Beyond the Fantasy: Embracing Radical Grace in a Broken World

• Liturgical Prayer and Confession [00:03:13 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor leads the congregation in the Apostles Creed and Prayers of the People, including intercessions for a new church plant and healing.
• Scripture Reading ([Luke 15](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+15&version=KJV)) [00:30:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor introduces the Parable of the Lost Son, highlighting Luke's historical accuracy and compassionate focus on societal outcasts.
• The Parable of the Prodigal Son [00:37:02 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor begins the sermon by analyzing the younger son's request for inheritance as a wish for the father's death and the cultural implications of leaving one's community.
• The Younger Son's Rebellion and Ruin [00:38:07 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor details the younger son's division of assets, departure to 'gentile lands' (Las Vegas analogy), squandering wealth, and hitting rock bottom feeding pigs, highlighting the emptiness of 'grass is greener' fantasies.
• Repentance and Return [00:41:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains the son's 'coming to his senses,' recognizing his spiritual and physical hunger, and planning his return to ask to be a hired servant rather than a son.
• The Father's Radical Grace [00:44:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor emphasizes the father running (unpatriarchal behavior), embracing the son, and restoring him with a robe (righteousness), ring (authority/sonship), and sandals (freedom, not slavery).
• The Older Brother's Resentment [00:48:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts the celebration with the older brother's anger and refusal to enter, highlighting his transactional view of relationship ('I've slaved away') and lack of brotherly love.
• Reality vs. Fantasy [00:42:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses personal anecdotes and modern examples (Instagram, credit card debt) to argue that worldly pursuits are fantasies that end in ruin, whereas home/God represents true reality and protection.
• The Parable of the Prodigal Son [00:49:27 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor analyzes the reactions of the younger brother, the father, and the older brother, highlighting the scandalous grace of the father and the self-righteousness of the older brother.
• Evangelism and Engagement [00:53:13 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor challenges the congregation to engage with 'lost people' in everyday settings (like diners) by showing genuine care and asking how they can pray for them.
• Community vs. Individualism [00:54:33 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor critiques 'western christianity' and 'american christianity' for being self-centered ('me myself and i'), urging the congregation to embrace the communal 'we' found in scripture.
• Transformation of Hearts [01:01:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that while miracles like healing are impressive, the most powerful evidence of God's work is the transformation of hardened human hearts.
• Heart Transformation [01:01:43 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts physical miracles with the superior difficulty and power of changing a human heart, citing a personal testimony of a former drug user and saint worshiper.
• Evangelism and Community Service [01:02:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor challenges the congregation to read scripture to understand their calling to 'search for lost people' and serve the Mooresville community.
• Congregational Unity in Prayer [01:02:57 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor leads the congregation in a unified prayer to discern who God is calling them to serve and to be 'God's hands and feet.'

• Sermon Illustration [00:37:12 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about his teenage years, admitting he thought his father was a 'quack' and couldn't wait to turn 18 to run away and live by his own rules.
• Sermon Illustration [00:37:52 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains the cultural context of the younger son's request, noting that asking for inheritance early was equivalent to wishing the father dead, and that moving to a 'distant country' meant leaving the boundaries of God's called community for gentile lands.
• Sermon Illustration [00:42:15 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal story of having a fist fight with his father in his 20s, breaking his dad's ribs, and later feeling remorse and wanting to apologize, relating this to the younger son's journey of realizing his father's wisdom and love.
• Sermon Illustration [00:39:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses an analogy of Las Vegas ('what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas') to describe the younger son's destination, implying a place of wild living and hidden sin.
• Sermon Illustration [00:40:10 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor compares the younger son's squandering of wealth to Hollywood stars, rock stars, and football players who spend lavishly until they run out of money and have to downgrade.
• Sermon Illustration [00:42:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references his own experience of realizing he was sounding like his father (whom he previously called a 'quack') when disciplining his own children, illustrating the realization that parental discipline was for protection and growth.
• Sermon Illustration [00:43:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor critiques modern social media culture (Instagram) as a fantasy of 'living my best life' with hidden debt, contrasting it with the reality of the prodigal son's situation.
• Sermon Illustration [00:53:47 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about having lunch with a friend and asking a waitress how they can pray for her, which led to her breaking down and sharing her struggles, illustrating the power of genuine engagement with lost people.
• Sermon Illustration [00:56:17 ▶️ 📄]
  > A story about a church planter named Vince Ananucci in Las Vegas who was rejected by casinos and the airport, but then called to plant a church in the residential area where workers live. A large, intimidating man named Joe, who was a drug user and Satan worshiper, initially planned to disrupt the service but was so welcomed by a young girl that he returned weekly, eventually becoming a missionary to his former community.
• Sermon Illustration [01:00:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > A testimony of a young man who was previously on drugs, a saint worshiper, and involved in the 'rock world.' He reported never feeling welcomed anywhere before, but now cannot get enough of Jesus and serves as a missionary-type figure in his community, talking to people from his previous lifestyle.

• Pastoral Charge [00:53:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > Pray for service workers (waitresses) encountered during the day.
• Pastoral Charge [01:02:03 ▶️ 📄]
  > Read the scripture story personally this week and reflect on its meaning.
• Pastoral Charge [01:02:03 ▶️ 📄]
  > Read the scripture story this week and reflect on its personal and spiritual impact.
• Pastoral Charge [01:02:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > Pray in unity to discern who God is calling the congregation to serve in the Mooresville community.

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:00:00] So that's the first thing. The next thing is something new.
[00:00:03] June 29th, it's a Monday. We are going to have a fire, our fire and police appreciation day.
[00:00:12] That is on a Monday. It's lunchtime, 11 to 2.
[00:00:16] We're asking for people if they would volunteer, if they want to make a donation towards hot dogs, hamburgers, chili, slaw.
[00:00:23] I've already had somebody say they want to make banana pudding, which I know they'll love that.
[00:00:27] but this is just a thank you to the Mooresville Police and Fire they help us out at Bible School with different things throughout the year and the community and we just want to say thank you
[00:00:37] so it'll be in the bulletin next week

[00:00:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:00:39] alright very cool alright so we got to end salad for next Wednesday's dinner I'm in folks Wednesday dinners are great it's a good time to come fellowship and bring a friend bring the community bring folks here
[00:00:58] we always have plenty of food And one of the things I love is I get to know you.
[00:01:03] So that's a bonus.
[00:01:05] So bring folks to that.
[00:01:08] We have our June meetings are listed on the back.
[00:01:12] So the 18th, we have finance.
[00:01:14] The 28th is PPRC.
[00:01:16] And June 28th is administrative council.
[00:01:20] All right.
[00:01:21] Anything else?
[00:01:22] Trust me, not this Wednesday, but the next Wednesday following our dinner.
[00:01:29] Sounds good to me.
[00:01:33] This is right after the dinner?

[00:01:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:01:35] okay so trustees uh yeah let's let's meet up anything else we need to announce okay we may see you for your truth and the song today guide us so that we may follow you in all that we do
[00:03:13] and say we ask this in your most holy name amen now let us stand as we profess our faith with the use of the Apostles Creed. I believe in God the Father Almighty.

[00:03:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:03:33] Praise the Lord.
[00:04:23] Get something good.
[00:04:36] Prayer and praise time. What do we have today? What prayers do we have?

[00:12:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:12:11] I understand.
[00:12:33] Sorry, I didn't see.
[00:12:34] I didn't see.

[00:12:34] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[00:12:34] oh thank you i'm excited to be here god is good okay

[00:13:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:13:56] anyone else i looked over a prayer and a praise um i received a letter this week i it alludes to me the name of it it's a church plant uh new global methodist church uh church
[00:14:29] plant um and up in like ashboro area um so just kind of praying for that um i originally like a while back i prayed like lord do i want to plant a church here would you call me to do that he
[00:14:39] called me you know to existing churches which is awesome too uh but being up there and um i'm sorry asheville being up in that area um just what i witnessed when i was up there just the churches
[00:14:51] have succumbed to the world they want to look like the world um witchcraft um satan worship there's all kinds of stuff going on there and i'm praising god that somebody said hey you know god calls me in the light to say hey let us be a beacon there uh so i'm very excited
[00:15:05] about the folks that said we're going to step in that community love them where they're at uh let christ do his work so i received that letter here this week and i'm very thankful just
[00:15:13] that um that we're moving that direction so much need so i know when i spent time up there serving out of the hurricane, just the things I came across just in that capacity was, was horrific
[00:15:24] and horrendous. Not just the need, the physical need, but the spiritual need. So I'm thankful for that. And, um, also just, uh, pray for my family and instead that come to church, I'm hoping to
[00:15:34] come here. So we're working, working on that, this work and the Lord's work. And I see that grace being poured out upon them. So that's a cool thing. Um, anybody else we have? All right,
[00:15:46] Let us pray together.
[00:15:47] Lord Jesus, we come before you today as a humble people, Lord.
[00:15:50] And we come into your court with great thanksgiving.
[00:15:53] Lord, we see just your mercy and grace at work.
[00:15:57] Lord, and in that, we're just asking for folks to be healed, being touched from being sick, cancers, and just all the different ailments of the body.
[00:16:05] Lord, we just ask for your healing there.
[00:16:08] Lord, we just ask you to touch those who are struggling this week or struggling through just life, depression, things of that nature.
[00:16:14] Lord, to be with them.
[00:16:16] Lord, in just any ailment, just lay your hand upon them and heal them, Lord.
[00:16:20] Lord, and for the praises we've had today, we're so thankful to hear and see you at work.
[00:16:27] And that reminds us of your grace you pour out abundantly upon us each and every day.
[00:16:31] Lord, we are just so thankful that we get to witness that.
[00:16:34] We thank you for the transformation in our lives.
[00:16:36] Continue to shape and grow us in your image.
[00:16:38] And Lord, we thank you for all things in your great and mighty name.
[00:16:41] Amen.

[00:16:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:16:41] I would like to invite you to stand and sing one more hymn this morning, Leaning on the Everlasting Heart.
[00:16:50] That's our theme today, Leaning on the Everlasting Heart.

[00:16:54] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:16:54] Peace like a river.

[00:26:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:26:00] You'll find that I'm that odd pastor. I don't feel comfortable standing up there over you, so I want to be down here on the floor with you, because I think we're all together here.
[00:30:06] Beautiful singing this morning. Thank you all. I feel very blessed from that.
[00:30:11] Today we're going to be in Luke 15.
[00:30:15] starting in verse 11.
[00:30:18] We're going to talk about the parable of the lost son.
[00:30:21] Who remembers that story?
[00:30:23] You've probably heard it several times, but I think this story is very much worth revisiting.
[00:30:28] It's written by my favorite author, Luke.
[00:30:31] Luke is a man after my own heart.
[00:30:33] He writes as a historian.
[00:30:35] I'm a history guy.
[00:30:37] And he has historical accuracy as he goes through, and he interviewed folks to write this beautiful letter to his friend Theophilus, because he wanted him to know jesus who he is what he has done and what he continues to do
[00:30:51] and then also too i don't know if you know this or not but luke was a a doctor he was a greek physician and he writes that warmth of a physician you can read the warmth and the love
[00:31:02] in his letter and thirdly he fascinates me by who he writes about now the other gospels touch on these points but luke really hits home he writes about people the world threw away did you ever read that luke like this the kind of the folks that society said hey those really aren't
[00:31:21] worthy of anything but luke writes about them with warmth with love and how jesus engaged people that were kind of outside on the fringes so in you know luke 15 that we start off there's um a group of
[00:31:37] folks together so it says um all the tax collectors and the sinners uh were approaching and listening to him and pharisees and scribes were complaining this man welcomes sinners and eats with them so it kind of set the scene jesus is eating with the very broad term sinners i mean anybody and
[00:31:58] anything could have been there but jesus is there eating with them he's enjoying their company he's loving on them and the pharisees are like you know what jesus why why are you there you know we look good we smell good we we we're pretty much perfect why you know really we don't like
[00:32:15] what you're doing by talking with them and secondly do you realize do you realize who they are they're those people you ever heard that term those people those people so jesus is a you know
[00:32:29] he's a um very generous lord he goes through and he tells parables tells stories to help us learn a lesson and sometimes i'm mentally say i'm a slow learner so i would need three but we go through and jesus starts off by talking about a man that had a sheep that got lost
[00:32:46] he lost one of his sheep sheep were valuable sheep were food the wool was valuable for clothing plus two you know that was like family to a shepherd you lose one of them and he goes through
[00:32:58] he tells a story about a man that went out he lost one sheep and he went out and searched for that one and found him brought him home celebrates with his friends and jesus said there's more
[00:33:07] celebration in heaven over one lost sinner being brought to heaven brought home than there is over 99 righteous men they didn't get it so jesus he starts again what if you lost your paycheck would
[00:33:24] you go look for it yeah absolutely it's valuable this person loses a coin in their home it's like a week's worth of weight as they, you know, they, they lift up the bed, they look under the rug and
[00:33:35] they look everywhere and they, they find this coin and go out and they say to their friends, Hey friends, I have found this lost coin. Celebrate with me because it was lost and I found it.
[00:33:45] And I can see the sinners kind of leaning in, listening to Jesus, fascinated. And I can see the other side, lost coins, lost sheep, Jesus, you have totally lost it. What are you talking about?
[00:34:00] So our Lord's generous. He's very generous. He goes in for a third story. And this one's a little bit more detailed this one's a um a little more of a of an old cowboy so a tough pony ride to go
[00:34:11] through and it really shares the heart of god of what christ is about and he just starts writing off the gate he goes from says he also said a man had two sons the younger of them said to his
[00:34:22] father father give me the share of the estate i have coming to me so he distributed the assets to them not many days later the younger son gathered together all that he had had and traveled
[00:34:34] to a distant country where he squandered his estate in foolish living after you spent everything a severe famine struck the country and he had nothing then he went to work for one of the citizens of that country who sent him into his fields to feed pigs he longed to eat his fill
[00:34:53] from the paws of the pigs were eating but no one would give him anything when he came to his senses He said, how many of my father's hired workers have more than enough food?
[00:35:04] And here I am starving and hungry.
[00:35:08] I'll get up and go to my father and said to him, father, I have sinned against heaven.
[00:35:12] And in your sight, I am no longer worthy to be called your son.
[00:35:16] Make me like one of your hired workers.
[00:35:19] So he got up and went, went to his father, but the son was still a long way off.
[00:35:24] His father saw him.
[00:35:25] It was filled with compassion.
[00:35:26] He ran through his arms around his neck and kissed him.
[00:35:31] The son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.
[00:35:36] I am no longer worthy to be called your son.
[00:35:39] But the father told his servants, quick, bring out the best robe and put it on him.
[00:35:45] Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
[00:35:48] Then bring the fattened calf and slaughter it.
[00:35:50] And let's celebrate with a feast because this son of mine was dead and is alive again.
[00:35:55] He was lost and is found.
[00:35:57] they began to celebrate now his older son was in the field and as he came near to the house he heard that music and dancing so he summoned one of the servants questioning what these things meant your brother is here he told him
[00:36:11] and your father has slaughtered a fattened calf because he isn't back safe and sound then he became angry and didn't want to go in so the father came out and pleaded with him but he replied to his father look I have slaved many
[00:36:27] a slave many years for you and i have never disobeyed your orders you never gave me a goat so that i could celebrate with my friends but when this son of yours came um who came who has
[00:36:41] devoured your assets with prostitutes you slaughtered the fat and calf for him son he said to him you're always with me and everything i have is yours but we had to celebrate rejoice because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again he was lost and he is found
[00:36:57] The word of God for the people of God.
[00:36:59] Thanks be to God.
[00:37:00] Amen.
[00:37:02] So this story's a little complicated.
[00:37:05] It's rough.
[00:37:07] So whoever's being maybe that young guy or that young girl, I'll speak for myself if I can.
[00:37:12] I remember when I was like a teenager or younger, I thought my dad was the biggest quack that ever walked this planet.
[00:37:18] He didn't know anything.
[00:37:19] I knew better.
[00:37:21] And I couldn't wait to become 18 and run off.
[00:37:23] I was so excited to run off and go.
[00:37:25] I can make my own rules.
[00:37:26] I can live my own way, eat my own food.
[00:37:28] stay up as late as I wanted. I could, you know, go out anytime I wanted to.
[00:37:32] I was ready for living. I didn't think I was living at home. So this young guy goes through and he says, you know what? The grass looks greener on the other side. Who's ever heard that
[00:37:43] term before? I mean, that's a world we live in. I mean, relationships, work, things. Oh, it looks greener on the other side. I want to go there. So this son's pretty bold. He goes to his
[00:37:52] dad and says, hey dad, I wish you were dead. That's exactly what he says to his dad. I wish you were dead give me what's mine now i deserve my inheritance right now most middle eastern
[00:38:07] fathers would have beat this man to the edge of his property but this father is different he goes for his okay so it says that he went through he divided his assets so really the word here in
[00:38:18] greek i'm not going to give you a big greek lesson today is his bios he divided his life amongst his two sons so in in tradition a hebrew tradition how assets would be split would be the
[00:38:32] younger son would get a third of the estate and the older son would get two thirds so he divides his stature in the community so he humbles and lowers himself in stature it's very much like
[00:38:46] today you know what how he was measured in his community was by how many camels he had how many slaves uh how many tents how many you know how many uh sheep this was his wealth how much gold
[00:38:56] i mean everything so he went he divided it and sold off the third so his younger son could have his portion of the estate so a few days later it says this this young guy decided hey dad i'm
[00:39:10] getting out of dodge i'm gonna i'm gonna go live that grass is definitely greener on the other side of the pasture isn't it so it says he goes to a far away country so in deuteronomy there's actually
[00:39:22] an outline of where the israelites are supposed to live and anything outside is considered barbaric or gentile lands so this young guy just didn't move down the street he didn't move the next county over i mean he totally left outside of the boundary of where god has called him to live
[00:39:38] so he's going to gentile lands and and we don't know where he went but folks it's kind of like he went to las vegas he's going where it's fun you know what happens in vegas stays in vegas
[00:39:50] Well, whatever he went to, whatever happens there, stays there.
[00:39:52] He went for wild living.
[00:39:53] He went to make new friends.
[00:39:55] He was going to go through and be, as they used to say, like the big man on campus.
[00:39:59] He was going to be the guy that everybody wanted to know.
[00:40:01] Well, he arrives in this town wherever he goes, and he's popular.
[00:40:07] He's popular.
[00:40:10] Yeah, he's got money.
[00:40:11] Did you ever watch the, you know, we see this in Hollywood and the rock stars and the football players and things like that.
[00:40:15] They have all that money coming in.
[00:40:16] They spend it and squander.
[00:40:17] Guess what happens?
[00:40:19] Well, I'm going to sell the mansion.
[00:40:20] Ran out of money.
[00:40:22] Well, got to cut a downgrade, ran out of money.
[00:40:24] So this guy parties it up, lives it up.
[00:40:26] Everybody's in his house for the party.
[00:40:27] And guess what?
[00:40:29] Party ends.
[00:40:32] Things come to an end.
[00:40:35] So it absolutely comes to an end.
[00:40:40] So what do you do?
[00:40:40] I mean, famines are pretty common in this time period of the world.
[00:40:43] I mean, they didn't have the farming technology we do.
[00:40:46] So there was a great, it's a great famine come over that land.
[00:40:49] And he hired himself out to a citizen of that country.
[00:40:57] And what's he do?
[00:41:00] Again, if you go back to Tanakh or Torah, they're not to touch pigs.
[00:41:04] It's an unclean animal.
[00:41:05] Well, what's he taking care of?
[00:41:07] Pigs.
[00:41:09] He's feeding them.
[00:41:10] He's probably moving them.
[00:41:11] He's taking care of them, watering them.
[00:41:13] So this young guy is literally in the mud with the pigs where he shouldn't be.
[00:41:22] And he had a long time to think, I'm sure.
[00:41:24] This probably didn't happen overnight.
[00:41:26] Who's there been in that spot?
[00:41:27] You know, you go through and you thought the grass is greener on your side.
[00:41:29] You get over there and you realize the grass isn't greener.
[00:41:32] so he's feeding these pigs he's thinking i mean anybody could be in this situation you put any situation there where you know where people find themselves usually on the wrong end so he starts to think he says my my father's servants have plenty to eat i'm sitting here i'm starving
[00:41:56] i'm starving he can't eat the pods the pigs eat they're not digestible by humans and if you saw these things they look like i don't know they're they're horrible i can imagine trying to chew one of those but he can't eat what's there and i'm inclined to think not only
[00:42:15] does he have a a physical hunger in his stomach but i think there's a spiritual hunger i could speak again for my journey i remember like i said when my dad was a quack he didn't know anything
[00:42:25] i remember being out of my own and then starting to think like my you know hear myself saying stuff my dad would say like with my kids like do you ever do that like oh my parents say they don't
[00:42:35] know then when i have my boys i'm starting to sound like my dad am i i'm sitting there one day and I said something to them, I'm like, wow, that sounded like my dad.
[00:42:43] Maybe he wasn't such a quack after all.
[00:42:45] He had some wisdom.
[00:42:47] Things weren't so bad at home.
[00:42:50] Those things were there designed to protect me, to grow me, and shape me to be a man, to understand reality, because sometimes we get caught up in the fantasy, not reality.
[00:43:01] If you're on Instagram, I mean, that thing, that's not reality most of the time.
[00:43:04] I'm living my best life, you know, $400,000 in credit card debt on that 10th trip.
[00:43:09] yeah that's not a best life when that finally catches up the grass wasn't greener that stuff comes to one end so this guy's here he's thinking and he starts to think and i've been in this boat
[00:43:19] my dad and when i one time we had a horrendous fight my dad and i we had a fist fight and i broke my dad's ribs i had a punch and i'm not proud of that but i remember you know leaving the house
[00:43:30] being gone for a few days and going back saying you know what how do i i was wrong and how do i apologize to my dad and believe me i've been on this guy's young this young guy's journey like
[00:43:42] i really didn't say his father i've seen against him and against you but i was trying to figure out what do i say to my dad to let me come home you know what do i say to my dad to like get the
[00:43:50] forgiveness process going i was this rough and rowdy guy if you met me in my 20s you wouldn't like me you know you look at me wrong in a bar i'd beat you up you know i don't want to slash
[00:44:03] your tires for fun you know just um you know i was very much a different person than brother The greatest God has changed me into who I am now.
[00:44:11] And he's going to continue to change me.
[00:44:15] But I remember being in this spot where this guy was at.
[00:44:19] So he starts to head towards home.
[00:44:20] He's like, okay, my last resort, you know, he says he came to his senses.
[00:44:26] Realized that dad wasn't so bad, that his dad loved him.
[00:44:29] That home was a safe place.
[00:44:31] That home was where he should be.
[00:44:35] So he starts to head home.
[00:44:38] And he starts to recite this in his mind.
[00:44:40] Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
[00:44:42] I'm no longer worthy to call your son make me like one of your hired servants you know if I'm just even on the edge of your property dad if you'd like to just be a slave
[00:44:50] I'm okay with that because I'm close to home and I'm close to you so in this story we see a father who's concerned for his son he didn't want to see him go he loved him very much
[00:45:08] but you know sometimes we gotta we gotta get stuck in the mud to get out of it I know in my life that I had to get out of the mud to get the lord brought me out of that out of the quagmire out of the rough spot so as he's heading
[00:45:27] home it says that his father sees him far off and has compassion on him and he runs to him so he runs to his son now realize about the patriarch in this time these men are renowned didn't run
[00:45:41] the slower they walked the more powerful they were were more important they were but this guy takes a sprint I mean he runs to his son and like I said men that were not like
[00:45:55] I didn't run that women would run with the children and children would run but the men he would slowly pace yourself because you you know didn't make it too quick because you were important well it says that this father it runs and he if
[00:46:08] you read in the Greek it says he gives him a bear hug and he lays on his neck which means he kisses him and he's like it's like a smear in your house you in summer for a long time you know he would just give them that big hug and embrace him he's so
[00:46:23] excited to see his son and the son probably sees him coming he's probably thinking oh goodness gracious what's going to happen am i going to get a beating is my dad going to tell me to head down
[00:46:32] the river is my dad going to tell me to go away now this father is different this father welcomes him and his grace is poured out upon him he's he's excited to see him and here comes the speech
[00:46:46] father i have sinned against heaven against you he's like son don't quick bring him a robe put a ring on his finger and put sandals on his feet do you know what that stuff represents
[00:47:04] anybody want to take a stab at it what is the cloak well if i would come to your house or you come to my home and you're an honored guest i would put a robe on you the best robe we have
[00:47:18] in the house their culture is a little different so his robe would signify that you're an honored guests that you're very welcome this was a robe of righteousness that this father had put upon his
[00:47:28] son he had came to his senses realized where he was at repented and he has come home so he puts a robe on him then he goes through and he takes a ring and puts on his finger it's a signet ring
[00:47:43] it's really cool you know i can take wax and you put the seal like if your family like to sign things he was restored to full sonship all these sons are important people in the family got a
[00:47:53] signet ring. He could make decisions for the family again. He was restored. And what do sandals mean? Anybody want to take a stab at sandals?
[00:48:04] Slaves didn't wear sandals.
[00:48:07] So he wasn't made a slave.
[00:48:08] He was restored to full sonship.
[00:48:13] And as far as it goes, it says with servants quick, bring the fat and calve and kill it.
[00:48:16] We're going to have a celebration. Invite everyone.
[00:48:19] You know, but my son, he was dead. He's alive again. He's home.
[00:48:28] Usually folks, I mean, I've watched some sermons online this week, not anybody or anything but a lot of times the pastors we stop right here we want to end on a high note the sons
[00:48:38] come home everything's good they're throwing them a party and we kind of forget about that you know that other brother we don't really want to talk about him but folks we have to talk about the
[00:48:47] older brother we can't have the younger without the older so the older brother goes through and hears this celebration going on and he comes and asks a servant he goes through and says this serving you know um you know what what's going on you know what's why is all this dancing what's
[00:49:11] this music your brother is here he told him and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound i can imagine this scowl on this guy's face i'm finally
[00:49:27] rid of him and he's back you know why would my dad even let him back on the property this guy's a bum why so it says he goes down to the party and um it said he became very angry and he didn't want
[00:49:45] to go in so we see that humbleness of his father his father comes out and says son come in he says your brother's home come rejoice with us and it goes into his his little speech here you know
[00:50:00] father i've stayed and been good is what he says i have been really good and i've slayed my my life away for you i've done everything you've asked and you gave me nothing you didn't give me a goat
[00:50:12] so i could celebrate with my friends but when this listen when this son of yours he doesn't say my brother when this son of yours returns you go through you kill the fat calf really why all
[00:50:30] i have son is yours you come back and your brother was dead he's alive again come celebrate with us come rejoice with us he's your brother jesus loves cliffhangers we don't know if the older
[00:50:47] brother ever went in we don't know i'm inclined to think no so we've talked we kind of danced around this story a little bit but what do we see here i'm going to just take a side here real quick
[00:51:04] now we talk about the story and as christians we kind of get that little tear in our eyes and you know we think oh it's a beautiful story this was scandalous to the people that jesus was
[00:51:14] speaking to the the sinners were saying lord why in the world would that father take that guy back he should have beaten him and thrown him to the edge of the property and said you know what
[00:51:24] go i want nothing to do with you because you've insulted me you wasted what i've given you you're an awful terrible person then we go through and look at the pharisees are like hey we kind of
[00:51:34] like that brother guy that older brother we can we can relate to him yeah yeah why would jesus you're you're you're off your rocker why are you talking about this stuff see parables are a thing
[00:51:48] that make us chew on them and think about them they're not always forthcoming and i know every time i read this i get something new out of it a lost brother goes and he goes away lost but he
[00:52:06] comes home that's something that we should rejoice over heaven rejoices over that there's a celebration for when a lost person comes home what should have happened in this story what truly should have happened the older brother should went to his dad says dad i need to go find my brother i'm not
[00:52:33] sure where he went but i need to go search for him and father i need you know even though it's coming out of my share of the inheritance i don't care because you know i need i need money i need
[00:52:44] camels i need men i need letters of introduction i need to go find my brother he's lost and they should go out and search for him praise god that jesus christ is our older brother that searches
[00:52:57] for us that calls for us and he calls us home sometimes we faintly hear it but then as we go through and realize situations where we're at that we need god folks there's a world that needs god
[00:53:13] it is lost and the harvest is ripe now i i've heard of folks talking about you know who lost people drive in any direction how do you engage lost people find them i mean when you go to leave here today, you've got to have lunch
[00:53:33] and you've got to fight the good Baptists and the other Presbyterians for the seats at the diner.
[00:53:37] How you treat your waitress and the people there.
[00:53:41] That speaks volumes about lost people. Pray for your servants today when you go.
[00:53:44] How can I pray for you?
[00:53:47] My buddy and I went to lunch the other day. It's not a look at us but a look at Christ moment. We said to the waitress how can we pray for you today? She sat down
[00:53:53] and just started sobbing.
[00:53:55] She said nobody's ever asked me that before.
[00:53:58] And she poured her heart out to us about things that were tough.
[00:54:02] we have an opportunity to find lost people that's what our calling is folks our vocation of the church and struggle with me church who's an older brother who's a younger brother i'm gonna not lie
[00:54:19] sometimes i'm both it's easy to be the older brother it's easy to be on that straight and narrow thinking i'm doing everything right and it's kind of ignore things around me but then as we read the scriptures as we engage with christ we realize that it's much bigger than me myself
[00:54:33] and i that's a lie of western christianity that's just about us just me but i'm going to encourage you read this book folks go back in and read these first two parables what does god say to you in
[00:54:44] those in the lostness of this world maybe you're still lost and need to find your way home you're in the right place you're here but folks read this stuff it's not just about me and my little you
[00:54:57] know we kind of hear american christianity even the western it's just about me and my little walk with jesus no folks read this book and if you ever get a chance to read greek do it it's great
[00:55:05] it says we not i this is about community it's about us it's not just about me myself and me the famous trinity me myself and i it's our favorite trinity right but it's bigger so jesus
[00:55:21] ruffles and feathers with these folks and who is he the hardest on and folks this is an indictment today but this is my gauge he was hardest on the folks that should have known the religious folks
[00:55:34] that should have seen their brothers and sisters lost he said some nasty things and put them white washed tombs empty broken cisterns and these guys don't see their brothers and sisters in the lost folks i'm going to encourage you that see christ and lost people look past the brokenness don't
[00:56:02] look at what it is they have but look at their heart and see christ in them tell you a story real quick i'm a story guy so a friend of mine he planted a church in las vegas of all places
[00:56:17] His name is Vince Ananucci, pretty cool guy, wrote some books.
[00:56:19] If you ever had a chance to read some of his stuff, it's online.
[00:56:22] But Vince went to Las Vegas.
[00:56:24] Christ had called him to Las Vegas to plant a church.
[00:56:28] So he was excited when he got there.
[00:56:29] He was like, hey, just to kind of make a long story short, he started out at the casinos.
[00:56:34] He went to the casinos and said, hey, if we pay for it, I know we'll pay a lot, can we have a prayer room in the casino?
[00:56:40] Well, I think that would kind of cause a hostile environment between the casino and them.
[00:56:44] But they're like, nah, we don't really want you here.
[00:56:47] So he went back and said, hey, can we do a luncheon for your employees?
[00:56:50] You don't have to tell them who it's from.
[00:56:52] Can we just come in, set up some tables, set up some food, and just let them know Jesus loves them just through that.
[00:56:57] Can we do that?
[00:56:57] They're like, nah, we don't really want you here.
[00:57:00] Go.
[00:57:02] So he went to the airport, kind of had the same reaction.
[00:57:05] So Vince is feeling pretty down.
[00:57:07] He's feeling really bad.
[00:57:09] He's like, Lord, did I hear you wrong?
[00:57:11] and he's sitting up on this big high hill that overlooks all the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas and the Lord said to him turn around so from looking at the glitz and glamour he turned around and saw
[00:57:26] where the folks that work in Vegas live he said that's your mission so Vince went through and he planted a church and it was an old storefront down there kind of like your normal church plant
[00:57:38] and he planted it and he started to have folks come there's not too many churches there there's not a whole lot there a lot of casinos there's a lot of lost people but he said hey this is where christ has called me
[00:57:49] and this is where i'm going to be at so you know he's you know welcoming folks into his church and there and there's a guy i don't remember his big name he looked like a big viking i mean he
[00:57:59] was a big big dude big scary guy and he worked in there like um different attractions they had really kind of scare people and do things like that because he was a big scary guy i had a big
[00:58:11] bushy beard and like i said like looking like a big viking so him and his friend are sitting around smoking meth one day they're Satan worshippers or rock and roll guys and one of the guys said hey do you hear about that new church down there down
[00:58:23] down the street he's like yeah he said you know it'd be kind of cool Joe says we're gonna call him Joe I don't know what his real name was but Joe says what if I
[00:58:30] went down and I scared everybody he said what if I went in there I started throwing chairs swearing and cussing everybody just being a general nuisance and I scare everybody out of there he goes what would that what would that be
[00:58:40] like they're like yeah man do it so he's okay I'm going the next Sunday so the next Sunday he gets there he walks in a church building a little different than our church so don't judge him yet they're playing a group called nine
[00:58:51] inch nails it's a 90s rock band so he walks in says whoa this is some of my favorite music so then he's like okay well I got a mission here I got throw a chair swearing cuffs you throw things do things so he goes through and walks up a
[00:59:10] young girl walks and says hey welcome to church you know here's here's a little brochure of what we're about he's confused he's like you're not scared I mean she's like no welcome to church so he goes through and she goes can't help
[00:59:22] you find a seat he's like now I find my own seat he's kind of gruff with her he goes over he sits down to see and long story short Vince comes out they do some
[00:59:30] hymns they do some song praise songs Vince does his messages at the end and Joe says whoa I forgot to throw chairs and be a nuisance and do all this stuff forgot to do that I'm going to come back next week to do it so he come back next
[00:59:44] week with all this plan to throw this stuff his body said did you do what he's like now I kind of got caught up of what was going on so this happened several weeks he come back and he come back come back and and Vince I were talking one of
[00:59:54] the it was a seminar was that he was doing some like you know like things there kind of talk about church planning of things and he said you know what man he says this is interesting was he was telling me a story he says you know I
[01:00:07] I finally started noticing this big guy.
[01:00:09] He's like 7'2 or 7'3.
[01:00:10] He's huge.
[01:00:11] I see this huge guy in my crowd.
[01:00:13] He's there for the first service, the second service, and the third service.
[01:00:18] So if I went down, he says, I didn't get a chance to meet everybody.
[01:00:20] Usually he's gone before I get a chance to talk to him.
[01:00:23] So he goes down after the third service.
[01:00:25] He says, hey, brother, you know, I'm glad you're here.
[01:00:27] He said, you know, where do you come from?
[01:00:29] He says, I live down the road.
[01:00:30] He said, great.
[01:00:31] He says, I don't mean to be that guy.
[01:00:32] You realize, like, all three services are the same?
[01:00:37] And this is what he said.
[01:00:39] and realize this is a guy that was on drugs.
[01:00:41] This was a guy that was a saint worshiper.
[01:00:44] This was a guy that was in a rock world.
[01:00:45] All the stuff that this young guy went through, he says, you know what?
[01:00:48] He said, I've never been welcomed anywhere before.
[01:00:55] And the most powerful thing was he said, I can't get enough of Jesus.
[01:01:04] Wow.
[01:01:07] And that guy now serves kind of like they have like a missionary type thing to the community.
[01:01:14] God changed his heart.
[01:01:16] Now he goes back and talks to the people where he came from.
[01:01:23] There's nothing that Jesus can't do.
[01:01:25] There's not a heart that he can't change.
[01:01:26] He changed mine.
[01:01:29] And folks, as you read these miracles, what I see in those, I mean, the change in the water and the wine was cool.
[01:01:33] Seeing the lame walk, the blind see, and the deaf hear.
[01:01:37] Those are awesome.
[01:01:38] But the thing that strikes me the most is changed hearts.
[01:01:43] The hardest thing to heal is a human heart.
[01:01:46] That is the hardest thing to heal.
[01:01:49] But I know a guy.
[01:01:54] This week, I challenge you, as you do your scripture reading, I mean, folks, read this stuff.
[01:01:58] Check, don't take my word for it.
[01:01:59] I'm just a talking meat puppet.
[01:02:01] Really, I want you to go through and dig into this.
[01:02:03] Read this story this week.
[01:02:04] What does it say to you?
[01:02:08] What does it say to your faith journey?
[01:02:09] How does this shape and grow you?
[01:02:11] How does this how you see scripture?
[01:02:13] I mean, do we see and do we want to search for lost people?
[01:02:17] Folks, that's why I'm here at this church.
[01:02:18] And you're, you know, you called me because you said you want to grow and change and want to reach lost people.
[01:02:24] Folks, that's what I'm encouraging you to do.
[01:02:27] I'm excited about that.
[01:02:28] The things we have planned, things we have coming.
[01:02:29] we need your input we need you we need your ideas we need your love and grace as well to be poured out upon this community think about this this week as you do or if you do the bible in a year
[01:02:44] you know think about what christ has called you to and i'm going to ask the congregation where i pray i i want us all to be praying in unity to pray for who is god calling us to serve in this
[01:02:57] community of mooresville who are we called to are we willing to get our hands dirty are we willing to take risks are we willing to be god's hands and feet are we willing if you're not yet there
[01:03:12] yet that's okay but we're gonna christ is gonna grow us in that direction let us pray lord jesus i am so thankful for the opportunity to give us to be older brothers and sisters that go and seek
[01:03:25] lost people that go through and take your word to the world to share you and your glory lord as us as we grow and just help us reflect you in a broken world there's a lot of questions there's a
[01:03:43] lot of what ifs there's a lot of people that just don't know what day-to-day looks like lord help us to give them hope help us to bring them to you lord i'm just thankful for all the mercy you pour
[01:03:58] out upon us your grace and lord we're thanking you for the growth as we not only grow in spirit we grow in numbers and we grow towards you in your great mighty name amen our closing

[01:04:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[01:04:20] him this morning. I need thee every hour. Our altar is always free to come and pray if you'd like to pray for a need that you have, if you'd like to pray for a person in
[01:04:32] your family or a friend. Pray for our church either way. Our altar is always open. Pastor Jeremy will be here as well if you'd like to speak to him. I need thee every hour.