with me this morning to Luke chapter 15, Luke the 15th chapter, and I'm going to try to speak to you about the parable of the prodigal son. Luke chapter 15. In this parable, you're very familiar with it, we will read the text as we go along, but in this parable, the father represents the Lord our God, our Heavenly Father, who is the source of all grace and salvation, who loves us, who gave himself, gave his son to redeem us, who sacrificed the darling of his heart for our everlasting salvation.

The elder brother represents religious hypocrites, self-righteous moralists, men and women who have a profession of life and faith toward God, but have no knowledge of God. Many women who deem themselves righteous, but in reality have no righteousness. Many women who deem themselves upstanding examples of what godliness and righteousness and faith and commitment is, but in reality know nothing of godliness, righteousness, faith, or commitment toward God.

And the product The prodigal represents every sinner saved by God's free grace. Publicans and sinners chosen and redeemed by God Almighty, called in time by his grace. Prodigals who are made in God's providence and grace to know their sin, to know their depravity, to know their need of Jesus Christ. Only those who like the prodigal are made to know themselves sinners, will ever trust the Son of God. Only those who, like the prodigal, are brought down by God's providence, will ever be lifted up by the hand of his grace. Only those who, like the prodigal, who are lost and find themselves utterly lost, will ever be found and brought back home to the Lord God by faith in Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.

Now give me your attention as I tell you the story of the particle sun one more time. In doing so, I want to show you God's method of grace. The method of grace by which God Almighty effectually brings his lost sons to himself. Every part of the parable is very, very instructive. I want to show you as we go through this parable, four distinct lessons taught in the parable. There are lessons we need to learn. There are lessons that we need to lay to heart by the grace of God. Here our Lord Jesus Christ shows us by parable how pleasing it is to God to save sinners by His matchless grace. Oh, what a blessed, blessed message. It is pleasing to God Almighty, pleasing to God Almighty to save sinners by His matchless free grace in Jesus Christ the Lord.

All right, let's read verses 11, 12, and 13 together. Luke chapter 15, verse 11. The Lord Jesus is speaking, and he said, A certain man had two sons. Those two sons represent all mankind. A certain man had two sons, the chosen and the reprobate, the redeemed and the damned. the lost and the saved. The younger of them said unto his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotousness."

of all the parables, this is my favorite, because this parable speaks of my experience, both physically, literally, and spiritually. I have been where this prodigal son is. I have walked the path he walked. I have been with him in the fields, seeking to satisfy the cravings of a man's soul with the husk of this world. and found no one capable of supplying what I needed or willing to supply. And I've been with him in base humiliation. And I've been with him on the road back to the father's house. And bless God, I've been with him in the embrace of his father, who fell on his neck and kissed him and kissed him and kissed him.

Here we see a lesson that needs to be fully, fully grasped by us. Every one of you need to grasp it. The youngest child here needs to get this lesson. All of us, by nature, are proud rebels, and sooner or later, our pride and rebellion will show itself. You got that? All of us, by nature, every one of us, are proud And sooner or later, our pride and rebellion will show itself.

The prodigal displayed his pride and rebellion in a life of publicacy and licentiousness. The elder brother, to the outward appearance of man's understanding of things, to man's perception of things, the father apparently in the parable clearly understood what this elder boy was all about. But in the perception of men as a general rule, the elder brother, he showed himself to be the outstanding example of what a son ought to be.

But this elder brother, in his behavior and morality, displayed his pride and rebellion in his self-will, self-righteousness, and self-centeredness. I was talking to someone the other day, and such a good man." I said, not even. He's not even. His life centers around himself. Everything he does is for himself. Everything he thinks is for himself. He gives no consideration to anybody but himself. That's not a good man. That's a man who wants you to think he's good. All the difference in the world. You understand that?

This elder brother was a proud, self-centered, self-seeking, self-serving rebel, and yet he stands as though he is the model, an example of morality. The prodigal displays his corruption, the older brother seeks to hide it, but he was equally as corrupt and sinful as the prodigal. And my friends, sooner or later, the pride and rebellion of your heart against God will show its ugly face. Now you can bank on it.

It is the youngest son in this parable who first catches our attention. He is the obvious rebel. He is the man who appears to be a thankless, ungrateful wretch. In this younger son's conduct, we have a clear, clear representation of the pride and rebellion of our hearts by nature. In fact, this is what the Scripture says concerning us. Turn to Mark chapter 7. Mark chapter 7. I want you to see this plainly falling from the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a picture of your heart and mine by nature. This is a picture of your children and mine. This is a picture of your grandbabies and any I might have. This is a picture of the elder brother and the prodigal alike.

The elder brother hides it under a cloak of religious pretense, the prodigal exposes it in his licentious behavior, but this is what they both were. Mark chapter 7 and verse 21. The Lord Jesus is speaking, and he says, from within, out of the heart of men. Notice he did not say, out of the hearts of men, but the heart of men. That means around your heart and mine just alike. Out of the heart of men.

Proceed evil thoughts. They didn't come from looking at too many dirty magazines. Though you ought not look at dirty magazines. But that's not where they came from. The evil thoughts came out of your heart. thoughts perceived from within the heart—adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness—all these things come from within and defile the man.

So this particle is just a representation of what we are by nature. And look at what this younger son did. Following the natural birth and inclination of his heart, he rebelled against his father. What was the problem here? The problem was very simple. The young man hated his father. That was the problem.

There are lots of things that fellows look at and want to excuse why a boy does this, why he does that. The problem, the problem, is he hates God. That's the problem. That's the problem. The problem's not because he was abused as a child, or abandoned as a child, or forsaken by this person or that as a child. The problem's not that he was this, and he was that, or he was exposed to this, exposed to that.

The problem! The problem! Rebellion springs from the heart, because man in his heart hates God Almighty. And that's true of everybody here. Everybody here. The carnal mind is enmity against God. Enmity against God.

Now, quit trying to find excuses for you behaving as you behave, thinking as you think, acting like you act. There are no excuses for it. The problem is in your heart. Your heart, by nature, is full of evil, because your heart, by nature, is full of enmity against God Almighty. That's the fact. That's the fact. I recognize that preachers, and psychologists, and psychiatrists, and philosophers, and everybody under the shining sun, because Mama wants to think her little boy is the one exception to this thing of depravity. Everybody tries to make Mama think that somebody else is at fault here. There's some problem that can't possibly be. Your little boy, your little girl, is a vile, wretched, fallen son of an animal. That's the problem. That's the problem. Your little boy is, your little girl is, so is mine. This preacher is, and so are you. Our hearts, by nature, are enmity against God. The Scripture does not say our hearts are at enmity against God. That's not it. Our hearts, in the essence of our being, do you hear that? In the essence of our being, are enmity against God. That's the problem. That's the problem.

This boy despised his father's authority, because his father's authority was but a representation of God's authority. He wanted his independence, he wanted the liberty to do his own thing, to gratify his own desires, to take control of his own life. It is written in the scriptures, the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject unto the law of God, neither indeed can it be.

this irreverent, impudent, haughty, snot-nosed boy. That's what he is. Doesn't matter whether he's fifteen, sixteen, or thirty-five, or forty, it doesn't matter. This impudent, impudent, snot-nosed boy demanded his portion of his father's estate. In other words, he says, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. Give me the portion of goods that falleth to me."

As though that's your boys were to look at you and say, now, Dad, I realize you've worked hard and you've made a good living and you've got this piece of property and that piece of property and you've got the business here. Now, I don't buy property. You don't have a part. You don't have a part. Sorry to tell you, son. You don't have a plane to dance for you. You don't have a plane to dance properly. That's a matter of charity.

But this boy, he presumes, he presumes he's got a right to take what he wants. It's just obligated on his father's part to give him something. And that's just exactly the way many women presume on God. Is it not? Well, God must do this. You know, God must behave this way. God is obliged to give you nothing but wrath, nothing but judgment, nothing but condemnation. The wages of sin, that's what you've earned, is death. And God, in justice, must give you what you've earned. In justice, he must give you what you've earned. He must either pay his debt to you, in your person, or in a substitute, one of the two.

of the two. This young man was tired of his father's authority and discipline. He wanted to be out from under his father's restraining eye. He didn't trust his father's management of his affairs. He was proud, conceited, self-sufficient. I know I've been there. I've been there.

Kids want mom and dad to support them while they leave home. Get up under your daddy's eye, and I'll go over here and live now, but you pay the bills. Daddy, you're crazy if you do. I'm just telling you head-to-head, you're flying crazy if you do. Now, I don't want to live under your rule. I don't want you telling me what to do. I don't want to obey your principles. I don't want to worship your God, but I don't want you to take care of me while I go over here and do my thing.

Well, that's utter nonsense. That is utter nonsense. But mamas and daddies these days, oh, well, you know, you have to. I sure do. I know because I've been there. The reason your boy wants to get out from your house is because he don't want you to tell him what to do. The reason they want to get their wings, they think they want to be free.

This prodigal found out what his freedom got to. How many there are like the common sin of mankind, the root of all evil. We all want to be God. We all want to live by our own laws. None of us wants to be answerable to anyone. I hear fellas, they talk about jobs. A fella comes home and tells his wife, well, I quit my job today. How come? Well, I ain't going to answer that fella. If he signs the check, you better answer to him. And if God Almighty feeds and clothes you, you better recognize you're going to answer to Him.

But we want to answer to nobody. We want to be our own gods. We want to exercise our own rule. That was Lucifer's problem when he fell from heaven. It was pride that drove Adam from the garden, and pride that drug our souls into this wretched condition called the habit. And it's pride that will drag you at last to Hell.

As soon as man comes forth from the womb, He comes forth speaking lies, like this prodigal. Goes astray as soon as he is born. All we like sheep have gone astray. We've turned everyone to his own way. That's our nature. As soon as this prodigal got his father's money, off he was. He gathered it all together. Oh, look here, look here. And he gathered it up and went into a far country.

just as far away from Dad as he could get. Just as far away from Dad as Dad's money would Just as far away from Dad's restraining eye, just as far away from Dad's influence, just as far away from Dad as he could possibly get, let me get down here where nobody knows me, nobody knows my dad, nobody knows my mother, nobody knows anything about me, and I can just live like hell and have a good time. Just get far away, far off.

I'm going to tell you something. Every one of you here without Christ have fled far off And it is your nature to continue to flee. And you will never, never, never, of your own accord, of your own will, by your own strength, with your own ingenuity and wisdom, turn back to God. Won't do it. You won't do it. You see, man's problem is that he has fled so far off from God in sin and rebellion and ungodliness and self-will that he doesn't know the way back. He has no understanding of the way back. Even should he have a desire to return to God, he doesn't know who God is or where he is. Doesn't know how to find him. And he can't turn back. He has no inclination to, and no strength to. Man by nature is far off from God.

And then look how the prodigal conducted himself. We're told that there he wasted his substance. I look at young men and women, you young people here, sometimes moms and dads too, and I see you waste your lives. You take the talent, the energy, your strength, your brains, and you waste them on that which will never satisfy you.

I ask anybody here, man, woman, boy, girl, anybody here, old or young, anybody here, where is anything you have ever labored hard to find, given much to get, sacrificed to obtain, Where is anything in this world you finally got it and said that's enough? If you found it, I'll sit down and let you preach. I'm telling you the truth. Anybody here? That's enough! I want no more! You take your lives and you waste them! Waste them in this world. Just waste them. Just waste them.

Soon as you get something, you know, you get a new car. Oh, man, I got this new car. Before the new smell gets out of it, you, boy, I wish I had one like that. Get your new house, get it all fixed up, and before the smell of the carpet being laid is gone, you don't have to think I won't change that carpet. I want to change that. I want to change this. I want to get something new here. This doesn't satisfy me anymore. Doesn't please me anymore.

Listen to this. Turn back to Isaiah 55. Isaiah 55. Listen to what God says. Verse 2. Do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which satisfies not?" Isn't that dumb, Bob? Isn't that dumb? Isn't that smart? That's not smart. Man labors all his life for that which will not satisfy. He spends everything he's got, all his energy, all his strength, for that which will give no bread to the soul, nothing to satisfy.

He's so opossum he's taken that out of context. Bring it up. And ee ee that which is good. Harken diligently unto me, he says, Let your soul delight itself in fatness. Man's talking about spiritual things. Man's talking about, he's talking about comparing carnal with spiritual, eternal with temporal. Don't set your heart on that which will not satisfy you.

You wonder why the young people are so prone to drunkenness and drugs and revelry? You wonder why? Well, boy, they've got peer pressure. No, they've got parent pressure. They've got parent pressure. Mom and dad demonstrate continually that there's nothing that will satisfy them. I've got to keep getting more, get more, get more, get more. And the kid says, well, mom and dad live for more and more and more. I'll live for pleasure too. And they're taught by example to live for pleasure. My pleasure. my pleasure.

" But your pleasure will soon bring you to misery. This prodigal's pleasure was soon ended, and misery began. And I want to tell you, whether you're talking about drugs and drunkenness and prosecution, or whether you're talking about influence and power and money, it doesn't matter. Soon that which you're seeking will bring you to misery. I promise you. I promise you. Look at verse 14. And when it's sent off, I can't tell you how many times in the course of the past 26, 27 years, I've had folks come to me, young and old, and say, Brother Don, I wish I'd listened to you. And you look at them like a father looks at his son or daughter who comes home broken hearted and says, boy, I wish I'd listened to you. And you look at them with broken hearts and say, I wish you'd listened to me. I shouldn't have listened to you. Listen to me sooner or later. You will have spent all and found nothing.

You remember that woman with an issue of blood? For twelve years, she kept going to physicians of no value and she had spent all. She spent her all on physicians of no value. A picture, folks, going from religious experience to religious experience, from church to church, looking for something and finding nothing. He spent everything on his wild lust. Get what I want! Get what I want! Get what I want! Boy, this thing's good! And then he spent on it. And there arose a mighty famine in that land. And he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country. and he sent him into the fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husk that the swine did eat, and no man gave him to him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hard servants at my father's house have bread enough and to spare? And I perished with I will rise and go to my Father, and say unto my Father, I sinned against heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hired servants."

Now, here's the lesson. Before you will ever seek the mercy and grace of God through the merits of Jesus Christ the Lord, you must be brought down. in his tough business. God humbles before he exhausts. God slays before he makes alive. God strips before he clothes. God brings you down before he lifts you up. And the come down, I promise you, is never easy. So not all must be brought down like this prodigal was in debasing immorality. Oh I pray God he'll keep you from that. But I'm going to be as honest as I can possibly be with you. I pray for you like I prayed for my own daughter. All her life God keep her from the evil that's in her. But Lord God, whatever it takes to bring her to you, that's what I want. And whatever it takes to bring you to Christ, that's what I want. That's what I want. He knows best.

Now God knows how to bring you down. You'd be wise to bow right where you are, acknowledging your sins, confessing your depravity, and cast yourself on the mercy of God in Christ. But you're gonna come down. Either in grace or in judgment, but you're gonna come down. Our Lord came to Zacchaeus and he said, Zacchaeus, come down. But today, I must abide at your house." And he says to every chosen sinner, come down, and he'll bring you down. Read the 107th Psalm again. I recognize that providential judgment alone will never change your heart. Won't do. That's the reason I don't chase ambulances. No need to call me and ask me about I ain't going to do it. I ain't going to do it. I'm not going to deceive him or deceive you. I'm not going to do it. I'll talk with you when your senses are about you. And I'll talk with you plain about your responsibilities before God. But I'm not going to try to con you into making a profession of faith or anybody else. Not going to happen. Not going to happen. I'm telling you, God Almighty knows how to bring sinners down, and He will use providence, but providential judgment alone will never change your heart. Never. Along with that judgment of providence, so that you're made to deal to and fro like a drunken man cast here and there, not knowing where you're going, not knowing what you're about. You're utterly, utterly incapable of, incapable of seeing anything straight, seeing anything as it is.

Then God speaks in his grace. And it's the grace of God that leads you to repentance. Isaiah said, I call on the Lord. And then he came down. Do you see what I'm talking about? If you ever see it, if you ever see it, you'll break your heart, because it'll make you see what you are. You'll cry, oh, Lord, oh my God, oh my God, I am exactly, exactly what I most knew I am.

fellow was listening to one of our, is that bad? And he kept listening. Can you listen to him in conference? Hey, I see it is that bad. It is that nothing in you, nothing in me, but iniquity. Nothing in us but rebellion against God. Nothing in us by nature that God Almighty can look upon with approval, only corruption! And until you see it, you'll never look to Christ as your Savior. Never. You've got to come down to your self-sufficiency, your pride, your self-righteousness. You've got to come down in your heart and be amazed in your own eyes.

Now mark the prodigal steps of humiliation. First, he spent all. And then we're told there arose a mighty famine in that land, after he spent everything he had, after he had nothing. Because there was a famine in the land, he couldn't produce anything. Though you may not know it, there is a mighty famine in the city of Mansoul. You're hungry, you're And there's nothing you can do. Nowhere to go. There's abandon in his life. You're guilty of sin, but you can't satisfy God's justice. You owe God righteousness, but you've got nothing with which to pay. Your heart and soul cry out for peace, but you can't find peace. And you have no strength to help yourself or change your condition.

And when this famine arose in the land that he had spent all, he began to be in want. Oh no, that's a good state to be in. He began to be in want. A fellow asked me this week one day, he said, why do you reckon? Why do you reckon it is? Folks don't come to church. I said, I know why they don't come. You do too? How come? Because they ain't hungry. That's all. That's all. I promise you. I promise you. I make this promise to you. Everybody here who is aware of the gospel being preached here tonight, if they're hungry, it's 6.30 to be sitting out here. Everybody who's hungry. But if you're not hungry, I don't care for any of it. Somebody pass the bit? No, I've had sufficient. I don't care for any more. No, thank you. I'm not hungry. No, I'm not hungry. Don't worry anymore. Don't worry anymore. I've got all I need. I'm not hungry. That's exactly why folks don't come.

Oh, but when you begin to be involved. Oh God, I've got to have a word from you. I've got to have Christ. I've got to have grace. I've got to have pardon. I've got to have your grace, or I'll perish. I've got to have it. This prodigal began to be in want. And then he messed up. He went and joined himself to a citizen of that country. Poor, deluded soul, tried to save himself. He's exactly right. He went and John Gill said he was a self-righteous, pharisaic preacher of legalism. He said, now, prodigal son, boy, you sure messed up. You're a mess. You're a mess. I tell you, I can imagine how kind of a condition you're in, but it'll be all right. You go out in my fields now and you work for me, and you can soon make it up. You'll find out you can just put yourself right back up into social good standings and everybody will approve of you. You know, you go out there and read your Bible and pray. And you come to church and cry out, and you start doing good instead of laying out drunk on Saturday night. You start behaving like that too, rather than living in viciousness. And you'll find out everything will be all right.

And so he went out in the fields and tried feeding the hogs with those husks. And thought he would fill his belly with the husk that the swine did eat. But there's nothing in it to satisfy his belly. And besides that, no man gave him anything. No man gave him anything.

It's a sad but true picture of man. Feeling some need, he makes some resolutions. He makes some determinations. He decides he's going to change things. I'll tell you what I'm going to do. Tell you what I'm going to do. This is what I'm going to do. I've listened to fellas make a mess of things. Preaching this is what I'm going to do. I'll just bank on it. If I were a betting man, I'd bet my next year's salary against a donut. It ain't going to do it. It ain't going to do it.

I'll tell you what I'm going to do. Oh, but find me a man. I see Christ and I don't know what to do! I'll just, if I were a bent man, I'd bent my neck since I read to a donut, he'll be here till he finds the Savior. Gigante. Gigante.

At last, this prodigal found nothing. And he came to himself. When he came to himself, he was faced with a sober, humbling realization. He had been a terribly sinful fool, and he said, I'm going to go back to my father. I'm going to go back to where the source of the trouble is, and I'm going to tell him, Oh, I count it great grace. I count it, I count it the greatest, greatest mercy, if you just let me live in your house like one of your hired servants.

It is the blessed work of God, the Holy Spirit, which brings the sinner to himself and makes him see what he is, seeing. Makes him see that the only hope is grace. makes them see that the fullness of God's grace and mercy is in Jesus Christ the Lord. That's the turning point.

I want to baptize Jenny here in just a few minutes, Lord willing. A few months ago, several months ago, she started coming to me once in a while, asking questions, I needed that message. I want to know this, I want to know that. And my counsel to her is be here, hear the word, seek God, seek his grace. And ask God to show mercy.

When you come to her yourself, When God empties you, that's a crucial point. Crucial point. You'll either turn to the Master and seek mercy through Christ's blood and righteousness alone, or you'll turn away altogether. You'll turn away altogether.

and he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, had compassion, ran, fell on his neck, kissed him, and the son said unto him, Father, I've sinned against heaven in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

Here's the third lesson. Every awakened sinner, awakened by grace, will arise and come to God, seeking mercy through Jesus Christ. Everyone. Everyone. We need soul winners classes, teach folks how to teach sinners to pray and say the right thing when they walk down the aisle. No, no we don't. Those soul winners' classes are soul deceivers' classes, I promise you. We don't have an altar down here. I was talking to an old man, I was so honored, a 78-year-old preacher, used to pastor the church where I was preaching, came to hear me every night he could down there this week, and he said, now they're just, he's just glowing, he's enjoying the preaching. And he said, I like what you had to say about that altar. He said, I told folks, they asked me down here years ago, they said, why don't you have an altar down there? He said, you build an altar, you've got to bring a sacrifice, and we're not going to bring any sacrifices. Our altar's not down here! Singular!

And I tell you what, you find out you need him, you'll find your way to him. You'll find your way to him. You cry out for mercy! comes to the Savior, a picture of a sinner coming to God, hopeful, hopeful that God will have mercy upon him. He didn't know what he was going to meet when he got home. I recall the first time I left home when I was a boy, I decided I'd had enough of mom and dad telling me what to do. I'd had enough of me getting my behind blistered. I'd had enough of folks ruling over me, I'd had enough of being punished for doing what I wasn't supposed to do, I'd just had enough! I'd leave home. And I got a little hungry. And I got myself thrown in jail. And it was either call home and go face mama, or deal with the jail. And frankly, I'd rather deal with the jail. And that's why I chose, until they found out where mama was. I wasn't that, nothing they're going to do to compare what mama's going to do to them. I knew when I got home, I just knew when I got home, she wasn't going to run and fall on my neck and kiss me. I knew that wasn't what she had in mind. I knew my mother pretty good. And when I got home, she didn't run and fall on my neck. Well, she did, but it wasn't with kisses.

But this prodigal, he comes home and he says, maybe, maybe, maybe my father will let me come and work for him. Maybe. Maybe he'll make me as one of his higher servants.

The sinner convicted of his sin, like this prodigal, comes and ventures his soul upon the mercy of God. You make me whole. You. You can save me or die me, it's up to you, but I got no hope but you.

But you've got better hope than a thoracal head, because this is what the Father says, speaking by his Son, in that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. That means if you believe in the word of God. He that believeth hath everlasting life. you wouldn't believe on the sun.

Here is a God willing to forgive sin. When he was yet a great way off, his father saw it, and had compassion, and ran, fell on his I've told you many times, as far as I've been able to find out, this is the only place in the Bible, the only place in the Bible, where you have any indication of God Almighty ever getting in or out of there. Only place.

When Satan said, I will take over, God said, you ain't doing nothing. He said, this is the purpose. When Adam's seen in the garden, the Lord came walking to the garden and said, Adam, where art thou? But here, here, is a sinner coming to God for mercy. And God Almighty steps up off this lofty throne and runs to meet the sinner to show him mercy.

Oh, now I understand those words. He delighteth in mercy. He delighted in mercy. God Almighty delights to show mercy to penitent souls. The father saw it. He saw who he was, where he was. He saw what he'd done, what he'd been. Fact is, his father never ceased to be aware of it.

you read the parable closely, you'll find that toward the end of the parable here, when the prodigal came home, the father was expecting him home. Fatty cab was in the stall, rope was ready, shoes prepared, ring fixed, everything ready. That prodigal had been the object of his father's constant care ever since the day he left home, though he didn't know anything about it.

I'm reading a little between the lines. Allow me a little The father said to one of his servants, now, my boy, my boy is fixing to make misery for himself, and you watch him, and you keep a report back to me. And go ahead and let him, go ahead and let him ruin himself. Go ahead and let him destroy himself. Go ahead and let him destroy his name, his character, his reputation, Everything but his life. Everything but his life. You watch out there, boy. Don't you let anything happen to him. Don't you let anything happen to him.

Now, I admit, that's speculation, but this is the truth. Lindsay Campbell, the angels of God were ordained of God from eternity. to be ministering spirits sent forth to minister to your soul while you live in the day and the life." Hebrews 1.14. Ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who shall be the heirs of salvation. I think one of the wonders of heaven will be the astonishment of our souls at how God has sent his angels to watch over and protect us while we live with our fists shut square in his face.

And the Father had compassion on him. He ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And I read this Bible reads like he was giving a kiss, and that's it. No, no. He fell on his neck and kissed me. Kissed me. Kissed me. Kissed me. The nearest picture I can get of this. I have a picture taken of Shelby and Faith. Y'all remember when we went to Australia a few years ago. It was tough on Faith. She was just a teenager. And we'd never been apart that long enough, Shelby and I together for three weeks. And didn't realize just how tough it was on the faith until we got home. And they met us at the airport. And I mean to tell you, I've got a picture of him. I've seen it in the Life Magazine winning contest, but I figured I could get it back. But I've got a picture of him, crying and laughing, laughing and crying. His face is red. And there was not any anger. And none of the angels. Just laughter, and crying, and crying, and laughter. Delighted! Delighted! Delighted to be in one another's embrace again.

But what about Satan? The father doesn't say a word about it. The only one who talks about it is the son. What about guilt? The father doesn't say a word about it. The only one who talks about it is the son. What about all you've done wrong? The father doesn't say a word about it. All who talk about it is the son. The one who's done the wrong. That's all. That's all.

Now here's one last thing. Every sinner who comes to God, that means Every sinner who comes to God by faith in Jesus Christ shall be welcomed into the Father's house and accepted as his own son. The prodigal is here received without a word of anger, without a word of warning, without a word about his past sins, without any chastisement, he just received freedom. You see, coming to God by faith in Christ, we are fully restored to the family of God as His sons. Untraditional. Untraditional. That means nothing will ever change this relationship. God gives us the imputed work of Christ, or the finished work of Christ imputed to us. He says, says to his servants, bring my robe, the best robe, the best robe. I know what it is. It has the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ by his obedience and his love, as I say to you. Put it on. Put it on. Apply it to me. Bring the rave. Rave. O.J. and Becky are fixing to get married Saturday night. Big day. Symbol of an endless love. No beginning, no end. That's God's love for us. Endless love. Enduring that hope. And bring the shoes! The family shoes! The preparation of the gospel of peace! Put them on him!

He doesn't say, bring the robe, the ring, the shoes, and set them there so he can put them on. Oh, no, no, no. He says, you bring Christ's perfect righteousness, and you so put it on Bobby S. that Babi Estes is made to know its feet. You bring the reed, and slip it on his finger, so he knows I've loved him and was never last in love. You bring the shoes, and put them on his feet, so that he knows his feet are shod with the gospel of free grace.

And God gives us complete reconciliation. Let's read here, beginning at verse 22. The father interrupts the son and said to his servants, bring forth the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet, and bring hither the fatty calf. Bring the gospel feast, Jesus Christ and him crucified. Let us kill it, that one who was sacrificed for us, and let us eat and be merry. Feast upon the blood and the righteousness of the Son of God. is alive again.

He was lost, and they began to make merry. The father, and the son, and all the servants, everybody, everybody except for one fellow. Everybody except for one fellow. There's one fellow there who had no idea what was going on. That self-righteous, pharisaic, holier-than-thou, reprobate elder brother. What's this? That boy's been living with That boy stole everything you've got. Wasting his substance and life's dignity. Now you're making a party for him?

He didn't understand that the Father and the Son enter the family. He didn't understand forgiveness because he had never experienced He didn't understand rejection. He'd never experienced it. He didn't understand acceptance in a substitute. He'd never experienced it. Did you? You come to Jesus Christ, believing on the Son of God, right where you sit. And I tell you, it doesn't matter who you are, what you've done, or where you've been. You are now. the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ.