in America are caused by adultery. (This includes Christians.)
- Around 22% of men and 14% of women have committed adultery.
Premarital Sex
- A study found that in 2002, 95% of all people who were married had sex before they were married.
- The median age for having sexual intercourse for the first time is around 17 years old.
What do these statistics and facts tell us?
- They tell us that we live in a sex saturated society where sex is viewed similar to going to a movie, going to a baseball game, or any other type of recreational activity. Just part of culture.
- Many, if not most, American adults would risk a future with a loving family…husband, wife, children…for a few moments of physical and mental stimulation.
- Sexual sinfulness is a stronghold for Satan today. Satan is using sex to destroy peoples’ lives and to destroy the Church in America. Chances are that if you look to the person sitting on either side of you that both of them have either participated in or been impacted by some type of sinful sexual activity.
- The statistics above include Christians, which means that most Christians apparently have no idea about the dangers of sexual sin, which means they either 1) have no idea what God’s word says about it or 2) they don’t care.
Three Objectives
- What does the Bible say about sex?How does sexual sin hurt us (and others)?
- What are the consequences of sexual sin?
- How can we avoid sexual sin in our own lives? (Practical strategies)
1. What does the Bible say about sex?
Matthew 19:4-6
“Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’ 5 And he said, ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’
Sex was created for marriage and marriage was created for sex! Sex isn’t bad. It’s good! We need to understand how God intended it. Sex and marriage is a part of God’s divine design. If you want to have sex, get married!
1 Corinthians 7:1-9
Now about the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to live a celibate life. 2 But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband. 3 The husband should not deprive his wife of sexual intimacy, which is her right as a married woman, nor should the wife deprive her husband. 4 The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband also gives authority over his body to his wife. 5 So do not deprive each other of sexual relations. The only exception to this rule would be the agreement of both husband and wife to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time, so they can give themselves more completely to prayer. Afterward they should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt them because of their lack of self-control. 6 This is only my suggestion. It’s not meant to be an absolute rule. 7 I wish everyone could get along without marrying, just as I do. But we are not all the same. God gives some the gift of marriage, and to others he gives the gift of singleness. 8 Now I say to those who aren’t married and to widows — it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am. 9 But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust.
God gives some people the gift of singleness and others the gift of marriage. Regardless of what we see on TV, movies, etc. we don’t all have to be sexually active. God does not expect every one of us to get married. In fact, some of us are called by God to be single forever.
If a person can’t control their sexual desires they need to get married!
Sex is one of the ways, one of the gifts, God has put in place to keep couples together! (Opposite of what Satan uses it for; Satan turned something good into something bad.)
1 Thessalonians 4:3-8
God wants you to be holy, so you should keep clear of all sexual sin. 4 Then each of you will control your body and live in holiness and honor — 5 not in lustful passion as the pagans do, in their ignorance of God and his ways. 6 Never cheat a Christian brother in this matter by taking his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before. 7 God has called us to be holy, not to live impure lives. 8 Anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human rules but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
Warning: Any type of sexual activity outside of marriage is a sin. Even lustful thinking. As human beings, we are created in the image of God, which means that we have the ability to control our bodies and live in such a way that honors God. We’re not just animals in heat.
Conclusion: The Bible has a lot to say about sex.
Main Point: God designed sex for marriage and marriage for sex. Any type of sexual activity outside of marriage is sinful.
2. What are the consequences of sexual sin?
1 Corinthians 6:18-20
Run away from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. 19 Or don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
One of the consequences of sexual sin is that we have to live with ourselves after it takes place. In fact, we have to live with ourselves long after it takes place.
Hebrews 13:4
Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.
This is very straightforward: God has the right to punish us (judge=punish) in this life or the next if we commit any type of sexual sin.
Romans 1:18-27
But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves. 19 For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. 20 From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God. 21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people, or birds and animals and snakes. 24 So God let them go ahead and do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they worshiped the things God made but not the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever. Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relationships with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men and, as a result, suffered within themselves the penalty they so richly deserved.
First of all, notice that God gets angry! We can make god angry. Not popular to tell people this today. We won’t hear this on Christian radio, but it’s true. Sexual sin, like any other sin, makes God angry.
A lifestyle of sexual sin is itself punishment for those sins. Explain: Do you really think that having sex with dozens or hundreds of people night after night, week after week, year after year is the good life? Do you think staring at a magazine or computer screen is God’s plan for your life? No.
Ephesians 5:3-5
Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes — these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is really an idolater who worships the things of this world.
Any type of sexual activity outside of marriage is sinful. “Let there be no sexual immorality…” A lifestyle of sexual sin, just like a lifestyle of any kind of sin – greed, dishonesty, whatever – leads people straight to an eternity in hell.
Key Point: Any kind of sexual activity outside of marriage is considered sexual sin in the Bible. When we commit such sins God has every right to judge us and to punish us in this life or in the next. We are guilty.
3. How do we avoid sexual sin in our own lives? Nine Real Life Strategies for Making War on Sexual Sin
- The Bible has a lot to say about sex. Open up the Bible and read what it says about sex.
- Stay away from people who try to lead you down the path of sexual sin.
- Understand that sexual sins damage to our relationship with God. (We never, ever get away with it.)
- Recognize that nobody, including God, says you have to get married!
- Guard your heart by guarding your eyes against sexual images. Turn off TV, computer, look the other way if you have to.
- Don’t be alone with a person of the opposite sex.
- Parents, pray for your children and youth; talk to them about sex; teach them what the Bible says and be an example for them to see.
- Young people, there is no imaginary line for you to cross when it comes to sex. Anything that looks like or feels like it’s inappropriate probably is.
- If lust, sexual passion, or sexual sin is a weakness for you, then ask for God’s help. God’s grace is sufficient. When we call on him for help we can always count on him to help us.
Download or listen to this message on iTunes.
Make War: Man vs. Man
Make War: Man vs. Man
Message Outline & Scriptures
(This message is available for download on iTunes.)
What is causing the arguments and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. You adulterers!Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy? But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.” So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. (NLT)
Have you noticed that in the world we live in today that there seems to be a lot of people walking around with chip on their shoulder? A lot of people seem to have axe to grind. Highlights from many games featured on ESPN include players fighting one another. If that’s not enough, just think about the fact that one of the most popular apps downloaded today is a game called Angry Birds.
The Bible has a lot to say about this topic. Proverbs offers a lot of good advice about why we argue and how we should handle ourselves whenever we disagree with someone.
Proverbs 15:1 – A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 17:14 – Starting an argument is like opening a floodgate, so stop before a dispute breaks out.
Proverbs 20:3 – Avoiding an argument is a mark of honor; only fools insist on arguing.
Proverbs 18:19 – An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars.
Proverbs 13:10 – Pride only breeds arguments, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.
Proverbs 16:18 – Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 13: 3 – Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
Proverbs 18:2 – A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.
Proverbs 22:10 – Drive out a troublemaker, and strife will go out, and arguing and abuse will cease.
Proverbs 29:11 – A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.
These Proverbs offer great advice, but they don’t take us to the root of the matter. The big question is “why?” Why do we argue? Why do we sometimes say hurtful things to people we love?
The short answer is sin. Here are three verses that better articulate what causes us to be divisive, angry and hateful towards others.
Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
James 4:1
What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?
James 1:19-21
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.
If we consider these three verses together, we can draw out several spiritual principles that help us understand why we get angry and why we sometimes say and do hurtful things to the people we love the most.
Spiritual Principle #1 Our desire to argue and fight originates in our sin-filled hearts.
Spiritual Principle #2 We say and do hurtful things because we have sin in our own hearts.
Spiritual Principle #3 Arguing or being divisive is a sign that sin is controlling our lives.
Spiritual Principle #4 Hurtful words and actions don’t only damage our relationship with whomever they’re aimed at; they damage our relationship with God.
Spiritual Principle #5 An argumentative or divisive spirit is a sure sign of sin and the power of sin in a person’s life.
So, is there ever a time when it’s okay for us to get upset with someone? Most of the time, it’s not okay. However, the Bible does offer two reasons for us to be upset with someone or stand up for what we believe. Those two reasons, and there are only two of them, are…
- When it comes to what we know to be true about God. (Doctrine)
- How we treat one another or how we live our lives. (Morality)
Consider these verses…
2 Timothy 2:23-26
Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.
1 Timothy 6:20-21
Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge. Some people have wandered from the faith by following such foolishness.
1 Corinthians 6:18
Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.
Titus 3:10-11
If people are causing divisions among you, give a first and second warning. After that, have nothing more to do with them. For people like that have turned away from the truth, and their own sins condemn them.
These verses lay out what qualifies for us to get upset about. Doctrine and morality. That’s it. Those are the only two things that qualify.
But let’s be real. Chances are that today or maybe tomorrow someone is going to say or do something to rub us the wrong way. How does God expect us to handle ourselves when we do get upset? (Even if it’s not over doctrine or morality?)
These verses spell out God’s expectations of us…
1 Peter 2:17a
Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters.
Romans 12:18
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
But wait. What if someone purposefully does us wrong or hurts us?
Psalm 37:1-4
Don’t worry about the wicked. Don’t envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like springtime flowers, they soon wither. Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.
Romans 12:19-21
Dear friends, never get revenge. Leave that to God. For it is written, “I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,” says the Lord. Instead, do what the Scriptures say: “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you.” Don’t let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.
Let me make two big points from these verses. First of all, God commands us to have an attitude of respectfulness towards other people; Even people who are different from us; even non-believers. Period. It’s not okay for believers to walk around with a chip on our shoulders. God expects us to respect everybody – even people who look different or believe differently from us.
Secondly, but equally as important, God has high expectations of how we handle ourselves whenever we get upset. To fly off the handle or say something sharp back to a person isn’t okay. God expects more of us. God expects us to live lives that are holy; lives that reflect God’s holiness to others.
One last passage…one day Jesus was questioned by a group of Pharisees about what it means to live a holy life. He was asked what makes a person unholy or unclean…
Don’t you understand?” Jesus asked him. 17 “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes out of the body. But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the person who says them. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all other sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. (Matthew 15:16-20a)
The reason we say things and do things that hurt other people is because we have sin in our own hearts. It’s not because other people say or do things to set us off. That’s just a temptation that Satan uses to pull the sin out from within us. By the way, you can’t squeeze water out of a dry sponge. Whenever we sin, it comes from inside of us.
The Bible gives us clear guidelines for how to get along with others and how to handle ourselves when we get upset.
The Bible makes it clear that when we get angry over trivial things, it’s because we have sin in our own hearts. And when we have sin in our hearts, we’re not okay with God.
Don’t let the sin in your life run or ruin your life. Don’t let the sin in your life destroy your relationship with the people you love the most. MAKE WAR.