Of Sons & Brothers | Paul White
by Paul White
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Luke 15:11-32, 1 John 2:1, Galatians 4:4-5, Luke 15:30-32

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/paul-white--of-sons-brothers
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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turn with us to the book of Luke, the 15th chapter. I give honor to pastor and uh pastoral family and the ministry and all the saints of God. Amen. Especially to Jesus Christ who makes all this possible tonight. Amen. because he is here and you are here, anything can happen. I give honor to my wife as well who was able to secure a cough drop from sniter from sister sniter before I came up here tonight. So, we do appreciate that especially well. Seems like the old seasonal allergies are upon us. So, we'll just have to deal with it as best we can. I'm going to talk about something tonight. just just a simple Bible study. And uh the subject I'm going to talk about is one of those subjects that every piece of meat that can be picked off the bone has been pretty much. So I'm going to just see if there's anything left of the marorrow that we might can dig out for just a few moments. Luke 15 verse beginning at 11 speaking of Jesus. And he said, "A certain man had two sons." And the younger of them said to his father, "Father, give me the portion of goods that fallth 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 riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land. That's about the way it works, isn't it? Good timing. And he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would have fain filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat. and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, "How many hired servants of my fathers have bread enough and despair, and I perish with hunger? I will arise and go to my father, and I will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee. I am no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose and he came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said unto him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son." But the father 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 fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat and be merry. For this my son was dead, and is alive again. He was lost and is found and they began to be merry. Now his elder son was in the field and as he came and drew nigh to the house he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things mean. And he said unto him, "Thy brother is come, and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound." And he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore came his father out, and intreated him. And he said to his father, "Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment, and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make Mary with my friends. But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf." And he said unto him, "Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine." It was meat that we should make Mary and be glad. For this thy brother was dead, and is alive again, and was lost, and is found. The well-known portion of reading the parable, the lost son or the prodigal son. Tonight I just like to talk to us for a few moments on this subject of sons and brothers of sons and brothers. Lord Jesus, thank you for this time to be here. Thank you for your mercy and your grace and your forgiveness and your loving kindness, God, and all that you bestowed upon us. Thank you for this day, for your people, for your goodness, God. In this service tonight, I ask that you would touch my thoughts, my mind. Help me to be lucid in my thoughts, God. Speak to me and through me, I pray, oh God, that your people might hear something from you. God, we thank you for this day, for your word that is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. We give you thanks in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. You may be seated. Thank you. Thank you. This this scripture tonight is so well known and so common, it's easy to just roll our eyes and think, "Wow, that's going to be a a well-worn sermon." And and it probably will be. But there's just something that I was thinking about this that I felt was a a a different kind of glimpse that I received from it. And I thought perhaps there might be something that I could share and maybe it will help you as as it has helped me in understanding the dynamics of the relationship of this story. There is many many things happening in these short verses. all kinds of interactions and travels and relationships and and responses and and storylines and and figures of what is to come that it's easy to read over these verses that Jesus speaks quickly and sum it up as just a simple little story. But I believe that in the depths of this story, there are there are parts that we can see ourselves in that we you and I might can identify with when we look at the details of the story. First of all, I just want to talk about the prodigal, his older brother and the father and how they all play in this story as it unfolds. First of all, we understand that there's a man who has two sons as it so easily and eloquently expresses. And sometime in this life, the younger son who is not the heir, the younger son who will not receive the father's full bounty perhaps of cattle, land, or titles. This younger son decides upon himself to say, "You know what? I'm only going to get part of what dad's got. And and I really don't want to wait till good old dad is gone and and passes away. He, you know, he might live to be really really old. So I I just decide I want to get what I can get. I want my portion to come to me as soon as I can. And so the younger son comes to the father and says, "Hey dad, you mind giving me what's mine? Can you mind it dividing out between brother and I and let me have what is mine now instead of waiting and and uh I would really just like to have all I can have right now. And the Bible says that the father gives him the portions of good that he asked for. And not many days later, the younger son says, "Well, good. I've got some money in my pocket. I got some friends. is I want to go do some good things. You know, I've got a nice ride and I'm going to go have some fun. You only live once. What is that? Oh, yolo, right? You only live once. He said, "I'm going to go. I'm going to have a good time. Thanks, Dad. Bye, brother. You're a pain in the neck anyway, brother. I'm glad I'm out from underneath you. I don't want to live under you anyway. Uh, so I'm going to have a big old grand time." We know the story. I'm not telling you anything new. But he goes out and he begins to take his long, long journey into a far country. And this is where it all begins to unravel. The young man is he's probably the hit of the town. He's probably living large. He's got his nice car. He's got his uh he's given coach purses to his girlfriends and and armes watches to his buddies. and he's probably drinking and laughing and living it up and staying in the in the hyatt somewhere and he's just enjoying himself and his friends are bountiful and his friends are many and he's just having a grand old time and and let's just kind of tie it to us for a moment. It's easy to enjoy yourself when it feels like you're free from any kind of burden, care, or responsibility. Have you ever just wanted to say, "Man, if I could just break away from this responsibility that I have, you know, my job's heavy, relationships are difficult. If I could just break away free and and they call that sometimes a midlife crisis." And don't do it. Don't get involved in any of that. But, uh, that's the way this young man was, except he wasn't midlife. He was just young. But he said, "I want to get out and I want to do something and I want to enjoy my life." And as he goes and he's spending it and riotous living, he's living it up. He's living large. He has everything he wants for a season. This is what the word riotist is talking about here. When it says he is living riotist, one of the words for riotist is wasteful, excessive or prodigal to spend lavishly and unresponsibly. He was prodigal and that he was wasteful with his talents, his abilities, his giftings in a land that was not his. He was given much and he squandered it all. He was entrusted with much and he divulged it to those who were unworthy and he divulged and divested himself of all the blessings his father had given him. He freely blew it on every bit of entertainment and nicity that he could find. He was excessive in his generosity to those who were not deserving of what the father had given him. And so not many days after the son's out having the grand time, the Bible says that when he has spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land and he began to be in want. Now we can in some way understand this story because this young man is emblematic of every man or woman who has left the father's house. This young man is emblematic of any and everyone who has been blessed in the house of the father and who has left the house of the father and has relinquished their blessings, their giftings, their goodness, living it in excessive waste and riotous living. And the Bible said simultaneously as he was running out of all of his blessings and his finances, there was a famine that rose in the land. Has it ever felt like when you get cold in the house of God or if any one of us has ever walked away, it feels like it's not long to where there's a famine? You know, sin is good for a season. Sin is like football. And anybody excited about football? >> LSU. Sin is like a season. What state? I'm honestly Tennessee. Sorry. Season like baseball. Spring, autumn, fall. It only lasts for a little while. Sin is a season full of frivvality and fun. But there is a changing of the seasons. And this young man after he has spent all he had began to see his season changing. And as that season changed, he began to find himself in want and in need of what he so readily had just a few days before. He had no longer anything that he was gladly giving away just a few days before it was all gone. And when the famine came, he grew hungry and became a man in want to the point the Bible says that he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country to feed sheep, excuse me, to feed swine. and he would have filled his belly with the carob pods that he gave to the swine. But no one would give him anything to eat. This young man is again a symbol of any and everyone who has walked away from the blessings of God and who has turned, if you will, away from the goodness of God and has found themselves in a place undesired and unlikable in their life. This young man, the Bible said, was at the end of his rope. And as he sat there hungry, destitute and friendless, no one was willing to help him. The Bible says he came to himself. This young man is easy to identify with because any number of us have looked at our lives on an occasion and thought, "My God, how did I get here?" Have you ever looked at your life and wondered, "How did things go so wrong? How did things go south? How did I lose my ministry? How did I lose my family? How did I get addicted to drugs or alcohol? How did I become cold and distant? This young man is a symbol of any of us that finds oursel outside of the house of the father. He is easy to identify with because I've been there in my life where I have squandered the blessings of God. I've been there where I have misused the good things that God has given me only to find the world take it and gladly do so. The world will gladly take your virtue away. The world will gladly take your talents and use them for their own good. The world will gladly take your family and your blessings and dissolve it into the riotous living of this life. the world will gladly take all that you've got and spend all that you have till there's nothing left to give. And this young man like us came to himself and he said to himself, "What am I doing? Wake up. What am I doing walking away from my father's house? I'm in this pig pin. I'm starving. My friends and family or my friends are gone. my money is gone. What am I doing here? And he came to himself and he realized the mistakes that he had made put him where he was. But the great thing about this young man is he decided to do something about it. You and I can find ourselves in places that we know we should not be, don't want to be, was warned not to go. And we can find ourselves and we're we're challenged with two options. One, we can live, as I mentioned last night in several, we can live in regret, or we can live in hope. We can live in regret of mistakes we made, the choices we made, the wrong roads knowingly. I we may say I made a mistake, but the truth was I willfully sinned. I knew better to do what I did. I knew better to go where I went. I knew better to hang around with those people. I knew better to squander my life. But I did. And I can live in regret and sit there and bemoone my state. Or I can look at my situation and say, you know what? There is yet hope. If I will get up, there is yet hope that I might make a change in my life. The young man came to himself. You know what that is? That is repentance. The young man came to himself and he said, "How many hired servants of my fathers have bread enough and to spare? I will decide to do this. I will arise and I will go to my father's house and I will make my journey back from whence I came." This evening, I've simply come to tell somebody tonight, it matters not how far away you are. It matters not how long you have been gone. There is always a road that comes back to the father's house. The road comes back just as easy as it goes out. You may have went out of here a thousand different ways, but there's always a road that comes back to the father's house. The thing is, we must get up and make up our mind. I don't want to live in regret. I've made mistakes. I've blown it. And my life story can be a testimony of what not to do. But by the help and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, whether I have to run, walk, or crawl, I'm going back to the Father's house because I know in the Father's house, there is hope. There is grace. There is mercy. So I tell anyone today, don't stay where you are. Don't live under the weight of guilt and shame. There is hope in the Father's house. No matter how you get here, just get here. Doesn't matter how you get here. Run, crawl, drive, have your wife drive you. >> As I get older, I tell my wife to drive more and more. It don't matter how you get here. Just get to the house of the father because all of us can identify in some way or another our life when we came to ourselves and said, "My God, what have I done?" And the enemy says, "You've gone too far. You've been too bad. You've been too long." But grace and mercy says there is a path back home. And so the young man says, "I'm going to get up and I'm going to go to dad's house. And when I see dad, I'm going to say, "Dad, I'm such a mess. Dad, I have blown it. Dad, I am so embarrassed. I am so humiliated. I've been such a fool. I've been taken advantage of. I I am I am I You know, sometimes people come to church with that kind of feeling. Some people who have left the house of God, when they come back, Satan says, "You're a fool. You're, you know, you're useless. You don't need to go back." And that's the way the prodigal son felt because he said, "I'm going to go back to dad. I'm going to say, Dad, I'm not worthy to be called a son. just make me a a a servant and and just give me a job. That's all I really need is just give me a job where I can work and dig in the fields and and make some money, have a bed to sleep. That's all I'm asking for. And the young man came back getting ready to tell his dad, just make me a servant. So that's the beginning of one of our perspectives. the younger brother. Now, let me jump, if you don't mind, to the older brother, the older sibling, if you will. Now, the older sibling, he's been faithful to dad. He's been working. He's been tilling. He's been productive. He's been learning the ways of father. He knows that one day he's going to inherit the mantle, the name, the blessings, and he's trying to uphold the family. And so when the elder brother gets done working in the field and he's on his way home, he begins to hear some music and uh he begins to hear some singing and he's like, "Hey dude, what's going on? What's happening?" And the servant says, "Hey man, there's a party going on." Why? because your brother has come back home and your dad is throwing a party and he's killed the fatted calf because your brother has come back home. And the elder brother goes, "Great. That bum, that jerk, he was nothing but a pain in the neck the whole time he's been home. And now he's back and dad's throwing a party for him. What kind of deal is this? What What What's the deal with this?" The Bible said he was angry and would not go into the house. And this is my first of two points in the dynamics of this. I believe the reason why the older brother, the older sibling had a difficult time with the prodigal is because he saw the prodigal through the lens of performance. meaning he saw his younger brother in what he did and how he acted. So he responded in that way. He saw his younger brother as a womanizer, as a drug addict, as a man who squandered his money, his time, his father's reputation, and his name. As a matter of fact, the reason I know that is because he actually says that he says, "Hey, this guy right here has been with harlots. He's squandered your money and he's treated our family bad and has caused our name to be ridiculed. He's devoured your living and he's ran with harlots. He's been an embarrassment to the family and all he could see his brother was as a man who could only live up to the performance and expectation of what his past was. So when the older brother saw the prodigal come in, he looked at him and said, "Yeah, waster, prodigal, uh, whoreonger, addict, embarrassment. uh that's who you are because that's what you do. You are as what you do. And he saw them he saw his younger brother through the lens of performance. And on top of that, he said, "Hey, Dad, I never left. I I let me put in today's vernacular. Hey, Dad. I've been paying my tithe and offering every week and he's been out there blowing his with riotist living. I gave extra money to the movement building and he didn't do anything. He just went out there and spun it all. Spent it all. Hey, I I came to prayer meeting. I come early for prayer meeting and he he knows what he's doing. He's out gallivanting around doing whatever. Dad, I've been faithful. I come and I clean the toilets. I sweep the the halls or or whatever. I sing in the choir and I've been here for day after day, week after week, year after year. And this guy has been a shame and embarrassment to all of us. And on top of that, as soon as he comes home, you throw him a party. And the older brother was angry because he saw the prodigal through the lens of performance. And you know what about the about the elder son? He had the right facts but the wrong spirit. He was right in what he said. He had been faithful. He had kept the church going while the prodigal was out telling stories on Facebook. He had been faithful when the prodigal was out there ridiculing and telling stories about the pastor, the saints of God that weren't accurate. He had been faithful, loving God and praising God. His facts were right, but his spirit was wrong because all he could see the prodigal was through the lens performance. Look what you have done. And sometimes, and I don't believe so in this church, thank God, but sometimes people struggle with how does my brother see me? I would go back to church, but will they remember what I did, what I said? Will they remember how I left? I would love to go back to church, but but they know what I've done and what I used to do and how I how I've changed and what all I've done. And and sometimes people can live under that that perspective of performance. They are only as good as what they do. But let me say that in relationship to our position with God, if we live under the purview of performance, we will always live under a heavy weight of defeat because none of us are perfect all the time. Matter of fact, none of us are perfect most of the times. And if we have to come to God on our performance, if I have to come to God with my goodness and my value and my worth, there is no way I will ever get to the doors of the father's house because I am not worthy of my own abilities. I am not worthy because of my performance. My performance can never match the worthiness of what God has need for me to accomplish. And so the older brother said, "Dad, dad, this guy is he shamed the family. He's a he's such a he's made so many mistakes and he judged him through the lens of performance and it's easy to do. As a matter of fact, it's so easy to do that that the prodigal himself judged himself the same way his older sibling did through the lens of performance. That's why when he came back to dad, he said, "Dad, I'm not worthy to be called son. Make me a servant. Let me perform the duties of a servant. I'm not asking to be restored. I'm not asking to be made whole. I just want to come and be a servant. I'm not asking, Father, to have that joy that I used to have. I'm not asking, Father, to have that peace that I used to have. I'm not expecting you to open up the windows of heaven and pour out your love on me. I just want to be a servant. If I can just come back to your presence and and know what I know, what I've done, and you know what I've done, if I can just perform as a servant, that's all I ask. And my friends, there are times when we come back to the presence of God, it is easy for us to say to God, "God, I'm not worthy. I'm not worthy of your mercy and your grace. If you'll just make me a servant if I can just barely get into heaven with the doors closing behind me, that's all I ask for. I would love to have that joy and peace, but I'm not worthy. I've lost my family in the world. I've lost my talents in the world. I don't expect to come back and be fully used again. But if I can just be a servant, that's all I can perform. That's all I ask for. So the elder brother saw him through the eyes of performance. The prodigal saw himself through the eyes of performance. And when we see ourselves in our relationship with God exclusively through the eyes of performance, we will always fall short and feel unworthy of the father's love. Well, what's interesting is as the story unfolds, if you go back and look at those verses, because of this perspective, the older sibling thought the prodigal not worth being called brother. The older sibling in this story never called him brother. after he left. And the prodigal when he came home, he felt unworthy to call himself son. Two men through the eyes of performance. The elder brother said, "You're not even my brother. You're not worthy of being called my brother." And the prodigal beat down so much thought himself unworthy to be called son. But thanks be to God, there's another character in this story. Thank goodness, right? Because in that dynamic relationship where one judges himself unworthy and a brother judges a brother unworthy. And as all this all of this dynamic is going on, we visit the other story line of the father. And we know this story line so well and how important it is because the Bible says that as the prodigal was running home telling himself, I'm going to be a servant. I'm going to sleep in I'm going to sleep in service quarters. I'm going to tell dad I'm ashamed of myself and he should be too and I'm embarrassed. as he's telling himself all of this stuff, the Bible says as he's coming, we know the story that the father sees him a far off and he runs to his son and he falls upon him and he kisses his neck and he hugs him and he's so excited. This man, this son who was dead is now alive and he's he's hugging him. He's kissing him and and and a good preacher could caveat onto this in many many directions, but I won't. So the father says to him, "I love you. I'm glad you're home." And he runs to him and he hugs him and he kisses him. And his son starts telling him this, "Dad, I've done this. I've done that. I'm not worthy." But you call your son. I'm an embarrassment. I won't make me a servant. And you know what the dad says to him? Nothing. He just simply listens and listens. listens and he says, "Mhm, okay." And then he looks at the servants and as the son is feeling all bad and all defeated and like he can't do anything after this father's hugged him and kissed him and loved on him and the son is saying, "I'm not worthy. I'm not worthy." The father just simply looks at the servants and says, "Hey guys, you may recognize this scraggly mess. That's my son. That's my boy. He don't look like he did when he left, but it's the same guy." And he says to the servants, he says, "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 fatted calf, kill it, and let's eat and be merry." The difference between the prodigal and the older brother's view and the dads is two of them saw this situation through the lens of performance. You're only as good as good as you can be. But the dad saw it all together differently. The dad saw it through the lens of relationship. And that is the key to the father. He is not depending our salvation exclusively upon our performance and our worth. There is indeed a response that we need to give to his call. But he is not waiting for us to get good enough for him to love us and bring us back. He's not waiting for the sinner to come in here, say seven Hail Marys, run around the church five times, spend six months, s spend six months uh digging ditches, and finally by kindness and grace, I'll love you. Whenever the prodal comes in, the father sees him as the son or daughter who was lost and is found. That's why we can sing and rejoice about the father's house is because he doesn't base his mercy on my performance. He doesn't base his grace on my ability to get myself out of trouble, out of my problems. He bases our relationship on the mercy and grace that he offers all of his children. So while the son and the brother are beating themselves upon a chest, one in comparison to the other, I'm better than you. I'm smarter than you. I'm more faithful than you. I look better than you. I just sure don't stink as bad as you. And the other looking at himself saying, I'm not worthy. I'm no good. I'm all of that. There comes the father in the relationship that says, I'm not looking at your performance. I'm looking at the relationship. You are my son. and DNA does not change. The whole time he was out there living it up, he was still the father's son. Out of relationship, yes, not in the family hierarchy or in authority. That is correct. But he still had the DNA of the father in him. That's why when we leave the presence of God, we're never ever really fitting in to the world. Because once you have experienced the power of the Holy Ghost, once you've experienced the blood of Jesus Christ, you'll never fit in the world just right, there will always be that DNA of the father that's calling you back home, that's beckoning you to come back to the presence of an almighty God. And if we lead that call, if we listen to that call, there will be that pull upon that DNA that says, "You're still my daughter. You're still my son. You may be out in the world, but you've not been divorced from my love and my presence. >> That is the relationship that he has with us. That's why the reactions are totally totally different. That's also why you'll notice the father never mentions what the prodigal did. The the the the father never one time said, "You wasted my money, son. You embarrassed the family, boy. You did all kinds of bad stuff." The prodigal never heard that from his dad. >> He did hear it from his brother. But the father never brought it up. Do you know why? This is what this is what I think to me is is powerful to me, but I'm simple. The reason why he never brought it up is because he said, "This is my son who was dead and everything that he did while he was out there is dead, too." >> That make sense? >> Maybe. My son was dead and everything he did is dead with him. And when he is alive again, all of that dead stuff is no more remembered. That's what's so powerful about repentance. That's so so powerful about baptism in Jesus' name. All the deeds that we did when we were dead men walking are all gone with the dead man. And when we come up out of that water, when the Holy Ghost fills us, he doesn't look back in your past. He doesn't say, "Well, look what you did. Look where you've been." He said, "Hey, this is a new life. Old things are passed away and behold all things become new. The reason the father never mentioned it is because all that was dead with the old man. >> I think it's pretty good. >> Amen. That's why the father never mentioned his past because it died with the old son and it was nowhere to be found with the new boy who was alive. That is the difference in the perspective between performance and relationship. I say that because I know there must be a balance between the two. I understand that there is got to be a balance between the relationship that we have. I'm talking about salvific salvational relationship and performance. In other words, we can't just do what we want to do expect God to accept it. There is there is a protocol. There is a there is a life. But the great thing about God's grace and mercy is he knows how to balance. First John 2:1 says, "My little children, these things write I unto you that you sin not." There's the performance part. Okay? He says, "And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous." He said, "Look, I don't want you to sin, but if you do, there is a remedy. If the performance lacks, there is a relationship that can sustain. If you fail and make mistakes, there is hope because I won't leave you in that condition. I have made a way for that condition to be remedied by the advocacy of Jesus Christ." So, there is a balance. There is a balance between performance and relationship. But we must realize that when it comes to the presence of God, God will not preclude us because the mistakes we made. If we are willing and faithful to serve him, repent and turn to him, he is willing and faithful to forgive. So I know this is simple story, but I think that's one of the reasons why the responses are so different. is because two guys saw through the lens performance. I'm only so good. I can only do so good. I can never match up to what God wants. I'm not as good as so and so. I can't preach like them or sing like them or be a dad like them. That's why the Bible says maybe one of the reason why the Bible says uh do not compare yourself one to another because normally I will compare my weakness to your strength and I will look at you and say man you're a lot better at this than that and I'll feel defeated or if I get carnal I'll look at you and say well I'm a lot better than you at this and that at least I don't do that at least I don't do that and that's phariseism that's why we got to be careful how we view ourselves and others. I do believe though, however, that we are in a church that understands that. That is why when people walk into this place and feel the power of the Holy Ghost and on the second song, they've been out for six weeks, six months, six years, on the second song of worship and praise, you'll see somebody just begin to lift their hands and walk down the altar. You may not have seen them for years. They may have been all kinds of stuff. And what will happen? You know what happens? Invariably, there's going to be one or two people come up behind them and beside him and pray with them. Why? Because such was I just like you. I had to walk through those doors just like you. I was lost and undone. I was on my way to hell just like you. And I don't look at you through the lens of performance because if God were to judge me on my performance, I would have no hope. That's why this church is so great and wonderful with welcoming people into this place. So if you've walked in this place tonight feeling guilt and feeling shame, let me tell you that is not the presence of God. That is not the saints of God. That's just the devil telling you you don't deserve better. But you do deserve better because God has made a way for you. And God has got a cloud of witnesses of people just like you. Drug addicts, prostitutes, rebellious, divorcees, it doesn't matter. You can label any label. And this house is full of people that will simply say with you, walk down the aisle with me because I'm I have been right where you are. >> And so the father said, "My son was dead and is alive, was lost and is found." And they brought forth the best robe. Now that best robe was likely the father's robe. service didn't wear those robes. It was the best robe. It was a long robe. And I likened it to the robe of righteousness. He covered his nakedness. He covered his shame. He covered every reason why someone would look at him and mock and wonder. He put that robe upon him. And then he gave him the ring. It wasn't a class ring. It wasn't a mood ring. It was a signate ring. Most likely, as the historians write, it was the ring that you could put on a form with wax with the insignia of the family crest and take that ring off and it was sealed with the authority of the ring bearer. And when the father said, "Give him the ring," he was given him the authority back that he never thought he was worthy of or would deserve. To me, that's symbolic of when you come into the house of the Lord, you do not have to beg. You do not have to plead for God to give you authority over your past, over your mistakes. You have the authority to stand up against the enemy of your soul. If you got the Holy Ghost Sunday night, you have the authority to lay hands on somebody Wednesday night and in the name of Jesus, they can be healed by the blood of Jesus. Why? Because you have the authority of the family crest and the family ring on your hand. You have the authority. Sandals were put upon his feet unlike the servants of the house. And probably unlike him as he returned barefoot and most likely he received the sandals which I likened to those feet shaw with the gospel of preparation of peace. And of course, they killed the fatted calf. That calf is what was special. That calf was saved for special occasions. And what could be more special than a son who was dead, now alive? The musicians would come tonight. I apologize for my raspy throat, my voice. Trying to sound like Brother JH Osborne. Got a long, long way to go. And so the perspective in this simple story is the dynamics of how they viewed one another and themselves. The performance lens caused the elder brother to be angry because he felt cheated. I've been faithful and pastor didn't shake my hand for the last four services and a visitor walked in. Soon as church is over, pastor runs down there and shakes their hand. I paid tithe this week, pastor. But that's performance-based. But the relationship is that renewal to position once lost. And I close with this. The great thing about this story is the father did two final things at the end. The father to the prodigal did two things. First the father restored him to sunship. He was always his son but he was out of relationship. He had squandered his living and he was not in the care of the father's house. But when he came back in, the father didn't call him servant. He said, "You are my son." And he restored sunship. No matter how far we've gone, no matter what mistakes we make, when we come into the presence of God, he's all about restoring us to a relationship. So number one, he restored him to sunship. Galatians 4:4 says it this way. But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Sunship is when we are not just a servant but when we are born of his of his spirit. That's what's so powerful about the new birth experience. Death, burial, and resurrection. Repentance is when we die to sin himself. It's like that prodigal in that pig pin when he looks at his life and he wakes up. Do you know when the prodigal was repenting? It was long before he got to the father's door. He was repenting while he was in the pig pin. Every step he took, chains were falling off of him. Every step he took toward the house of God, chains, addictions, feelings, negativity were falling off. There are people who walk in those doors on a Sunday night or Sunday morning. They've repented long before they ever walked in those doors. And all it takes is the power of the Holy Ghost to touch them. And the spirit of God moves upon them. and the Holy Ghost falls upon them and they can receive the Holy Ghost just matter of quick matter of factly rather quickly because a lot of people have been repenting before they ever walk in. The prodigal repented and then when we were baptized in Jesus name we wash away all those sins and then the Holy Ghost we are born again. So he was restored to sunship. And secondly, if you would stand with me tonight, he was restored to the brotherhood because the elder brother was angry. He was mad. And the dad said, "Look, son, everything I've got is yours. Everything I own is all yours. But it's good that we bring your brother back." As a matter of fact, this is what the dad says. Let me go to verse 30 and I'll close with this. The elder the elder son speaking to the dad says, "But as soon as this thy son has come which devoured your living, you've killed for him the fatted calf." And the dad said, "Son, you're ever with me, and all I have is yours." The elder's son never called the prodigal his brother, but his dad did. Last verse 32, the father speaks to the elder. It was meat that we should make Mary and be glad for this thy brother is alive again was lost and is found. He restored that connection brother to brother. That's why we are part of the family of God. When we come in here and we receive that sunship, when we are born again of God's Holy Ghost power and anointing, we become the sons of God. We also become the family of the of God. We become brother to brother, sister to sister. You're my brother, you're my sister. So take me by the hand. When one part of the body hurts, we all hurt. When one part of the body rejoices, we all rejoice. That's why when pride eagles come, that's why when people come with situations, let you know you're not alone. You're surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses that says, "I'm going to hook up with you. I'm not going to see you by your performance cuz God knows we've all made mistakes, but I'm going to see you in a relationship that me and you have together. We're brother and brother and sister and sister, and we're all the children of the father." Would you just lift your hands across this room tonight as if if you would mind as they get ready to sing tonight? I'm asking you tonight. Would you like to come back to the father's house? You'll not be judged. No one's going to look at you through the eyes of relationship, but we're going to look at you and say, "Hey, you're my brother. You're my sister. Take me by the hand. We're going to work. We're going to run together. We're going to love one another. Aren't you glad there's a father today that loves us, that cares for us, that blesses us as they begin to sing? If you just begin to lift up your hands and praise the name of the Lord tonight, he indeed is worthy of all of our praise. Lord Jesus, I thank you for your goodness, for your presence. >> Hallelujah. >> Hallelujah. >> There's still room in the father's house. There's still room in the father's house. >> All the deeds are gone with the old man. >> There's a brother and sister in here who can identify with you that can hook arms with you and say, "Hey, let's run together." >> When I'm weak, you help me up. When you're weak, I help you up. Let's three a three prong cord is not easily broken. >> Hallelujah. Hallelujah. You're a helpful God. You're our help, oh Lord, today, Jesus. >> We love you, Jesus. We love you, Jesus. We praise your name, God. Hallelujah. >> Hallelujah. Hallelujah. >> God, you've been faithful. >> God, you've been faithful. You've been faithful. Oh, God. >> Hallelujah. The doors are open to the father's house. Help me God to love our brother. >> Help us to love our sisters. Help us God to love one another. Love the family of God. Love God. Love people. Let the community know this is a safe place. Let the backslider know this is a safe place. Let our wavered children know this is a safe place. Oh God. Hallelujah. Speaking of which, tonight we got one being baptized in Jesus name. Brother Kenny called me and said, "Hey, we got one to be baptized." Amen. Amen. Gary Day, upon the confession of your faith, I now baptize you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sin and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. >> Amenus. >> Your goodness is home. >> Welcome home. Welcome home. >> Welcome home. >> Welcome home. >> Hallelujah. Welcome home. >> The Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost. >> Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Jesus my life now surrender now I give you everything your goodness is to me your goodness is better than to Thank you for running after me, God. Thank you for running after. >> I was unworthy, >> but you came running. >> Hallelujah, Lord. Thank you for loving me, Jesus. >> Thank you for loving me, God. >> Hallelujah. Hallelujah, Jesus. Hallelujah. I can have >> Lord, you've been faithful. >> You've been merciful. >> You've been good. >> So good. >> Hallelujah. Hallelujah. >> Hallelujah, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. >> Hallelujah. >> God. >> Amen. Aren't you glad you're in the Father's house? I don't care how we got here. I'm glad we made it. Amen. Nothing like being in the father's house. And we thank you for being here, worshiping the Lord on this Wednesday night. Thank you for being faithful to the house of God. And the Lord bless you. And uh please don't forget all the announcements of this of this service. And anything else, sister, that's it. All right. The Lord bless you. Glad for one being baptized in Jesus name. Amen. Shake hands. Be friendly tonight. The Lord bless you in Jesus name.