"And He said, "A man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate living recklessly. Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he was desiring to be fed with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! I will rise up and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.’" So he rose up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet, and bring the fattened calf, slaughter it, and let us eat and celebrate, for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.
"Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. And summoning one of the servants, he began inquiring what these things could be. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he became angry and was not wanting to go in, and his father came out and began pleading with him. But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and never have I neglected a command of yours. And yet never have you given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ And he said to him, ‘Child, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and is alive, and was lost and has been found.’"
Good Morning my beloved,
We welcome you to worship today in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for joining us today, whether it's your first time or you are a faithful member of our family in Christ, your presence is acknowledged and truly appreciated.
There is fear and panic occurring in virtually every corner of our world, because the heart of man, is not just flawed, it is according to Jeremiah 17:9, "deceitful, above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" Implying that the most righteous appearing among men, cannot understand even his own heart. The thoughts, emotions, and motives of the human heart is inherently evil and is prone to deception. In other words, man will always lie, he will always cheat, he will always kill and he will always hate and make war, because man, being naturally wicked, is incapable of changing himself. Because man is incapable of becoming better on his own, Scripture teaches the world cannot get better and is therefore, rapidly spiraling on a downward trajectory in human history, heading toward its impending and inevitable "end.
In 2 Timothy 3:1–13, the apostle Paul, nearing the end of his earthly life, very accurately describes man's increasing moral decay: "Perilous times will come" marked by selfishness, love of money, pride, disobedience and ungodliness. I can with all certainly declare with utmost confidence, we are indeed living in perilous times. Anybody who is incapable of seeing the impending doom, really isn’t looking because it is very clearly there, it is all around us. In Ephesians 6, the biblical picture of the Christian life is pictured as warfare, where we are commanded to "put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm." We are living in the Last Days. Though no one knows for certain the day or the hour of our Lord's return, His return is imminent and He will come like a thief in the night, meaning at a time you do not expect. If you haven't fully surrendered your life to Christ, there's no time like the present. You are not obligated to believe me, but I am obligated to warn you, today, we are closer than we have ever been in human history to that glorious day for some, and for others, it will be the most horrific day one could ever imagine. You are not obligated to believe me, but I am obligated to warn you.
The Good News is, Scripture does not teach that the world is irreparably doomed or that God is powerless to act. The Bible is clear, the world is not going to get better until Christ returns. I believe that the first sign that Scripture teaches, that clearly indicates we are moving toward the end of man's age and toward the Great and terrible Day of the Lord, when God’s ultimate justice will be executed, is that the world will not be at peace, lawlessness will continue to increase at an unprecedented rate, unlike anything like the world, as we know it, has ever before seen. This growing lawlessness is not random; but is a divinely ordained sign that a world ruled by Satan, is unraveling; unprecedented crime, violence, erosion of truth, false teaching are all the direct result of humanity’s rebellion against God. Even though many world leaders have attempted to create a peaceful environment, with all their peace treaties, historically, within a short period of time they have all failed. How can I confidently declare this? Because the world can never truly know peace until Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, the only source of true peace, returns. According to Scripture there is a mystery of lawlessness at work, which is hidden and will someday be revealed in full. Because right now, the Holy Spirit is in the world restraining lawlessness. But, when that restraining influence stops when the church is taken out, and someday soon it will be taken out, lawlessness will be everywhere, we're only getting a small taste of that right now. Then, according to 2 Thessalonians 2:8, "that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming."
Jerusalem surrounded by armies. Every day there's new of a war going on, or the threat of one. Just look at what's going on in the Middle East with Iran. Wars and rumors of wars. Global preaching of the Gospel. The Gospel is being preached in more countries around the world than ever before. Persecution of Christians, is happening on a scale that I've never seen before in my lifetime. More than 388m Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. Just check out the latest statistic at Open Door International. While Jesus explicitly stated that no one knows the exact day or hour of His return (Mark 13:32), He made it abundantly clear that when you start seeing all of these things occurring on a global scale, look up, the end is near. I believe personally believe that the world is going to exist under a digital currency and perhaps an RFID chip, because that's the only way they can control what you can buy or sell under the Anti-Christ, if you refuse to take the Mark of the Beast. And, I believe it will probably be a police or military ran environment, so they can control lawlessness and if you refuse to take the Mark of the Beast, they'll hunt you down and kill you. Let's not forget false teaching and apostasy, it has reach the point I've never ever seen in my lifetime, entire denominations rejecting the Scriptures that was once their principal tenets and doctrine to subscribe to the doctrines of demons.
Let's pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, we humbly thank You for Your Word, one of the greatest riches of being a Christian is to be able to comprehend Truth, so that we might share the Truth with others in order that they may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name and live in light of the Truth. Help us Lord to know that even in these difficult days in which we are living, that You are working out Your divine purpose; and we rest in Your compassionate character. Thank You for helping us, through Your Spirit, our resident teacher, to be able put the pieces together, so that we might know that it really isn’t very much longer until Christ's glorious return. As we look at the world around us, we are ready, but we know there's still much work to do. Father, fill our hearts with anticipation while we wait. We ask and pray these things in Christ's Name for Your glory and His sake.
Amen.
Today's Message: You Gotta Have Grace -
Proverbs 6:16–19 says "God detests a lying tongue," He particularly detests a lying tongue that claims to speak for Him, while distorting the Truth, misrepresenting Him. The Bible warns, in Proverbs 12:22, "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord" and God clearly states those who speak falsely in His name will face severe judgment.
Proverbs 6:16–19 says "God detests a lying tongue," He particularly detests a lying tongue that claims to speak for Him, while distorting the Truth, misrepresenting Him. The Bible warns, in Proverbs 12:22, "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord" and God clearly states those who speak falsely in His name will face severe judgment.
Scripture is the ultimate Authority in matters, while personal experiences are certainly relevant, they have no bearing whatsoever on Truth, since Jesus christ, Who is the same yesterday. today and forever and makes no exceptions for current social trends, which is why I believe God graciously provided us with a written standard, inspired by the Holy Spirit. That said, we have absolutely no need to speculate what God thinks or "feels" about any matter or what He requires of His people. 1 Peter 1:15, "but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your conduct"
Ephesians 5:3-11, "But sexual immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; nor filthiness and foolish talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no one sexually immoral or impure or greedy, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them, for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of that light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. And do not participate in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead even expose them."
God calls His people live holy lives, Ephesians 5:3–11 emphasizes that that those who persist in such sins, however, this is not all inclusive list, but general list, that will not inherit the kingdom of God, and warns that God’s wrath falls upon the "sons of disobedience" because of these behaviors. Paul's warning serves to guard against deception by those who speak "empty words" that downplay the seriousness of sin. Followers of Christ, are therefore expected to actively discern what pleases the Lord, no longer participating in the deeds of darkness, but to walk as Christ Himself walked, now that they are in Christ, and He is in them. Scripture teaches that a habitual lifestyle characterized by these sins, especially when accompanied by pride, self-righteousness, and a lack of repentance, reveals an unregenerate heart, in spite of whatever claim to faith one might make, as the unregenerate heart as inherently sinful and deceitful, full of iniquity and inclined toward rebellion against God. A lifestyle of habitual sin contradicts the transformative work and the presence of the Holy Spirit, since true regeneration produces a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26) and a life increasingly conformed to Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. In
2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul urges those who profess to follow Christ to "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?" Biblical salvation is a complete transformation, involving both an immediate spiritual rebirth (justification) and an ongoing process of sanctification. Scripture teaches that unless you have been transformed, you have no relationship with God . Let that sink in. From the moment that a person places faith in Christ, they experience a radical, instantaneous change—they are declared righteous (justification), made alive spiritually (Ephesians 2:4–5), and become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Scripture makes very clear that no transformation is optional or superficial. In fact, is the very evidence of foundation of salvation and proof of one having a relationship with God. Jesus emphasized the absence of transformation is a severe warning sign. In Matthew 7:21–23, He stated that not everyone who says "Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom, but only those who do the will of His Father."
Open your Bibles with me to the Gospel of Luke, Luke chapter 15. Luke chapter 15, verses eleven through thirty-two. I encourage you to follow along with me as I read these twenty-one verses with an open heart to set the text in minds. Luke 15:11-32.
"And He said, "A man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate living recklessly. Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he was desiring to be fed with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! I will rise up and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.’" So he rose up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet, and bring the fattened calf, slaughter it, and let us eat and celebrate, for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.
"Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. And summoning one of the servants, he began inquiring what these things could be. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he became angry and was not wanting to go in, and his father came out and began pleading with him. But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and never have I neglected a command of yours. And yet never have you given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ And he said to him, ‘Child, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and is alive, and was lost and has been found.’"
Let's pickup where we left off with verse 17, "But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!" The young man in our story represents someone who’s gone as low as you can go, all the way down to not only taking care of pigs, but eating with them, essentially becoming one of them. That's about as bad as it gets. Often misread as simply physical hunger or financial ruin, this is a turning point from spiritual degradation to profound spiritual awakening. Notice the phrase "But when he came to himself," in the Greek, "eis heauton elthen" it implies a return to sanity after a period of madness, we could say when he came to his senses, and the reality of his desperate circumstances began set in and all of the sudden his father comes to mind and he says to himself, ‘How many of my father’s hired men" the contrast here is striking, he compare himself with the lowest workers in his father’s household—a hired day laborer. Then, he adds "have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!" Yet even they have "perisseuontai artōn"— more than enough bread under the father’s provision. The word "perisseuō" implies abundance, more than enough, a surplus because his loving father generously gave them more than they needed to survive. Did you know that according to Leviticus 19:13, which says "You shall not oppress your neighbor nor rob him. The wages of a hired man shall not remain with you overnight until morning," if you hire somebody to do work, you are required to pay him the day he does the work, so that he can eat and feed his family. These hired men received a days wages, but those wages, believe me, were given at the discretion of the man who hired them.
Isn't it ironic, that the son, born into sonship, is starving, while those with no claim to the father's inheritance live in abundance? This young man's father did not only what the Old Testament law required, he graciously did even more. I find it interesting when people ask me "Does the Bible really expect me to give ten percent of my hard earned income back to God?" To which I always respond, "No, according to 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 you are always free to give more." Oh, the look on their face....One of the most defining marks of a true Christian is humility and, according to Christ, it is foundational to the life of anyone whose life is deeply rooted in Him, because it reflects His own example of a self-sacrificial life.
Ironically, it's also the most elusive character trait found in most professing "Christians" today. By the way, humility is not something that not reserved for the “super-spiritual,” it is something every follower of Christ is commanded to pursue daily through prayer, self-examination, and reliance upon the Holy Spirit. Godly virtues are not something we as Christians passively achieve but something we diligently pursue with an all-consuming desperate, ongoing desire, reflecting a intense longing to become more and more like the ONE Whom we cannot live without, our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. Sin is literally catapulting this planet toward destruction at a rate unlike anything I've ever witnessed in my lifetime, and some pastors are willfully withholding the most important passages, because they don't want offend anyone? Are you kidding me? Because of my profound love for the lost, even those sitting in the pews on any given Sunday, I hope to "offend" every man, woman and child to the point of genuine repentance leading to biblical salvation before Christ returns. I’ve come to realize that by becoming a light set upon a hill as commanded in Scripture, you will attract more than a few bugs. Living by Kingdom principles in a fallen, sinful world, especially among those who profess to have a relationship with Christ whose lives bear no tangible evidence of their profession, you can expect to lose some friends who are unwilling to allow Christ to transform their lives. 1 John 2:19, "They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they were of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be manifested that they all are not of us."
Back to verse the end of verse 17, "But I am dying here with hunger!" Realizing the reality of his circumstances, he is perishing, facing total ruin. This is humble and honest, that where true repentance begins, not with shifting the blame onto others or making excuses, it's the self-realization of one's spiritual condition rather than external pressure. He's completely broken, ready now to repent. This is a powerful moment of human brokenness, repentance, and divine mercy, showing that only in the depths of despair can one truly seek and find grace.
Verse 18, "I will rise up and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before you." He's speaking aloud his own secret thoughts to himself or "soliloquy," referring to the act of talking to oneself. "I will rise up" is more than physical action, it's the Greek verb "anistēmi," often used in Scripture for resurrection or a call to action foreshadowing new life, which implies a spiritual awakening, a moral and spiritual reorientation. "And will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before you." Ironically, we can imagine the scribes and Pharisees saying "That’s exactly what he needs to do." Friends, this is exactly what biblical repentance looks like, acknowledging that the sinner has sinned first and foremost against God. Repentance is it's not passive but an active return with vertical accountability to our Father, minimizing the human harm, elevating the gravity of his sin. Sin is not abstract but relational fracture in the relationship between God and humanity. The phrase "before you" implies God’s Omnipresence and Omniscience mean He is everywhere present and fully aware of all things. In other words, since God's everywhere, all the time, there's no hiding our sin, He sees it all.
Verse 19, "I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men." Genuine repentance is very humbling, it holds nothing back, he doesn't attempt to justify his actions, he offers no excuses, just accountability and genuine sorrow. Every sinner who returns to the Father must take full responsibility for their sin and acknowledge sin as an offense that rises as high as heaven, and is ultimately rebellion against God, even when it is committed against humanity. Notice his fear that he may have gone too far to be forgiven? Then, the plea for restoration, "make me as one of your hired men." Notice that there were no terms offered, he came willing to do whatever it took to make restitution, even if he needed to earn it. He recognizes He needs his father, who can give him new life instead of certain death. He knows what he needs to do and he's ready and willing to do it.
Verse 20, "So he rose up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him." His father had been dishonored, his reputation tarnished, shamed by a rebellious son. But notice his father's response, he doesn’t wait for a formal confession or groveling. He sees his son, he felt compassion, is moved feels, and acts immediately. The Greek word for compassion is splagchnizomai— which literally means "his bowels were moved." In ancient times, the bowels were the considered seat of deep emotion is, He felt a sick feeling in his stomach when he saw the boy, in today's vernacular he was "heartbroken." And he ran. Middle Eastern men don’t run, it was considered undignified. Not to mention he would to hike up his robe, exposing his legs a humiliating act for a patriarch. This is grace at the cost of humiliation to restore his son. When he finally reached his son, he "embraced him and kissed him" repeatedly.
In a culture where honor and shame governed relationships, the public embrace and kiss were not considered to be casual gestures, traditionally a kiss was a sign of peace and acceptance. He's taking the shame to protect his son, emphasizing the joy in recovering one who was once lost over judgment. This is not just a story, it is a revelation of God’s heart.
Verse 21, "And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’" He came ready to bear the shame of having squandered his inheritance, prepared to cast himself on the father’s mercy, but what he received was unexpected unconditional love, boundless grace, mercy and forgiveness. Notice he return home, not as a son, a name he acknowledges he's unworthy of, but as a humble hired servant. He doesn’t blame poor parenting for poor choices, he doesn’t blame his circumstances on bad company, or economic hardship. He owns his rebellion, not with regret over the consequences, but deep sorrow over the offense of wrongdoing. True repentance, in Scripture, is metanoia—a change of mind that results in a change of direction. Then, he gives the same unqualified confession that he had rehearsed to himself earlier in verses 18 and 19, except this time, he left something out. He didn't ask his father to "make me as one of your hired men." It wasn't necessary, he didn't have to work for forgiveness, he was now transformed by his father's willing embrace. That's true grace my friends. Everybody listening would understood that if you wanted to get right with God, you come to Him feeling sorry for your sin, then you had to do the work to be restored. You gain favor with God by making restitution. That's all the religious leaders taught, salvation by works. And here comes Jesus, saying that's not the way it's done. As soon as His father sees him that his son was headed toward him, He runs to embrace him before he even reached the entrance to the village, so he wouldn't have face the ridicule, unconcerned about his own honor.
He didn't run toward his son in shame, he ran toward him in celebration, overwhelmed with joy. No self-respecting father would ever do that! But that's not all, the father doesn't stop there.
Look at verses 22-24, "But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet, and bring the fattened calf, slaughter it, and let us eat and celebrate, for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate." Jesus is emphasizing there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, though he came unclean, though he came wreaking of the stench of the swine he had been eating with, his father loving embraced him and said to his slave, "Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him." The scribes and Pharisees would have been too focused on defilement and spiritual impurity of touching the younger son, that renders one ceremonially unclean. God is more concerned with covering the sin, cleansing the spiritual stench that sin creates through Christ, Who provides atonement for our sins. He doesn’t say to his younger son, "Why don’t you come home and take a bath, and we'll get you something clean to wear. No. He says without hesitation bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet, treating him like royalty, giving him authority to act in the place of his father. This should have all gone to the older son who stayed home. You don't reward a rebellious son, the who returned home spiritually unclean with all of the family assets, you would reward the one who never left, who didn't become defiled; this just doesn’t make any sense. Nobody in their right mind would do that.
The point Jesus is making here is that no one is beyond redemption—even those of us who come "wreaking of stench of sin" can be made clean, washed through faith in Christ. Restoration comes swiftly, and without hesitation. This is true sonship at the highest level, which shocks cultural expectations and revealing divine grace of the loving Father in action, demonstrating God’s eagerness to restore the repentant sinner, holding nothing back. Then, the father calls for a party to end all parties. "Bring the fattened calf, slaughter it, and let us eat and celebrate, for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate." This is the way that God, our loving Father, eagerly runs to meet us in our brokenness with lavish restoration.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Copyright © 2019-2026 All Rights Reserved