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Speaker 1: Life Audio.

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Speaker 2: For more resources to help you in your walk with Christ,

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Speaker 2: please visit us at Bible Studyheadquarters dot com. This morning,

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Speaker 2: we're going to be taking a pause from our study

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Speaker 2: of the Book of Revelation and taking a look at

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Speaker 2: a very interesting, very well known portion of scripture. On

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Speaker 2: this Father's Day. We're going to be looking at Luke

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Speaker 2: chapter fifteen. We're going to start with verse eleven, and

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Speaker 2: we're going to talk about the father who runs to

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Speaker 2: the rebel. And you're going to notice why specifically I

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Speaker 2: chose that word runs. I mean, first of all, you're

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Speaker 2: going to see the guy actually do this in the passage.

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Speaker 2: But there's something significant about that concept, and I want

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Speaker 2: to point that out to you in just a few moments.

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Speaker 2: So if you would take your bibles and turn with

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Speaker 2: me to Luke fifteen, we're going to look at verses

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Speaker 2: eleven through thirty two Luke chapter fifteen, starting with verse eleven.

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Speaker 2: This is what it says. This is Jesus speaking, and

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Speaker 2: it says, and he said there was a man who

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Speaker 2: had two sons, and the younger of them said to

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Speaker 2: his father, father, give me the share of property that

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Speaker 2: is coming to me. And he divided his property between them.

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Speaker 2: Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he

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Speaker 2: had and took a journey into a far country, and

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Speaker 2: there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when

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Speaker 2: he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country,

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Speaker 2: and he began to be in need. So he went

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Speaker 2: and hired himself out to one of the citizens of

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Speaker 2: that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.

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Speaker 2: And he was longing to be fed with the pods

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Speaker 2: that the pigs ate, And no one gave him anything.

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Speaker 2: But when he came to himself, he said, how many

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Speaker 2: of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread,

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Speaker 2: but I perish here with hunger. I will arise and

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Speaker 2: go to my father, and I will say to him, father,

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Speaker 2: I have sinned against heaven, and before you, I am

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Speaker 2: no longer worthy to be called to your son.

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Speaker 1: Un treat me.

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Speaker 2: As one of your hired servants. And he arose and

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Speaker 2: came to his father. But while he was still a

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Speaker 2: long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion

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Speaker 2: and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the

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Speaker 2: son said to him, father, I have sinned against heaven,

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Speaker 2: and before you I am no longer worthy to be

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Speaker 2: called your son. But the father said to his servants,

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Speaker 2: bring quickly the best robe and put it on him,

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Speaker 2: and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on

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Speaker 2: his feet, and bring the fat and calf and kill it,

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Speaker 2: and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son

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Speaker 2: was dead and is alive again. He was lost and

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Speaker 2: is found. And they began to celebrate. Now his older

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Speaker 2: son was in the field, and as he came and

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Speaker 2: drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.

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Speaker 2: And he called one of the servants and asked what

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Speaker 2: these things meant. And he said to him, your brother

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Speaker 2: has come, and your father has killed the fat and calf,

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Speaker 2: because he has received him back safe and sound. But

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Speaker 2: he was angry and refused to go in. His father

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Speaker 2: came out and entreated him, But he answered his father, Look,

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Speaker 2: these many years I have served you, and I have

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Speaker 2: never disobeyed your command. Yet you never gave me a

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Speaker 2: young goat that I might celebrate with my friends. But

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Speaker 2: when this son of yours came, who has devoured your

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Speaker 2: property with prostitutes, you killed the fat and calf for him.

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Speaker 2: And he said to him, son, you are always with me,

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Speaker 2: and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting

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Speaker 2: to celebrate and be glad for this. Your brother was

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Speaker 2: dead and is alive. He was lost and is found.

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Speaker 2: Let's pray, Lord, thank you so much for your word,

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Speaker 2: and thank you that on this Father's Day we could

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Speaker 2: look at this well known, well loved parable and think

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Speaker 2: about a variety of things. But Lord, in this passage,

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Speaker 2: you illustrate so many valuable concepts that I know you

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Speaker 2: want us to take to heart. And so Father, I

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Speaker 2: pray that you'd prepare our minds in our hearts so

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Speaker 2: that we would do just that. I pray that as

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Speaker 2: we look at your word together right now, that we

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Speaker 2: would genuinely and sincerely internalize the message that your son

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Speaker 2: Jesus Christ was attempting to communicate as he first shared

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Speaker 2: this parable. Father, we know that we can only understand

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Speaker 2: these things as your spirit enables us to do so.

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Speaker 2: So we pray for the help of your Holy Spirit

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Speaker 2: as he illuminates the truth of your word to our

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Speaker 2: minds and our hearts and helps us to apply these.

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Speaker 1: Things in our day to day lives.

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Speaker 2: So, Father, we commit this time to you now, and

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Speaker 2: we thank you for the privilege to be able to

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Speaker 2: study your word together, we pray this all in Jesus' name.

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Speaker 1: Amen.

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Speaker 2: So for the past I would say I was trying

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Speaker 2: to do the math here, but I think it's about

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Speaker 2: seven or eight months.

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Speaker 1: My son in law, Vinnie, and we've been taking.

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Speaker 2: Time on Tuesday evenings to study scripture together. And usually

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Speaker 2: I didn't know when we first started doing this. We

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Speaker 2: didn't have a timetable mapped out for how we were

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Speaker 2: going to do this. We also didn't know exactly how

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Speaker 2: much time we were going to take. But for the

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Speaker 2: past seven or eight months, we've taken roughly about two

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Speaker 2: hours and sometimes three hours every Tuesday evening to walk

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Speaker 2: through scripture together and to study scripture together. And it's

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Speaker 2: been delightful, and we've worked our way through multiple books

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Speaker 2: of the Bible. We've talked about a whole variety of

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Speaker 2: related topics. And then a few weeks ago, Vinnie and

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Speaker 2: I started talking about this chapter Luke, chapter fifteen, and

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Speaker 2: specifically the part of it that we were talking about

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Speaker 2: is the part that I just read what we typically

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Speaker 2: referred to as the Parable of the Prodigal Sun. And

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Speaker 2: as we were talking about the passage and some of

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Speaker 2: the ways that it applies to our lives. It dawned

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Speaker 2: on me that I said to him, I said, you know,

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Speaker 2: this woud be a good passage for us as a

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Speaker 2: church to focus on on Father's Day. And so several

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Speaker 2: weeks ago, in the midst of that conversation, I told him,

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Speaker 2: I said, you know, I think on Father's Day we're

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Speaker 2: going to look at this passage. This is a well

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Speaker 2: known passage, and sometimes I know my temptation is to think, think, oh,

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Speaker 2: you know what, well, maybe we all know this passage

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Speaker 2: and maybe I should find something a bit more obscure.

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Speaker 1: But I don't know that.

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Speaker 2: Evening as we were talking about I truly just felt

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Speaker 2: led to share from this portion of scripture today, And

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Speaker 2: even if you're familiar with it, I hope that it's

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Speaker 2: something that blesses your heart, because there's a lot of

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Speaker 2: valuable things here about the heart of God. And I'll

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Speaker 2: also say this, if today's message is good, you can

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Speaker 2: you know, we can all celebrate that. And if it's

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Speaker 2: if it's bad, like if it doesn't go well, you

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Speaker 2: could blame Vinnie for that, all right, Because it was

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Speaker 2: out of that conversation that I got the idea to

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Speaker 2: preach on this passage today. So those will be the rules.

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Speaker 2: But when you look at Luke chapter fifteen, if you

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Speaker 2: actually look at the whole chapter, it actually contains three

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Speaker 2: parables that reveal God's heart for lost people. There's three

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Speaker 2: parables in this chapter. When you look earlier, Jesus tells

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Speaker 2: of lost sheep, and then he talks about a lost coin,

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Speaker 2: and then the portion that we just read here talks

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Speaker 2: about a lost son.

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Speaker 1: So you have lost sheep, lost coin, lost son.

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Speaker 2: And again this third story that we're focusing on today,

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Speaker 2: this third parable in Luke fifteen, we often call it

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Speaker 2: the parable of the prodigal Son. You've probably heard that

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Speaker 2: phrase or that designation for this portion of scripture before,

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Speaker 2: But this portion of scripture could just as easily be

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Speaker 2: called the parable of the Loving Father. So we tend

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Speaker 2: to call it the parable of the prodigal Son, but

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Speaker 2: you could call it the parable of the Loving Father,

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Speaker 2: and you would be exactly right if that's how you

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Speaker 2: described it. And even though the younger son in this

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Speaker 2: passage typically receives the bulk of our attention, and when

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Speaker 2: this gets reference, that's typically the one that people are

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Speaker 2: talking about, Jesus actually intentionally highlights the attitudes of three

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Speaker 2: different people. So you have that rebellious younger son, but

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Speaker 2: you also have a resentful older son, rebellious younger son,

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Speaker 2: resentful older son, and then over each of them, you

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Speaker 2: have a compassionate father. So there's three person being highlighted here.

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Speaker 2: But at its core, when you look at this parable

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Speaker 2: at its court, actually reveals to us.

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Speaker 1: What God is like.

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Speaker 2: And so, being that today is Father's Day, I thought

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Speaker 2: this would be a great day to give this passage

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Speaker 2: some extra thought, especially if your relationship with your earthly

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Speaker 2: father is a little complex.

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Speaker 1: I can tell you as.

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Speaker 2: A father, I've had the privilege for the past many

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Speaker 2: years now to be a father, and I can confess

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Speaker 2: that dads get some things right.

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Speaker 1: I actually think we get most things right. If I'm

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Speaker 1: a little biased toward dads, but.

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Speaker 2: I will admit that on very rare occasions, sometimes maybe

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Speaker 2: we don't get everything exactly right. It's rare, it's very

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Speaker 2: hard to discover, it's very hard to find it sometimes happens.

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Speaker 2: The truth is, and Dad's back me up on this,

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Speaker 2: we're doing our best, right, We're doing our best. But

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Speaker 2: the truth is, don't expect perfection from us, because only

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Speaker 2: God meets that standard. God meets the standard of perfect father.

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Speaker 2: And I will say this even as we look at this, yes,

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Speaker 2: it's Father's Day, Yes I want to give a special

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Speaker 2: shout out to the dads. But whether you're a father

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Speaker 2: or not, and whether your relationship with your earthly father

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Speaker 2: was great or whether it had some challenges to it,

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Speaker 2: I'll tell you what. There's something extremely valuable, multiple valuable

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Speaker 2: things that we can learn about our heavenly Father through

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Speaker 2: this parable. And that's something that applies to every single

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Speaker 2: one of us. It doesn't matter your age or your

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Speaker 2: station of life. It doesn't matter your background, it doesn't

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Speaker 2: matter the things you've experienced with your earthly father, whether

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Speaker 2: it was great and positive or whether it had some

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Speaker 2: strains or challenges. Basically, when you look at this parable, here,

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Speaker 2: this parable shows us that God doesn't stand at a

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Speaker 2: distance waiting to punish repentant sinners. That's not the posture

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Speaker 2: that God takes toward people. He moves toward them, He

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Speaker 2: welcomes them, he restores them. The Scripture literally tells us

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Speaker 2: in this illustration, it's trying to show us that He

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Speaker 2: runs toward them. He's the father who runs toward the rebel.

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Speaker 2: One of the things scripture also reveals to us about

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Speaker 2: the heart of God, is that the kindness of God

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Speaker 2: is what leads sinners to repentance. It's the kindness of

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Speaker 2: God that led me to repentance. It's the kindness of

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Speaker 2: God that led you to repentance. And that's a truth

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Speaker 2: that's actually very beautifully displayed in this passage. So let's

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Speaker 2: look at how it starts, and let's just kind of

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Speaker 2: walk through this piece at a time, because the story

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Speaker 2: actually begins with a moment of disrespect. You could even

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Speaker 2: say it's like shocking disrespect right on in the early

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Speaker 2: verses of this when you look at verse twelve, it says,

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Speaker 2: and the younger of them, so it's speaking of the

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Speaker 2: younger son. It says in the younger of them said

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Speaker 2: to his father, father, give me the share of property

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Speaker 2: that is coming to me. Give me the share of

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Speaker 2: property that's coming to me. In essence, you know what

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Speaker 2: the younger son was saying. If we want to translate

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Speaker 2: this a little bit, he's saying, I want your possessions,

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Speaker 2: but I don't want you. I want your stuff, but

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Speaker 2: I don't want you. Because an inheritance was normally received

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Speaker 2: when after the father's death, not before after, Right, So

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Speaker 2: the request was like saying, I wish you were gone

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Speaker 2: so that what you have could belong to me. That's

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Speaker 2: basically what he's saying. That's what's being conveyed with this.

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Speaker 2: This son was giving off the impression that he essentially

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Speaker 2: hated his father. Now, I've heard it said that you

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Speaker 2: haven't really parented your kids unless they've hated you at

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Speaker 2: least once along the way. All right, So don't lose

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Speaker 2: heart if you don't necessarily feel celebrated by them one

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Speaker 2: hundred percent of the time, you are not the first

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Speaker 2: to experience it. They say that you really haven't fathered

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Speaker 2: unless you've been hated.

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Speaker 1: At least once.

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Speaker 2: That means you're doing your job sometimes, right. But the

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Speaker 2: truth is in this parable were shown that the younger

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Speaker 2: son's heart attitude was very off base. He was selfish,

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Speaker 2: He's shown here to be impatient. He's also shown to

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Speaker 2: be rebellious in multiple categories. He valued the father's gifts

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Speaker 2: more than he valued the father's presence. He wanted freedom

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Speaker 2: without responsibility, he wanted blessings without relationship. How often do

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Speaker 2: we interact with God the very same way?

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Speaker 1: Right?

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Speaker 2: We want his stuff, we want his blessings we don't

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Speaker 2: want the relationship. Humanity frequently wants God's gifts while ignoring

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Speaker 2: God himself. That's the story of humanity from our earliest days.

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Speaker 2: We want things like health, and just kind of do

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Speaker 2: an accountant or like an account of your prayer request

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Speaker 2: as you come before the Lord? How often do we

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Speaker 2: pray for health?

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Speaker 1: Often?

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Speaker 2: How often do we pray for provision? Often we pray

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Speaker 2: for things like success, We pray for comfort, we pray

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Speaker 2: for happiness. And I don't necessarily think it's wrong to

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Speaker 2: pray for those things. I've certainly prayed for those things,

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Speaker 2: and I know that you have as well. But one

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Speaker 2: of the things that would probably surprise me if I

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Speaker 2: did an account of my own prayers, I think, how

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Speaker 2: many times do I come before the Lord requesting those things?

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Speaker 2: Versus how many times do I just say, Lord, I'm

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Speaker 2: just grateful that you're part of my life today. I'm

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Speaker 2: just grateful that I get to spend time with you today.

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Speaker 2: And here you look at this, and you know, it

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Speaker 2: just kind of reminds us that oftentimes we want the

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Speaker 2: blessings from God more so than we want to walk

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Speaker 2: closely with Him in a healthy relationship and I think

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Speaker 2: that that's a little bit of a gut check when

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Speaker 2: we really think about it from a personal standpoint. But

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Speaker 2: in the parable here, he actually have the father granting

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Speaker 2: the request, and so the younger son gathered everything he had,

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Speaker 2: the inheritance, all he had everything, and he left. And

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Speaker 2: then it tells us what he did with it. When

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Speaker 2: you get to verse thirteen, it says there he squandered

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Speaker 2: his property in reckless living. So he gets a whole

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Speaker 2: bunch of stuff he didn't work for. His dad worked

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Speaker 2: for it and then gave it to him, and what

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Speaker 2: does he do with that? He squanders it. Now the

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Speaker 2: words squandered, I don't know how often we use that

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Speaker 2: word in our day to day language, but basically it

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Speaker 2: tells us that he wasted what was entrusted to him.

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Speaker 2: That's what it means, just the idea that he wasted

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Speaker 2: at all. And as the story develops, and we just

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Speaker 2: read the whole thing, so I'll summarize parts of it.

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Speaker 2: But his rebellion we see led him to things like popoverty,

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Speaker 2: which then led him to hunger, and then that led

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Speaker 2: him to humiliation. So you have poverty, hunger, and humiliation

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Speaker 2: coming as the fruit of rebellion. So this young man

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Speaker 2: who once demanded independence actually finds himself, according to this parable,

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Speaker 2: feeding pigs. And part of the reason Jesus selected that

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Speaker 2: as he's illustrating the heart concepts that are going on here,

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Speaker 2: is because this would be one of the lowest occupations

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Speaker 2: imaginable for someone of Jewish descent. It would just be detestable.

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Speaker 2: It's just one of the grossest things they could possibly.

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Speaker 1: Even think about. Now, I have to tell you, I don't.

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Speaker 2: Know if you like pigs or don't like pigs. I

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Speaker 2: like things that come from pigs. I mean, I like bacon,

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Speaker 2: I like ham, I like I mean, many delicious things.

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Speaker 2: But I could tell you when I was first becoming

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Speaker 2: a pastor, there were several churches that had expressed interest

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Speaker 2: in me serving as their pastor or. I was twenty

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Speaker 2: one years old and one of the churches was right

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Speaker 2: next to a pig farm. And I visited that church

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Speaker 2: at one point and they warned me. They said, just

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Speaker 2: so you know, be prepared, because you'll notice that you're

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Speaker 2: right next to a pig farm. And I said okay,

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Speaker 2: And so I went there and I noticed they said, yeah,

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Speaker 2: we never opened the windows because that smell gets in

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Speaker 2: here and you can't even get it off your clothing.

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Speaker 1: You can get just the smell.

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Speaker 2: And I thought, all right, now again I like pigs,

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Speaker 2: but I got to tell you, you know, pig farming

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Speaker 2: not exactly the most pleasant scent.

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Speaker 1: Right to your day to day life.

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Speaker 2: And here Jesus describes this, this young man taking the

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Speaker 2: one of the something that would have been considered.

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Speaker 1: Almost like an unimaginable.

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Speaker 2: Occupation for someone of Jewish descent because of just the

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Speaker 2: detestable nature that they think pigs possess. And it's kind

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Speaker 2: of interesting because when you look at how this all

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Speaker 2: plays out, basically, what you see here is an illustration

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Speaker 2: that sin always promises freedom and then it produces slavery.

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Speaker 2: So this young man, he thought like he's just his

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Speaker 2: arrogance and the sin that he was embracing, that somehow

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Speaker 2: he was going to be free because of it, and

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Speaker 2: effectively what happens poverty, hunger, humiliation, slavery.

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Speaker 1: That's what ends up happening with his life.

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Speaker 2: The younger son literally thought that his life would improve

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Speaker 2: when he left the father behind. He thought he'd have

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Speaker 2: a better life without the father, but then instead he

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Speaker 2: ends up discovering emptiness. The pleasures that seem so attractive

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Speaker 2: at one point could not satisfy the deepest needs of

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Speaker 2: his soul, and he finds himself in a very humiliating condition.

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Speaker 2: But then something remarkable happened. When you look at or

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Speaker 2: verse seventeen, it says this, but when he came to himself.

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Speaker 2: But when he came to himself, do you ever have

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Speaker 2: a moment like that where you were thinking one way

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Speaker 2: and then all of a sudden your mind completely shifts

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Speaker 2: where you look back and you're like, was I delusional?

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Speaker 2: What was I thinking in that moment? Because I'm certainly

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Speaker 2: not thinking that right now here, it says, when he

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Speaker 2: came to himself, meaning all of a sudden, his eyes

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Speaker 2: are open to something that he was missing. It's actually

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Speaker 2: the turning point of this entire parable. You have the

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Speaker 2: younger son finding reality, noticing what was real. He recognizes

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Speaker 2: the goodness of his father and the misery of his

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Speaker 2: own choices. He's seeing those in a starker contrast. He

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Speaker 2: admits his sin to himself, and he decides, I'm going

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Speaker 2: to admit this to my father.

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Speaker 1: I want to attempt to return home.

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Speaker 2: But notice what his repentance looks like here, repentance, I

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Speaker 2: don't know if that's a word that you find scary.

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Speaker 2: I actually think it's one of the most beautiful words

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Speaker 2: in scripture.

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Speaker 1: Thing.

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Speaker 2: Most people tend to think of repentance as a scary concept.

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Speaker 2: But repentance is not a scary concept. It's a beautiful concept,

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Speaker 2: and it means more than just feeling bad about something.

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Speaker 2: Sometimes people think repentance is just feeling bad about something.

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Speaker 2: That's not what it's about. It's a change of mind

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Speaker 2: that leads to a change of direction. It's a change

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Speaker 2: of heart that leads to a change of direction. The

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Speaker 2: younger son stopped so in repentance, the younger son stopped

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Speaker 2: running from his father and started moving toward his father.

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Speaker 2: That's what biblical repentance looks like. It's not just feeling

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Speaker 2: bad about something. It's changing direction, it's changing course. And

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Speaker 2: he makes plans to confess his errors, his sin, his rebellion.

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Speaker 2: He makes plans to confess it to the father. When

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Speaker 2: you look at verse twenty one, this is actually as

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Speaker 2: he begins confessing it to the father. Now, if you

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Speaker 2: look earlier, he said more about what he was planning

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Speaker 2: to say. But this is the only part he was

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Speaker 2: able to get out out of his mouth before his

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Speaker 2: father interrupts him. This is the part of his repentance

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Speaker 2: and the part of his confession he's able to get out.

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Speaker 2: He says in verse twenty one, Father, I have sinned

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Speaker 2: against heaven, and before you, I am no longer worthy

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Speaker 2: to be called your son. I'm no longer worthy to

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Speaker 2: be called your son. His attitude had completely changed. His

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Speaker 2: pride was now squashed, and that gives way to humility.

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Speaker 2: His selfish demands now became a confession, and his his

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Speaker 2: health confidence became dependence. Where he realized I was trying

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Speaker 2: to do all this in my own strength and my

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Speaker 2: own wisdom, and truthfully, I need my father's help.

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Speaker 1: That's what he's saying here.

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Speaker 2: And yet, the most beautiful part of the story, even

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Speaker 2: though the son's repentance is beautiful, the most beautiful part

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Speaker 2: of this story.

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Speaker 1: Is not found in the son's repentance. In my opinion, I.

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Speaker 2: Think the most beautiful part of the story is found

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Speaker 2: in the father's response, and that's why I wanted to

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Speaker 2: share this specifically today. It's found in the father's response. We,

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Speaker 2: by God's grace, could develop this kind of heart, regardless

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Speaker 2: of your station of life. Look at how the father

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Speaker 2: responds in verse twenty. This is the verse right before that.

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Speaker 2: It says, but while he was still a long way off,

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Speaker 2: his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and

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Speaker 2: embraced him and kissed him.

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Speaker 1: It's a beautiful thing. Now.

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Speaker 2: In case you're wondering where Jesus was going with this parable,

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Speaker 2: this verse is ultimately attempting to reveal the heart of God.

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Speaker 2: Everything he's saying here about the Father is trying to

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Speaker 2: reveal to us something about the heart of our heavenly Father.

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Speaker 2: The scripture tells us that the father saw his son

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Speaker 2: while he was still far away. So what does that mean, Well,

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Speaker 2: that's meant to illustrate the fact that he had been watching.

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Speaker 1: He was looking for the son.

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Speaker 2: He hadn't forgotten his son, he hadn't erased him from memory,

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Speaker 2: he hadn't stopped loving him. He was watching, and when

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Speaker 2: he saw him, he didn't feel resentful, he didn't feel bitter,

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Speaker 2: he didn't feel angry to see him approaching. He felt compassion.

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Speaker 2: The scripture reveals the compassionate heart of the father. The

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Speaker 2: father wasn't fueled by anger, he wasn't there preparing a speech,

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Speaker 2: all the things that he had been storing up that

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Speaker 2: he wanted to say and really give the son an earful.

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Speaker 2: He wasn't planning punishment. His heart was full of compassion.

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Speaker 2: And then he did something that when Jesus was telling

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Speaker 2: this parable, this next description of the father's actions would

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Speaker 2: have stunned the original audience that was hearing Jesus tell

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Speaker 2: this prairer. It tells us he ran. Now, I don't

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Speaker 2: know how often you run. I used to run a

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Speaker 2: lot when I was older. And I don't know if

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Speaker 2: you thought that I was like an adept or wait,

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Speaker 2: what did I say older when I was younger? I

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Speaker 2: mean to say, when I was younger, illustrating that I've

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Speaker 2: grown older because I don't know which direction I'm going.

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Speaker 1: Apparently maybe I shouldn't run.

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Speaker 2: I can't even figure out how old I am. But

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Speaker 2: when I was younger, I used to run cross country.

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Speaker 2: So I used to run all the time. You know,

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Speaker 2: in high school I ran cross country. It was great,

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Speaker 2: And when you look at pictures of me from that time,

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Speaker 2: you could tell that I used to run all the time.

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Speaker 2: I don't know, in looking at me now, if you're

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Speaker 2: like I bet you he runs.

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Speaker 1: All the time. I don't. I really don't. I probably should.

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Speaker 1: I should probably.

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Speaker 2: Even walk sometimes too, That would be a nice start.

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Speaker 2: What happens is we as time goes on, do you

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Speaker 2: tend to run more as you get older or run less.

434
00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:54,760
Speaker 2: I sprained my right ankle so many times that I'm like, yeah,

435
00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:57,040
Speaker 2: I don't know that I should even walk sometimes because

436
00:21:57,440 --> 00:22:00,000
Speaker 2: that ankle is so messed up. But this father ran,

437
00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:04,360
Speaker 2: and he ran. Now, I gotta tell you, older men

438
00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:07,320
Speaker 2: in the culture where Jesus was sharing this parable did

439
00:22:07,359 --> 00:22:10,120
Speaker 2: not run. That was not a thing that they did

440
00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:13,159
Speaker 2: something to aspire to older men. Older men in that

441
00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:16,199
Speaker 2: culture did not run. Why, You're like, why are they

442
00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:18,920
Speaker 2: not run? Running's healthy? Running is good. Okay, well, it's

443
00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:20,960
Speaker 2: been like a trend for fifty years, but more than

444
00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:23,040
Speaker 2: you know, like it's only been since the seventies that

445
00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:25,439
Speaker 2: were really caring about running all the time, right, you know,

446
00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:25,919
Speaker 2: maybe not.

447
00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:26,399
Speaker 1: I don't know.

448
00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:29,040
Speaker 2: Some of you been around longer than that. You're like, no,

449
00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:31,159
Speaker 2: people ran before that. I doubt it.

450
00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:34,840
Speaker 1: But in the.

451
00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:39,399
Speaker 2: Culture Jesus was in, think about the way they would dress.

452
00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:41,880
Speaker 2: You know, in our context, we have clothing that makes

453
00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:44,680
Speaker 2: running a little bit more favorable. But in that context,

454
00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:47,440
Speaker 2: you have people who typically would wear something as like

455
00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:49,000
Speaker 2: a like a robe. You know, some of you, you'd

456
00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:51,560
Speaker 2: look at and you'd be like, it's very robeish, right,

457
00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:54,480
Speaker 2: what they're wearing. So if you're gonna run and you're

458
00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:57,119
Speaker 2: wearing a robe, that actually requires you're gonna have to

459
00:22:57,160 --> 00:22:59,400
Speaker 2: lift that robe a little bit. And when you lift

460
00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:01,040
Speaker 2: that robe a little bit, what you're doing is you're

461
00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:03,640
Speaker 2: going to be exposing your legs. You're gonna be making

462
00:23:03,720 --> 00:23:06,440
Speaker 2: your legs visible. And older guys in that culture, I

463
00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:08,280
Speaker 2: don't know if that sounds silly to you, but older

464
00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:12,440
Speaker 2: guys in that culture would have considered that undignified. You're

465
00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:14,400
Speaker 2: an older man. You don't expose your legs like that.

466
00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:15,520
Speaker 1: You don't do that.

467
00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:19,240
Speaker 2: And running would require you to pull up the robe

468
00:23:19,280 --> 00:23:23,080
Speaker 2: a little bit and get running. That would be considered undignified.

469
00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:29,280
Speaker 2: Respectable patriarchs walked, servants ran, but respectable patriarchs they would

470
00:23:29,280 --> 00:23:29,840
Speaker 2: do the walking.

471
00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:31,120
Speaker 1: And yet this father ran.

472
00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:36,199
Speaker 2: He ran, So that also means he didn't wait for

473
00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:37,800
Speaker 2: the sun to complete the journey.

474
00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:39,440
Speaker 1: He didn't make him.

475
00:23:39,280 --> 00:23:43,919
Speaker 2: Earn acceptance, he didn't require some sort of like intermediary

476
00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:48,360
Speaker 2: period or probationary period. He ran toward him. He ran

477
00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:51,600
Speaker 2: toward him. And I bring that up because Jesus brings

478
00:23:51,640 --> 00:23:53,600
Speaker 2: that up. Well, why does Jesus bring that up. He

479
00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:57,120
Speaker 2: brings that up because that's exactly what God does for us.

480
00:23:58,280 --> 00:24:01,399
Speaker 2: That's what God does for us. Now, think about God's nature.

481
00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:06,800
Speaker 2: He is holy and he is just, but he's also merciful.

482
00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:15,320
Speaker 2: He's compassionate. And when sinners repent, when sinners turn toward him, he.

483
00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:17,280
Speaker 1: Doesn't reluctantly accept them.

484
00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:21,040
Speaker 2: He doesn't look at a repentant sinner and just say, oh, great,

485
00:24:21,080 --> 00:24:21,800
Speaker 2: now he's got.

486
00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:23,960
Speaker 1: To be on the team. I should have made the

487
00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:27,280
Speaker 1: rules a bit more stringent. He doesn't do that.

488
00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:29,919
Speaker 2: He doesn't reluctantly accept them. What he does is he

489
00:24:30,040 --> 00:24:34,560
Speaker 2: joyfully receives them. That's what our heavenly Father does. And

490
00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:38,240
Speaker 2: so the Father in this parable is, as Jesus is

491
00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:41,159
Speaker 2: explaining this, he's trying to help you and me understand

492
00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:43,880
Speaker 2: something about our heavenly Father's personality.

493
00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:46,560
Speaker 1: And when you look at this.

494
00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:50,399
Speaker 2: Passage here, you're basically seeing the Father doing things that

495
00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:53,879
Speaker 2: are like God what God does. So like God, you

496
00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:58,160
Speaker 2: have the Father showing what patience like God the father

497
00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:01,320
Speaker 2: allows people to make real choices, you know, he let

498
00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:02,600
Speaker 2: his son make some choices.

499
00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:04,439
Speaker 1: He's like, all right, you're an adult, make some choices.

500
00:25:06,119 --> 00:25:12,440
Speaker 2: Like God, the father grieves over the son's rebellion. Like God,

501
00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:18,560
Speaker 2: the father remains eager to restore broken relationships, and like God,

502
00:25:19,520 --> 00:25:22,800
Speaker 2: the father in this parable delights in showing mercy. And

503
00:25:22,840 --> 00:25:25,359
Speaker 2: we're told here that the father embraced his son and

504
00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:28,240
Speaker 2: kissed him before the son could even complete the prepared speech,

505
00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:30,320
Speaker 2: because when you look at the earlier verses, he had

506
00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:32,359
Speaker 2: more than he was planning to say. And the father

507
00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:34,560
Speaker 2: runs out to him. The son starts saying what he's saying,

508
00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:37,200
Speaker 2: and the father's like, yeah, you know, get over here.

509
00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:40,120
Speaker 2: It's like, I don't need the whole speech, just get

510
00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:40,640
Speaker 2: over here.

511
00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:41,120
Speaker 1: Right.

512
00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:45,560
Speaker 2: His acceptance wasn't based on his son's performance. His acceptance

513
00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:48,640
Speaker 2: was rooted in his own love for the son.

514
00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:50,280
Speaker 1: That's how this works.

515
00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:53,320
Speaker 2: And then the father ordered a celebration love verse twenty two.

516
00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:55,679
Speaker 2: He says, bring quickly the best robe and put it

517
00:25:55,720 --> 00:25:58,520
Speaker 2: on him, and put a ring on his hand, and

518
00:25:58,640 --> 00:26:01,520
Speaker 2: choose on his feet. By the way, every one of

519
00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:03,920
Speaker 2: these gifts that's referenced here, I don't know if you've

520
00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:05,800
Speaker 2: ever looked into this, but every one of these gifts

521
00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:09,680
Speaker 2: actually communicates restoration in a significant way. There's multiple things

522
00:26:09,720 --> 00:26:11,879
Speaker 2: that are referenced here. They all have a meaning. The

523
00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:15,160
Speaker 2: robe signified honor. That robe is being put on him.

524
00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:17,639
Speaker 2: That signifies honor when you look back. And in the

525
00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:20,320
Speaker 2: Book of Genesis, how did how did Jacob show that

526
00:26:20,359 --> 00:26:24,600
Speaker 2: he was honoring Joseph with a robe with the coat?

527
00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:27,720
Speaker 2: So he puts a robe on him.

528
00:26:28,040 --> 00:26:28,840
Speaker 1: The ring.

529
00:26:30,359 --> 00:26:33,280
Speaker 2: A ring was put on him as well, and that

530
00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:38,200
Speaker 2: would symbolize both authority and belonging. And then he also

531
00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:41,040
Speaker 2: puts shoes on his feet or sandals on his feet.

532
00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:44,760
Speaker 2: And the idea what that was to distinguish him from servants.

533
00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:47,119
Speaker 2: It's like, no, you're a son. Here, get some shoes

534
00:26:47,160 --> 00:26:50,120
Speaker 2: on that guy's feet. Get some shoes on his feet,

535
00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:53,240
Speaker 2: get him some new sandals, put him on his feet. Basically,

536
00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:55,280
Speaker 2: what it's saying is the father wasn't bringing the son

537
00:26:55,359 --> 00:26:57,680
Speaker 2: back as a hired worker. The son's plan was, look,

538
00:26:57,680 --> 00:26:59,520
Speaker 2: I'll just go work for my dad. At least if

539
00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:01,720
Speaker 2: I work from my dad, I'll get treated like one

540
00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:03,880
Speaker 2: of the people that he hires. And the dad saying no,

541
00:27:04,359 --> 00:27:06,200
Speaker 2: I'm not bringing you back as a hired worker.

542
00:27:06,200 --> 00:27:07,520
Speaker 1: You're coming back as my son.

543
00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:11,800
Speaker 2: Here's the robe, here's the ring, and here's the shoes,

544
00:27:11,840 --> 00:27:15,880
Speaker 2: here's the sandals. He was restoring him as a son,

545
00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:18,879
Speaker 2: not hiring him as a worker. He was restoring him

546
00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:21,080
Speaker 2: as a son. And again, think about this from the

547
00:27:21,119 --> 00:27:25,040
Speaker 2: salvation perspective that we should all treasure. This reflects God's

548
00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:28,639
Speaker 2: work in salvation. When we trust in Jesus Christ. Consider

549
00:27:28,720 --> 00:27:31,719
Speaker 2: what happens. God doesn't just tolerate us. He doesn't look

550
00:27:31,760 --> 00:27:33,600
Speaker 2: at you and me and just put up with us.

551
00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:37,040
Speaker 2: He doesn't just tolerate us. He adopts us into his family.

552
00:27:37,040 --> 00:27:39,600
Speaker 2: Ephesians one tells us he adopts us into his family,

553
00:27:39,920 --> 00:27:43,640
Speaker 2: and then he clothes us with righteousness, and he restores

554
00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:46,040
Speaker 2: our standing before him. And you look at what the

555
00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:48,040
Speaker 2: father declared in this passage. When you get to verse

556
00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:50,520
Speaker 2: twenty four, it says, for this, my son was dead

557
00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:51,520
Speaker 2: and is alive again.

558
00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:53,959
Speaker 1: He was lost and is found.

559
00:27:54,840 --> 00:27:58,639
Speaker 2: That language is pointing beyond physical circumstances. He's talking about

560
00:27:58,680 --> 00:28:02,320
Speaker 2: deeper heart issues. In this context, the son had experienced

561
00:28:02,400 --> 00:28:06,760
Speaker 2: essentially relational death through his rebellion. He had ended the relationship,

562
00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:09,320
Speaker 2: at least in his mind. But here you have restoration,

563
00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:12,360
Speaker 2: bringing life, the restoring the relationship.

564
00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:12,600
Speaker 1: Here.

565
00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:16,600
Speaker 2: Well, in many ways, this picture is anticipating the salvation

566
00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:21,800
Speaker 2: that we've been given through Jesus Christ. We were spiritually

567
00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:25,080
Speaker 2: dead because of sin. That's where we were. We were

568
00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:28,800
Speaker 2: relationally dead as well. We were separated from God. We

569
00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:32,600
Speaker 2: were unable to fix that issue. We're unable to save ourselves.

570
00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:34,399
Speaker 2: And yet what did Jesus do? He came to seek

571
00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:37,800
Speaker 2: and save the lost, and come to seek and save

572
00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:43,000
Speaker 2: those who didn't need seeking and saving. So when you

573
00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:46,600
Speaker 2: look at the Father's embrace in Luke chapter fifteen, it's

574
00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:48,960
Speaker 2: basically pointing us to the cross. Well why am I

575
00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:52,920
Speaker 2: saying that? Well, let's ask it this way. How can

576
00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:58,240
Speaker 2: a holy God welcome sinners? How can a perfectly holy

577
00:28:58,360 --> 00:29:01,840
Speaker 2: God embrace a sin How could a perfectly holy God

578
00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:04,800
Speaker 2: welcome a sinner into close proximity with himself? He can

579
00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:08,600
Speaker 2: do that because Jesus took our sin upon himself. The

580
00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:12,200
Speaker 2: Father runs toward repentant sinners because the Son made reconciliation

581
00:29:12,400 --> 00:29:18,240
Speaker 2: possible through Christ's death and his resurrection. Forgiveness is offered

582
00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:20,880
Speaker 2: freely to anyone who believes anyone who repents and believes

583
00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:25,280
Speaker 2: receives complete forgiveness. You are absolved of your sins. Why

584
00:29:25,560 --> 00:29:28,680
Speaker 2: because Jesus took your sin and shame upon himself so

585
00:29:28,720 --> 00:29:32,800
Speaker 2: that you could be reconciled to the father. And if

586
00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:37,200
Speaker 2: the parable ended right there, that would be that would

587
00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:39,880
Speaker 2: be a beautiful truth to focus on. But I think

588
00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:44,840
Speaker 2: it's useful, very interesting that the parable doesn't end right there,

589
00:29:45,280 --> 00:29:47,760
Speaker 2: because there's something else we're supposed to learn about the

590
00:29:47,800 --> 00:29:50,240
Speaker 2: father's heart and maybe even get a picture into our

591
00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:54,880
Speaker 2: own hearts. Jesus wasn't finished teaching, because he goes on

592
00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:57,240
Speaker 2: to stop talking about the younger brother for a moment

593
00:29:58,320 --> 00:30:04,840
Speaker 2: and to reintroduce the old older brother. And the older

594
00:30:04,880 --> 00:30:09,440
Speaker 2: brother's response is sometimes the least emphasized portion of this parable,

595
00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:11,360
Speaker 2: even though it's very, very instructive.

596
00:30:12,160 --> 00:30:15,280
Speaker 1: But oftentimes it kind of gets skipped over. But look

597
00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:16,640
Speaker 1: at what it says. In verse twenty eight.

598
00:30:16,640 --> 00:30:19,840
Speaker 2: It says, but he was angry and refused to go in,

599
00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:22,240
Speaker 2: So that's referencing the fact that the father is throwing

600
00:30:22,240 --> 00:30:28,200
Speaker 2: this party for the repentant, rebellious younger son, and the

601
00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:31,800
Speaker 2: older son is angry about it. He's not celebrating. He's like,

602
00:30:31,840 --> 00:30:34,880
Speaker 2: I'm not even going into that party. I'm not going

603
00:30:34,920 --> 00:30:39,040
Speaker 2: in I'm not participating in that. So think about what

604
00:30:39,120 --> 00:30:42,760
Speaker 2: the younger son and the older son represent here. The

605
00:30:42,840 --> 00:30:47,080
Speaker 2: younger son represents obvious sinners. It was very obvious what

606
00:30:47,120 --> 00:30:50,040
Speaker 2: that younger son was doing. He had been arrogant toward

607
00:30:50,080 --> 00:30:53,440
Speaker 2: his father, disrespectful toward his father, rebellious toward his father,

608
00:30:53,720 --> 00:30:56,080
Speaker 2: trying to do things on his own, squandering what he.

609
00:30:56,000 --> 00:30:58,480
Speaker 1: Was giving, living wildly. All of that.

610
00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:04,280
Speaker 2: Presents obvious sinners. But the older son represents self righteous sinners.

611
00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:11,480
Speaker 2: His heart attitude was very different, but it was equally problematic,

612
00:31:11,480 --> 00:31:14,400
Speaker 2: and some would argue maybe even more problematic because you

613
00:31:14,480 --> 00:31:17,480
Speaker 2: have the younger son recognizing, no, I'm very obviously doing

614
00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:20,960
Speaker 2: something wrong. But self righteousness is kind of sneaky because

615
00:31:20,960 --> 00:31:25,960
Speaker 2: sometimes it actually looks like righteousness before we even realize

616
00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:30,720
Speaker 2: even within ourselves, that it's self righteousness. Because the older

617
00:31:30,760 --> 00:31:34,360
Speaker 2: son was outwardly obedient, looked like he was obedient, looked

618
00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:36,840
Speaker 2: like he was sticking with the father. He looked outwardly obedient,

619
00:31:36,840 --> 00:31:38,600
Speaker 2: But what was going on on the inside. On the inside,

620
00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:42,880
Speaker 2: he was inwardly bitter. He believed that he deserved greater

621
00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:45,200
Speaker 2: recognition than his brother. And notice what he says in

622
00:31:45,280 --> 00:31:47,240
Speaker 2: verse twenty nine. He says that this way. Look, these

623
00:31:47,240 --> 00:31:50,360
Speaker 2: many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed

624
00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:53,760
Speaker 2: your command. I never disobeyed your command. I've served you,

625
00:31:53,800 --> 00:31:57,560
Speaker 2: I never disobeyed your command. The older brother's focus was

626
00:31:57,680 --> 00:32:03,920
Speaker 2: entirely on himself. There's an arrogance in that his obedience

627
00:32:03,960 --> 00:32:06,200
Speaker 2: had become a source of pride. It had become a

628
00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:09,800
Speaker 2: source of arrogance. And instead of sharing the father's joy

629
00:32:09,800 --> 00:32:13,120
Speaker 2: over the repentance of the younger brother, he resented the

630
00:32:13,160 --> 00:32:16,240
Speaker 2: father's mercy, He resented the father's grace. And I think

631
00:32:16,280 --> 00:32:17,920
Speaker 2: he looked at his own life and thought, I don't

632
00:32:17,960 --> 00:32:20,080
Speaker 2: need those things from the Father. I don't need mercy,

633
00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:22,720
Speaker 2: I don't need grace. I'm fine as I am. And

634
00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:24,720
Speaker 2: I have to tell you, and I hope you'll notice

635
00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:27,800
Speaker 2: this with me as I point this out, that attitude,

636
00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:29,760
Speaker 2: and I believe this is why Jesus points this out

637
00:32:29,800 --> 00:32:33,280
Speaker 2: in this portion of this parable, that attitude. It reveals

638
00:32:33,280 --> 00:32:38,920
Speaker 2: one of the greatest spiritual dangers. Some people run very

639
00:32:38,920 --> 00:32:41,240
Speaker 2: far from God through rebellion, and that's easy to pick

640
00:32:41,320 --> 00:32:46,160
Speaker 2: up on, but others remain near to God externally while

641
00:32:46,160 --> 00:32:49,560
Speaker 2: their hearts grow cold. And I have to be honest

642
00:32:49,600 --> 00:32:53,600
Speaker 2: with you because that I can see a season early

643
00:32:53,760 --> 00:32:56,200
Speaker 2: in my Christian life where I had made that very

644
00:32:56,240 --> 00:33:01,240
Speaker 2: specific mistake without even realizing I was making it. I

645
00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:05,040
Speaker 2: went from being rebellious toward God to being visibly obedient

646
00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:11,160
Speaker 2: and then overly self dependent, and was getting to a

647
00:33:11,200 --> 00:33:15,640
Speaker 2: spot where I think I was forgetting in my late teens,

648
00:33:15,720 --> 00:33:18,760
Speaker 2: young twenties, right around that era of life, I think

649
00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:20,840
Speaker 2: I was forgetting just how much I needed Jesus. I

650
00:33:20,840 --> 00:33:22,600
Speaker 2: was trying to do way too much on my own.

651
00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:26,040
Speaker 2: And you know what it does. It produces arrogance, It

652
00:33:26,080 --> 00:33:31,440
Speaker 2: produces pride. It also produces anxiety because you're trying to

653
00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:33,400
Speaker 2: do things in your own strength that you need God's

654
00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:36,320
Speaker 2: strength to do. And I remember at one point the

655
00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:39,360
Speaker 2: Lord really confronted me with that. I was just sitting

656
00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:42,080
Speaker 2: down at a table reading through the Gospel of Luke

657
00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:46,320
Speaker 2: and reading through this section and the related sections are

658
00:33:46,520 --> 00:33:49,920
Speaker 2: that come right along with it, where Jesus gives multiple parables,

659
00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:56,000
Speaker 2: and I came under such deep conviction that younger brother's

660
00:33:56,000 --> 00:34:01,440
Speaker 2: sin was obvious, the older brother's sin was hidden under

661
00:34:01,480 --> 00:34:05,720
Speaker 2: his religious behavior. So like only it's the type of

662
00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:07,720
Speaker 2: thing that God would notice and other people wouldn't even

663
00:34:07,760 --> 00:34:12,000
Speaker 2: notice because it's hidden. Right, And yet both sons needed

664
00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:15,400
Speaker 2: the father's grace, not just the younger son. Both sons

665
00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:18,520
Speaker 2: needed the father's grace. One son was lost in immorality,

666
00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:22,279
Speaker 2: the other son was lost in self righteousness. One ran

667
00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:27,640
Speaker 2: away physically, the other remained distant emotionally. And here's something

668
00:34:27,719 --> 00:34:30,520
Speaker 2: remarkable about the father, and something really really good to

669
00:34:30,600 --> 00:34:35,880
Speaker 2: notice on a day like today. Remarkably, the father pursued both.

670
00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:38,919
Speaker 2: Do you ever think about that? The father pursued both

671
00:34:38,960 --> 00:34:43,560
Speaker 2: of these boys. It's very obvious that he went out

672
00:34:43,560 --> 00:34:45,920
Speaker 2: and welcomed the younger son because he actually ran toward him, right,

673
00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:48,120
Speaker 2: But he also went to plead with the older son.

674
00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:51,320
Speaker 2: He doesn't just chase after the younger son. He doesn't

675
00:34:51,360 --> 00:34:55,480
Speaker 2: just run toward the younger son. He also approaches intentionally

676
00:34:55,880 --> 00:34:58,120
Speaker 2: the older son. Look at verse twenty eight. It says

677
00:34:58,160 --> 00:35:01,879
Speaker 2: his father came out and entreated him. His father comes

678
00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:04,560
Speaker 2: toward him, his father approaches him, his father leaves the

679
00:35:04,600 --> 00:35:08,840
Speaker 2: party to go to the older son, who's bitter about

680
00:35:08,840 --> 00:35:11,960
Speaker 2: what's going on here. And again in that action we

681
00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:15,360
Speaker 2: see the heart of God. God pursues rebellious sinners, but

682
00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:21,440
Speaker 2: he also produced. He also pursues proud sinners. Rebellious sinners.

683
00:35:21,440 --> 00:35:24,400
Speaker 2: He's like, I'm coming after you, and proud sinners, He's like,

684
00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:25,520
Speaker 2: I'm coming after you too.

685
00:35:27,360 --> 00:35:29,440
Speaker 1: He seeks, it's beautiful.

686
00:35:29,600 --> 00:35:32,040
Speaker 2: He seeks those who know that they've failed, and he

687
00:35:32,080 --> 00:35:37,000
Speaker 2: seeks those who think they've succeeded. He reaches out to

688
00:35:37,080 --> 00:35:43,080
Speaker 2: the immoral, and he reaches out to the religious, like

689
00:35:43,160 --> 00:35:47,920
Speaker 2: the self righteous religious. And I love the Father's words

690
00:35:47,920 --> 00:35:51,040
Speaker 2: here to the older son because they're very thoughtful. They're

691
00:35:51,040 --> 00:35:53,880
Speaker 2: also very kind, and they're also very direct. When you

692
00:35:53,920 --> 00:35:56,080
Speaker 2: look at verse thirty one, he says, son, you are

693
00:35:56,120 --> 00:35:58,440
Speaker 2: always with me, and all that his mine is yours.

694
00:36:00,239 --> 00:36:05,240
Speaker 2: He's thoughtful, he's direct, he's also kind. Basically, the Father

695
00:36:05,280 --> 00:36:07,160
Speaker 2: isn't taking anything away from him. He's like, look, I'm

696
00:36:07,200 --> 00:36:09,480
Speaker 2: not taking anything away from you. What I am doing, though,

697
00:36:09,520 --> 00:36:12,799
Speaker 2: is I'm inviting you to share in the joy of

698
00:36:12,840 --> 00:36:16,400
Speaker 2: your brother's restoration. Why does that not produce joy in

699
00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:19,200
Speaker 2: your heart? Is basically what he's saying, Share in the

700
00:36:19,280 --> 00:36:22,280
Speaker 2: joy of your brother's restoration. That's the heart of God.

701
00:36:22,640 --> 00:36:25,520
Speaker 2: That's what's being illustrated in a passage like this. God

702
00:36:25,560 --> 00:36:31,880
Speaker 2: delights when lost people come home, He rejoices when sinners repent.

703
00:36:32,640 --> 00:36:37,160
Speaker 2: He celebrates restoration, and so should we. And keep in mind,

704
00:36:37,320 --> 00:36:41,080
Speaker 2: among the people hearing Jesus telling this parable, you had Pharisees.

705
00:36:41,120 --> 00:36:44,239
Speaker 2: And the Pharisees were some of the religious elite of

706
00:36:44,320 --> 00:36:46,560
Speaker 2: the day. And these were men who were so proud,

707
00:36:46,600 --> 00:36:49,640
Speaker 2: and they were so self righteous, and they're so religious,

708
00:36:49,640 --> 00:36:52,560
Speaker 2: but their religion was basically external and not something that

709
00:36:52,600 --> 00:36:55,280
Speaker 2: was gripping their heart, certainly not something that was resulting

710
00:36:55,320 --> 00:36:57,919
Speaker 2: in them having an actually close relationship with the Lord.

711
00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:01,640
Speaker 2: And the Pharisees hearing Jesus tell this story, I imagine

712
00:37:01,640 --> 00:37:05,440
Speaker 2: that they very perceptibly realized, Oh, the part where he's

713
00:37:05,440 --> 00:37:07,759
Speaker 2: talking about the older brother, he's talking about us, isn't

714
00:37:07,760 --> 00:37:09,880
Speaker 2: he We're the older brother, aren't we?

715
00:37:12,560 --> 00:37:13,400
Speaker 1: Because what would they do.

716
00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:16,200
Speaker 2: They would criticize Jesus for welcoming tax collectors.

717
00:37:16,239 --> 00:37:17,560
Speaker 1: They would criticize.

718
00:37:17,160 --> 00:37:20,040
Speaker 2: Jesus for welcoming people they called sinners, as if they

719
00:37:20,040 --> 00:37:23,759
Speaker 2: weren't sinners too. They could not understand why Jesus would

720
00:37:23,800 --> 00:37:27,160
Speaker 2: associate with people that they considered unworthy they're like, you'll

721
00:37:27,160 --> 00:37:30,880
Speaker 2: just hang out with anybody, won't you. But Jesus was

722
00:37:30,920 --> 00:37:32,359
Speaker 2: trying to do something. He was trying to help them

723
00:37:32,440 --> 00:37:36,480
Speaker 2: understand the Father's heart. God doesn't just tolerate repentant sinners.

724
00:37:36,480 --> 00:37:38,960
Speaker 2: He rejoices over them. And I think that that's a

725
00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:41,560
Speaker 2: truth that should encourage every one of us, every believer.

726
00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:43,359
Speaker 2: And I got to say this, I don't know where

727
00:37:43,400 --> 00:37:45,360
Speaker 2: your heart is with the Lord. I can externally you

728
00:37:45,400 --> 00:37:49,799
Speaker 2: all look great, but maybe you're noticing some things in

729
00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:51,799
Speaker 2: your own life. Maybe you're noticing some things about your

730
00:37:51,800 --> 00:37:54,279
Speaker 2: own heart that I would never notice about you or

731
00:37:54,280 --> 00:37:55,399
Speaker 2: others in your life.

732
00:37:55,440 --> 00:37:57,120
Speaker 1: Maybe don't know about you. Maybe it's just something that

733
00:37:57,160 --> 00:37:57,880
Speaker 1: you and God know.

734
00:37:58,760 --> 00:38:01,480
Speaker 2: Maybe you've wandered from them, you know, maybe if you

735
00:38:01,520 --> 00:38:03,600
Speaker 2: gave it hon a self assessment of your life right now,

736
00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:05,279
Speaker 2: you're like, nah, I kind of wandered from the Lord,

737
00:38:05,520 --> 00:38:08,880
Speaker 2: feel a bit distant from him. Or maybe you've made

738
00:38:09,080 --> 00:38:13,360
Speaker 2: or are making some choices that feel regrettable and you're like,

739
00:38:13,400 --> 00:38:15,160
Speaker 2: I don't know, that's not really something that should be

740
00:38:15,239 --> 00:38:16,719
Speaker 2: part of my life. Or maybe you did that in

741
00:38:16,760 --> 00:38:18,800
Speaker 2: the past, but you're still struggling with it in your mind.

742
00:38:19,200 --> 00:38:21,719
Speaker 2: Maybe you're even wrestling with this thought that somehow you're

743
00:38:21,880 --> 00:38:25,200
Speaker 2: unworthy to return, that you would love to have the

744
00:38:25,200 --> 00:38:27,720
Speaker 2: thought that God welcomes you into his presence. But you're thinking,

745
00:38:27,760 --> 00:38:29,839
Speaker 2: I don't know. I feel like I've crossed way too

746
00:38:29,920 --> 00:38:32,600
Speaker 2: many lines. Maybe God would not welcome me into Maybe

747
00:38:32,600 --> 00:38:34,960
Speaker 2: I've rebelled way too long. Maybe I'm the one person

748
00:38:35,000 --> 00:38:39,319
Speaker 2: who's tested God's patience to the fullest degree. Well, if

749
00:38:39,320 --> 00:38:41,560
Speaker 2: these are things that you're thinking, I hope you'll actually

750
00:38:41,560 --> 00:38:43,920
Speaker 2: remember what Jesus was trying to convey in this parable.

751
00:38:44,239 --> 00:38:46,560
Speaker 1: Remember what this parable's trying to teach.

752
00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:51,840
Speaker 2: The father was watching, who was already watching, was looking,

753
00:38:52,840 --> 00:38:56,040
Speaker 2: Who's looking for that son to return? The father felt compassion,

754
00:38:57,239 --> 00:39:01,480
Speaker 2: and the father ran toward the son. The father embraced

755
00:39:01,480 --> 00:39:04,200
Speaker 2: the son. The father restored the son, even though the

756
00:39:04,239 --> 00:39:06,840
Speaker 2: son was saying, I don't feel worthy for any of this.

757
00:39:07,360 --> 00:39:09,520
Speaker 2: Just treat me like a hired hand. And the father says, what,

758
00:39:10,400 --> 00:39:12,879
Speaker 2: You're not a hired hand, You're my boy.

759
00:39:13,040 --> 00:39:14,000
Speaker 1: That's what God does.

760
00:39:15,680 --> 00:39:18,280
Speaker 2: And again I mentioned this earlier, but God's kindness leads

761
00:39:18,320 --> 00:39:21,600
Speaker 2: to repentance. I'm grateful that that's how he operates with us.

762
00:39:21,640 --> 00:39:24,880
Speaker 2: His mercy invites us back. His grace is greater than

763
00:39:24,920 --> 00:39:28,359
Speaker 2: our failures. If you identify more with the older brother

764
00:39:28,440 --> 00:39:33,560
Speaker 2: in this parable, also say this, don't allow pride, comparison,

765
00:39:33,680 --> 00:39:36,600
Speaker 2: or self righteousness to keep you from sharing God's joy,

766
00:39:38,120 --> 00:39:40,520
Speaker 2: because the Father delights in extending his grace, and his

767
00:39:40,640 --> 00:39:43,240
Speaker 2: children should delight in extending grace as well, and delight

768
00:39:43,280 --> 00:39:46,320
Speaker 2: and seeing God's grace extended to others. But again, ultimately,

769
00:39:46,360 --> 00:39:50,120
Speaker 2: this story's pointing us to Jesus himself. Jesus is the

770
00:39:50,120 --> 00:39:52,759
Speaker 2: one telling us the story because he's the one who

771
00:39:52,760 --> 00:39:57,360
Speaker 2: makes the fathers welcome possible. Jesus came to seek and

772
00:39:57,400 --> 00:40:00,640
Speaker 2: to save the lost. He came to bear our sin,

773
00:40:01,200 --> 00:40:03,680
Speaker 2: and he came to reconcile us to the Father. And

774
00:40:03,680 --> 00:40:06,120
Speaker 2: by the way, Scripture also tells us that in Christ

775
00:40:06,440 --> 00:40:10,719
Speaker 2: we are also made ministers of reconciliation, meaning that the

776
00:40:10,719 --> 00:40:12,759
Speaker 2: Lord wants you and me to use our lives to

777
00:40:12,760 --> 00:40:14,680
Speaker 2: help people reconcile with the Father.

778
00:40:17,160 --> 00:40:19,120
Speaker 1: Because of Jesus.

779
00:40:18,680 --> 00:40:21,239
Speaker 2: Because of what Christ has done and atoning for our sin.

780
00:40:21,680 --> 00:40:25,000
Speaker 2: We see the Father running toward repentant sinners and welcoming

781
00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:28,840
Speaker 2: them home, and nobody is beyond his reach, and no

782
00:40:29,000 --> 00:40:31,719
Speaker 2: failure is too great, and no distance is too far.

783
00:40:32,200 --> 00:40:34,960
Speaker 2: The Father is still watching, The Father is still compassionate.

784
00:40:35,000 --> 00:40:38,439
Speaker 2: The Father is still welcoming sinners into his presence through

785
00:40:38,560 --> 00:40:42,720
Speaker 2: Jesus Christ, God the Son. And when lost people come home,

786
00:40:43,160 --> 00:40:48,880
Speaker 2: Heaven still rejoices. Now on a day like today, and

787
00:40:49,239 --> 00:40:52,480
Speaker 2: it's a beautiful day, and it's a wonderful day. On

788
00:40:52,560 --> 00:40:55,239
Speaker 2: a day like today, Father's Day, you're gonna have a

789
00:40:55,360 --> 00:40:57,600
Speaker 2: variety of people in a variety of perspectives. You're gonna

790
00:40:57,600 --> 00:41:01,640
Speaker 2: have fathers that none of which none of us actually

791
00:41:01,640 --> 00:41:02,279
Speaker 2: feel like we.

792
00:41:02,200 --> 00:41:03,160
Speaker 1: Do a perfect job.

793
00:41:03,960 --> 00:41:07,560
Speaker 2: So we recognize that, but again, I promise you we're

794
00:41:07,560 --> 00:41:11,239
Speaker 2: doing our best. And then you have some people who

795
00:41:11,239 --> 00:41:12,759
Speaker 2: are like, I'm not a father, so I guess this

796
00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:17,520
Speaker 2: stuff doesn't apply to me. Then you have some people saying, well, like,

797
00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:20,680
Speaker 2: not only am I not a father, but I'm not

798
00:41:20,719 --> 00:41:24,120
Speaker 2: even the right gender to be a father, so that

799
00:41:24,160 --> 00:41:26,239
Speaker 2: doesn't apply to me. And some people would say, well,

800
00:41:26,640 --> 00:41:29,520
Speaker 2: I'm young, so fatherhood is a later season of life.

801
00:41:29,560 --> 00:41:32,160
Speaker 2: And then you have other people coming up with other

802
00:41:32,200 --> 00:41:34,640
Speaker 2: excuses to look at a day like this or a

803
00:41:34,719 --> 00:41:36,600
Speaker 2: context like this and saying, I guess it doesn't apply

804
00:41:36,680 --> 00:41:40,520
Speaker 2: to me, And what I'm saying is this this chapter. Yes,

805
00:41:41,000 --> 00:41:43,439
Speaker 2: like there's a lot of things fathers can learn from

806
00:41:43,440 --> 00:41:46,799
Speaker 2: a chapter like this, but there's something here for each

807
00:41:46,840 --> 00:41:51,000
Speaker 2: of us to learn where basically, our heavenly Father is

808
00:41:51,040 --> 00:41:55,520
Speaker 2: inviting us to mirror his heart. And it doesn't matter

809
00:41:55,560 --> 00:41:58,080
Speaker 2: your station of life. It doesn't matter whether you have

810
00:41:58,200 --> 00:42:01,960
Speaker 2: kids or don't have kids, whether you're grand father, you know,

811
00:42:02,080 --> 00:42:03,319
Speaker 2: like what whatever does it?

812
00:42:03,719 --> 00:42:03,799
Speaker 1: Like?

813
00:42:03,880 --> 00:42:07,440
Speaker 2: The idea is, wherever God has placed you, and whatever

814
00:42:07,480 --> 00:42:11,280
Speaker 2: responsibilities he's placed under your care, and whoever he's placed

815
00:42:11,280 --> 00:42:15,400
Speaker 2: in your life, remember his heart and then demonstrate his

816
00:42:15,480 --> 00:42:18,320
Speaker 2: heart to those very people. If you are a father,

817
00:42:19,280 --> 00:42:23,000
Speaker 2: that example will help you to be a great father.

818
00:42:24,640 --> 00:42:26,879
Speaker 2: If you choose to look at this and say, I'm

819
00:42:26,920 --> 00:42:31,120
Speaker 2: being given here a blueprint that I can incorporate in

820
00:42:31,280 --> 00:42:34,479
Speaker 2: my home, that's going to be a blessing to your home.

821
00:42:35,560 --> 00:42:38,000
Speaker 2: But I think it's going to go far beyond your home.

822
00:42:39,280 --> 00:42:41,600
Speaker 2: I think it's going to reach into other lives as well.

823
00:42:41,680 --> 00:42:46,400
Speaker 2: People who work with you, people who just know you casually, neighbors,

824
00:42:46,480 --> 00:42:48,799
Speaker 2: all of that. We're given a blueprint here we could

825
00:42:48,800 --> 00:42:51,279
Speaker 2: actually all apply it. Let me finish up by just

826
00:42:51,320 --> 00:42:54,640
Speaker 2: telling you some something kind of interesting that I recently

827
00:42:54,680 --> 00:42:59,480
Speaker 2: came across that I find a bit fascinating. Do you

828
00:42:59,480 --> 00:43:03,080
Speaker 2: ever look at details related to relatives of yours that

829
00:43:03,120 --> 00:43:06,840
Speaker 2: passed away before you were even born, ancestry stuff, anything

830
00:43:06,880 --> 00:43:09,480
Speaker 2: like that. I have an uncle who gathers all that

831
00:43:09,560 --> 00:43:11,960
Speaker 2: info for our family, and he does a really good

832
00:43:12,040 --> 00:43:15,720
Speaker 2: job of collecting that, and I asked him a question.

833
00:43:15,840 --> 00:43:18,440
Speaker 1: He sent me an obituary.

834
00:43:18,920 --> 00:43:24,040
Speaker 2: Some years ago for Christian Carl Stanghy, who was my

835
00:43:24,400 --> 00:43:30,520
Speaker 2: original ancestor, who came from Germany to Scranton, Pennsylvania, and

836
00:43:30,960 --> 00:43:33,239
Speaker 2: basically the reason why our family lives here in the

837
00:43:33,360 --> 00:43:35,520
Speaker 2: United States and why I'm here standing in a pulpit

838
00:43:35,520 --> 00:43:38,920
Speaker 2: in Pennsylvania because Christian Karl Stangy in the eighteen hundreds

839
00:43:38,960 --> 00:43:42,000
Speaker 2: came here to Pennsylvania and set up our family and

840
00:43:42,000 --> 00:43:45,480
Speaker 2: there he was, so he's my great great grandfather. And

841
00:43:45,480 --> 00:43:49,600
Speaker 2: he sent me his obituary and I read it, and

842
00:43:49,680 --> 00:43:54,200
Speaker 2: in the obituary it said that his funeral was massive,

843
00:43:55,520 --> 00:43:58,439
Speaker 2: that there were hundreds and hundreds of people that came

844
00:43:58,480 --> 00:44:02,000
Speaker 2: to this thing, but didn't give details why, and it

845
00:44:02,040 --> 00:44:05,240
Speaker 2: made me intensely curious about the man, and I thought,

846
00:44:05,360 --> 00:44:08,560
Speaker 2: why did so many people show up. Why did they

847
00:44:08,600 --> 00:44:11,360
Speaker 2: show up? And so I saw my uncle very recently

848
00:44:12,040 --> 00:44:14,000
Speaker 2: and I said, why did so many people show up?

849
00:44:14,080 --> 00:44:15,600
Speaker 2: I was like, do you know? I said, maybe that's

850
00:44:15,600 --> 00:44:17,759
Speaker 2: an obscure question, maybe that's not something that you would know,

851
00:44:17,960 --> 00:44:18,759
Speaker 2: but it seems to me.

852
00:44:19,239 --> 00:44:21,839
Speaker 1: Was he like, what did he do for a job?

853
00:44:21,920 --> 00:44:25,400
Speaker 2: Did he have some sort of influence that that you know,

854
00:44:25,440 --> 00:44:29,120
Speaker 2: in the region that that would influence people to do that?

855
00:44:29,160 --> 00:44:29,319
Speaker 1: Why?

856
00:44:29,480 --> 00:44:31,279
Speaker 2: Like, why did that show up? And he told me

857
00:44:31,320 --> 00:44:33,480
Speaker 2: about some of the things that he led in the area,

858
00:44:33,560 --> 00:44:36,240
Speaker 2: and I thought, oh, well, that's great. But he also

859
00:44:36,280 --> 00:44:38,439
Speaker 2: told like, he said, I'm going to send you. He said,

860
00:44:38,480 --> 00:44:42,840
Speaker 2: I have found thirty newspaper clippings all about him that

861
00:44:42,880 --> 00:44:44,840
Speaker 2: are archived, and he sent me all thirty and so

862
00:44:44,880 --> 00:44:47,279
Speaker 2: I read through them all and one of the things

863
00:44:47,320 --> 00:44:52,759
Speaker 2: that I noticed was that he started a band. He

864
00:44:52,800 --> 00:44:56,520
Speaker 2: started a band with five guys. He directed it, and

865
00:44:56,520 --> 00:45:00,280
Speaker 2: he started a band and it grew really popped popular,

866
00:45:00,360 --> 00:45:05,840
Speaker 2: and he expanded it to thirty people and it was

867
00:45:05,880 --> 00:45:09,480
Speaker 2: like a really popular band in Scranton. And I'm reading

868
00:45:09,480 --> 00:45:13,279
Speaker 2: all these newspaper clippings and one of them said that

869
00:45:13,320 --> 00:45:16,200
Speaker 2: on his forty seventh birthday, the band showed up at

870
00:45:16,200 --> 00:45:20,240
Speaker 2: his house unannounced and started playing to celebrate his forty

871
00:45:20,280 --> 00:45:25,520
Speaker 2: seventh birthday. And then missus Stanghy, my great great grandmother,

872
00:45:25,600 --> 00:45:27,879
Speaker 2: felt compelled to serve them all lunch. So that must

873
00:45:27,880 --> 00:45:30,920
Speaker 2: have been delightful, right, wake up the whole neighborhood, feed

874
00:45:31,000 --> 00:45:33,320
Speaker 2: everyone in the band. But I looked at that and

875
00:45:33,400 --> 00:45:35,640
Speaker 2: I thought, I'm so curious about the guy now, and

876
00:45:35,640 --> 00:45:37,839
Speaker 2: I'm going to try and find more information out about him.

877
00:45:38,400 --> 00:45:39,360
Speaker 1: But I'm like, all right.

878
00:45:40,880 --> 00:45:44,640
Speaker 2: Here, I am a long time after my great grandfather lived,

879
00:45:46,160 --> 00:45:49,840
Speaker 2: he's deceased, he's with the Lord. He's part of Trinity

880
00:45:49,880 --> 00:45:55,960
Speaker 2: Evangelical Church up in that area, and he's still having.

881
00:45:55,719 --> 00:45:56,680
Speaker 1: An influence on me.

882
00:45:58,200 --> 00:46:00,840
Speaker 2: I never met the guy, and I've been thinking a

883
00:46:00,840 --> 00:46:04,200
Speaker 2: lot about him and reading stuff about this band he

884
00:46:04,360 --> 00:46:07,719
Speaker 2: started and how he grew it to thirty people and

885
00:46:07,719 --> 00:46:09,759
Speaker 2: it became a popular band, and I'm like, I.

886
00:46:09,680 --> 00:46:13,640
Speaker 1: Should start a band. I should start a band.

887
00:46:13,760 --> 00:46:16,799
Speaker 2: That's what I like my great great grandfather.

888
00:46:17,600 --> 00:46:19,040
Speaker 1: I'm like, that'd be so cool.

889
00:46:20,000 --> 00:46:25,360
Speaker 2: We could tour, and I'm just like, I'm a walking daydream.

890
00:46:25,719 --> 00:46:31,120
Speaker 2: All that all that to say, be the type of guy.

891
00:46:31,680 --> 00:46:35,080
Speaker 2: Be the type of person who models the Father's heart.

892
00:46:36,000 --> 00:46:37,440
Speaker 2: This is kind of where I was going with this.

893
00:46:37,840 --> 00:46:39,840
Speaker 2: Thirty people don't join a band if they don't like

894
00:46:39,880 --> 00:46:40,760
Speaker 2: the band director.

895
00:46:42,200 --> 00:46:44,000
Speaker 1: That's not a job. They weren't getting paid to do this.

896
00:46:44,080 --> 00:46:47,960
Speaker 2: I don't think thirty people joined that band because I

897
00:46:48,000 --> 00:46:52,800
Speaker 2: guess they respected and liked my great great grandfather, Christian

898
00:46:52,920 --> 00:46:57,280
Speaker 2: Carl Stogy. And I'm thinking, all right, well, what guy,

899
00:46:57,480 --> 00:47:00,680
Speaker 2: what kind of guy were you? What was your walk

900
00:47:00,719 --> 00:47:06,839
Speaker 2: with the Lord like? Did you love your family? Did

901
00:47:06,840 --> 00:47:09,920
Speaker 2: you love your neighbor? I think he did. I think

902
00:47:10,000 --> 00:47:14,160
Speaker 2: the external evidence shows that he did. And so I

903
00:47:14,200 --> 00:47:17,560
Speaker 2: look at a passage like this, and it's saying, you

904
00:47:17,600 --> 00:47:19,479
Speaker 2: want to be that kind of guy. Here's one better

905
00:47:19,560 --> 00:47:23,760
Speaker 2: be like your heavenly father. Model his example. He gave

906
00:47:23,800 --> 00:47:27,440
Speaker 2: you the blueprint. Model that example, and then use that

907
00:47:27,520 --> 00:47:30,160
Speaker 2: example to be a blessing to whoever he puts in

908
00:47:30,200 --> 00:47:32,520
Speaker 2: your life. If it's making music, make music together and

909
00:47:32,560 --> 00:47:35,320
Speaker 2: glorify the Lord together. If it's serving in some other capacity,

910
00:47:35,400 --> 00:47:38,440
Speaker 2: serve the Lord together. Just model his heart and the

911
00:47:38,440 --> 00:47:41,040
Speaker 2: blueprints right there for us to follow. And by the

912
00:47:41,080 --> 00:47:45,759
Speaker 2: grace of Jesus Christ were reconciled to the Father. And

913
00:47:45,800 --> 00:47:47,920
Speaker 2: this is a beautiful thing that Jesus wanted us to

914
00:47:48,000 --> 00:47:52,000
Speaker 2: understand the nature and personality of our loving heavenly Father.

915
00:47:52,520 --> 00:47:57,279
Speaker 2: Beautiful thing to think about on this Father's Day. Let's pray, Lord,

916
00:47:57,320 --> 00:48:01,600
Speaker 2: thank you so much for who you are are and

917
00:48:01,680 --> 00:48:06,360
Speaker 2: for what you do, and for.

918
00:48:07,680 --> 00:48:09,560
Speaker 1: Being the ultimate example. Father.

919
00:48:09,680 --> 00:48:12,400
Speaker 2: We know that we fall short of your example in

920
00:48:12,560 --> 00:48:15,360
Speaker 2: every category. That's something that we can admit about ourselves.

921
00:48:15,360 --> 00:48:17,880
Speaker 2: We know that we know we're not perfect people, but

922
00:48:17,960 --> 00:48:19,640
Speaker 2: that's not the point of what we're looking at.

923
00:48:19,680 --> 00:48:19,879
Speaker 1: Here.

924
00:48:20,640 --> 00:48:23,200
Speaker 2: You're showing us your heart so that we can mirror

925
00:48:23,200 --> 00:48:24,120
Speaker 2: your heart.

926
00:48:24,360 --> 00:48:25,319
Speaker 1: You're showing us what.

927
00:48:25,239 --> 00:48:29,239
Speaker 2: It's like when someone's received into your presence, reminding us

928
00:48:29,280 --> 00:48:30,839
Speaker 2: of the nature of what it was like for us

929
00:48:30,880 --> 00:48:34,840
Speaker 2: to be received into your presence. But you're also showing

930
00:48:34,920 --> 00:48:40,080
Speaker 2: us how how we can miss the joy if we

931
00:48:40,160 --> 00:48:44,239
Speaker 2: harden our hearts against that opportunity. So, Father, help us

932
00:48:44,280 --> 00:48:48,000
Speaker 2: to receive the opportunity, or welcome the opportunity to come

933
00:48:48,040 --> 00:48:51,520
Speaker 2: before you and repent. And Father, help us to be

934
00:48:51,600 --> 00:48:55,040
Speaker 2: men and women who rejoice over the repentance of others.

935
00:48:55,800 --> 00:48:58,960
Speaker 2: But Father, ultimately, we're grateful for your compassion. We're grateful

936
00:48:59,000 --> 00:49:02,880
Speaker 2: that you are the kind of God who runs toward

937
00:49:03,000 --> 00:49:07,160
Speaker 2: the rebellious, and you run toward the self righteous as well.

938
00:49:07,280 --> 00:49:12,120
Speaker 2: You run toward us. Sometimes, Lord, we've attempted to repel you.

939
00:49:12,160 --> 00:49:14,960
Speaker 2: Sometimes we've hardened our hearts against you. But Father, we

940
00:49:15,000 --> 00:49:20,520
Speaker 2: are grateful that you are. You're just the perfection of patience,

941
00:49:20,560 --> 00:49:22,520
Speaker 2: and you have been so patient toward us, as you

942
00:49:22,600 --> 00:49:26,080
Speaker 2: extend grace and you show us mercy. We do not

943
00:49:26,239 --> 00:49:28,480
Speaker 2: deserve these things from you, Lord, but we want to

944
00:49:28,520 --> 00:49:32,240
Speaker 2: be like you. And we know that through our union

945
00:49:32,360 --> 00:49:35,480
Speaker 2: with your son Jesus Christ and the indwelling presence of

946
00:49:35,520 --> 00:49:40,360
Speaker 2: your Holy Spirit, that you empower us to copy you.

947
00:49:40,360 --> 00:49:44,160
Speaker 2: You empower us to mirror your heart. And so Father,

948
00:49:44,239 --> 00:49:46,360
Speaker 2: I pray that, by your grace that you would enable

949
00:49:46,440 --> 00:49:48,279
Speaker 2: us to continue to do so, and that that would

950
00:49:48,280 --> 00:49:49,560
Speaker 2: be something that we would value.

951
00:49:49,840 --> 00:49:52,040
Speaker 1: And on a day like today, when.

952
00:49:51,920 --> 00:49:54,120
Speaker 2: We think about the kind of people we want to be,

953
00:49:54,960 --> 00:49:56,640
Speaker 2: I pray Lord that you would help us to say,

954
00:49:56,719 --> 00:49:59,920
Speaker 2: I want to be just like my compassionate, merciful, gracious,

955
00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:04,160
Speaker 2: heavenly Father. I want to live a life that shows

956
00:50:04,200 --> 00:50:09,120
Speaker 2: people his heart because they see his heart demonstrated through me,

957
00:50:09,520 --> 00:50:14,440
Speaker 2: radiating through me, illustrated through me. Lord, we want to

958
00:50:14,480 --> 00:50:17,719
Speaker 2: be like you. Thank you so much for welcoming us

959
00:50:17,760 --> 00:50:21,239
Speaker 2: into your family and giving us your name, and not

960
00:50:21,280 --> 00:50:24,719
Speaker 2: treating us like hired hands, but saying we are welcomed.

961
00:50:26,280 --> 00:50:28,120
Speaker 2: You put the robe on us, you put the ring

962
00:50:28,200 --> 00:50:30,480
Speaker 2: on us, you put sandals on our feet, you clean

963
00:50:30,520 --> 00:50:33,719
Speaker 2: us up, and you throw a party. We are so

964
00:50:33,880 --> 00:50:37,120
Speaker 2: grateful that that's the kind of god. You are so Father,

965
00:50:37,160 --> 00:50:40,520
Speaker 2: As we approach this day, as we approach the coming days,

966
00:50:40,560 --> 00:50:42,319
Speaker 2: we pray that we would do so as men and

967
00:50:42,360 --> 00:50:46,000
Speaker 2: women who are grateful for the reconciliation to you that

968
00:50:46,120 --> 00:50:50,000
Speaker 2: was supplied for us through your son Jesus Christ, and

969
00:50:50,120 --> 00:50:53,960
Speaker 2: whom we trust, in whom we've received the forgiveness of

970
00:50:54,000 --> 00:50:58,280
Speaker 2: our sins, whose righteousness has been added to our accounts

971
00:50:58,280 --> 00:51:01,080
Speaker 2: so that we could even come before your throat. We're

972
00:51:01,120 --> 00:51:04,280
Speaker 2: grateful for all of these things, Father, and it's in Jesus'

973
00:51:04,400 --> 00:51:06,880
Speaker 2: name we pray Amen.