When God Ran

Pastor Darryl Bentley

Midland SDA Church

March 28, 2009

 

Homiletical Idea: In this world of sin and heartache we need assurance of something beyond this temporal existence.  We need to recognize that God had made every provision for us to have salvation and hope of eternal life.  It is we who turn away from God and leave His side.  The Holy Spirit will work endlessly to win us back to Christ or bring us there in the first place.  When we do come to our senses and return to God, He will run with open arms to meet us and welcome us home.

 

Free Spirited

            Friends, I wish that I could stand before you today as one who has never strayed in this life.  I wish I could tell you that I have always been faithful to my father and did everything he asked me to do, but that would be a tremendous lie.  Fact of the matter is I have been anything but faithful.  I have seen and done things that merit only death and rejection, but that was not to be my end.

            You see growing up I was the younger of two sons.  To say that my brother and I are polar opposites would be a gross understatement.  But, nevertheless, we are very different.  My brother is the type who never does anything wrong.  I don’t see how he does it, but it seems that he always makes the right choices and always makes father smile.  I, on the other hand, prefer a less restrained lifestyle.  I prefer to enjoy the moments of each day and revel in the joy of life and the abundance that it offers.

            Naturally, when I was old enough I felt as though I needed to get out and see the world.  I desperately wanted to stretch my wings and soar with other free spirited people around the world.  I fought back this desire for the longest time, but it became too much for me and I came up with a plan to sever the chains that bound me to such an ordinary existence.

 

Presumptuous Request

            I knew that my father was very wealthy and also very generous.  Not a bad combination for son for sure.  My plan was put into action the day I approached my father and asked him if I could take my inheritance early.  I could tell that father was not happy with the request, but I was adamant about my request and father granted my wishes.  Since he was doing for me he was forced to also do for my brother and father divided his wealth between us.

            I have to admit that I wanted to take the money right then and there and run, but I tried to display a measure of restraint for several days.  The whole time I was thinking of where I wanted to go with my newly acquired wealth.  Once I decided on the place to go I gathered all my things together and set off for my destination.  My heart was racing as I left the family property.

Not Like My Brother and Father

            After I left the rest of my family I felt as if I could truly breathe for the first time in my life.  My father and brother always thought only of work, and they would get far too wrapped up in all the religious activities that happen in that community in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong, I mean, there is nothing wrong with religion I don’t suppose, but it just always felt too confining to me.  When I would go to synagogue I just never felt like I fit in.  My brother on the other hand, always seemed to impress the rabbis with his questions and wise answers when he was asked questions.  I always tried to just blend into the background hoping that no one would call upon me to read or explain.  Sure, I know quite a bit about the Scriptures, but again, it was never my strongest area.

 

Fickle Friends

            So when my journey brought me to the inspiring new land I was overjoyed.  There was so much to experience that I hardly knew where to begin.  I met some people who truly knew how to have a good time.  They had grown up in that land so they knew all the right people and they knew how to throw a great party.  I desperately wanted to fit in so I offered to pay for food and drink and whatever else my new friends wanted suggested we do.  These people were great.  I had never met people who felt so free spirited like me.  There were very few who worried about keeping all the religious festivals and such.  Most people just lived for the joy of moment.  I felt as if I had found paradise on earth.

            I actually had so much fun and met so many new people that scarcely I had time to think of anything apart from that and it served to bring about my financial ruin.  In what seemed like only a few weeks nearly all of my money was gone.  When I finally realized that it was nearly gone my heart sank.  I told my new friends that I would have to stop paying for everything and they got really upset.  They said I was turning my back on them.  I could not believe it.  I thought they really liked me and it turned out that all they liked about me was the money I had.  I could not believe what was happening.  These people were nothing more than leeches that wanted to be with me to use my money.  I felt so betrayed.

 

Slopping the Hogs

            Not long after I awakened to the fact that my so-called friends were using me I ran completely out of money.  I even had to sell off my belongings to survive.  To make things worse a great famine swept across the land.  I was not the only one suffering; there were many who were.  I went far and wide looking for work just to stay alive.  Finally, I found a farmer who was willing to let me work feeding his pigs.  It came to the point that I would have gladly eaten what the pigs were eating, but no one would give me anything.  I was at the lowest point in my life.  Just to think that a few months prior I was eating, drinking, and loving life to the fullest.  But all that came crashing down before I really even knew it was happening.  In utter despair I fell on my knees to pray.  What happened next was so amazing.

            While I was there on my knees a picture of my father’s face came to my mind.  It was like all the fog around my mind was cleared away.  I remembered how wonderful my father was and I knew that even the hired servants in his house would be doing well.  They would have plenty to eat.

            I decided right then and there that I would go back to my father and beg for his forgiveness.  I knew that I had sinned against him by even asking for my inheritance in the first place, but even more so when I wasted all that he had given me.  I knew that in my disgraceful behavior I did not deserve to be called his son anymore so I determined to present myself to him, ask for forgiveness, and beg to be made a hired servant.

 

The Journey Home

            All the way home I rehearsed my speech.  I knew my father to be a loving man, but I have wronged him terribly.  What would he say, how would he react when he learned that I wasted all of my inheritance?  I feared finding out how he would react, but I knew that I must return nonetheless.

            Each mile that brought me closer to my father’s house seemed to get longer and longer.  My heart was so anxious and yet so worried at the same time.  What if he would not hire me?  What if he was angry with me for not wisely investing my money instead of squandering it away?  My mind was filled with so many questions and so much doubt that it nearly drove me mad with nervous anticipation.

            Before I knew it I had made my way back near my father’s house.  But what happened next was not what I expected at all.  When I was still a long way off my father spotted me coming and he took off running toward me.  As he neared me I did not whether to run to meet him or to flee in disgrace.  But before I could decide what to do he was there.  He not only ran up to me, but he gave me a huge hug and kissed me.

 

Bold Confession

            I immediately began my well-rehearsed confession.  I told my father how sorry I was for the way I had acted and for the first time in my life I actually meant it.  But it was if he did not even remember what I had done.  He called his servants to bring me the best robe from the house for me to wear.  They also placed a ring on my hand and sandals on my feet.  I was so amazed at what was happening.  He did not stop there.  He also commanded them to kill the fattened calf in celebration of my return.  Instead of condemning me like he should have, he welcomed me like some honored dignitary.  I was so overwhelmed with feelings of love and acceptance. 

            Not only did I now have a place to live again, but my father restored me fully as his son again.  My father likened it to one who was dead and had been raised back to life or one who was lost and had been found and I think he was right.  For the first time in my life I truly felt alive.  For the first time in my life I truly felt as if I belonged in my father’s house.  It felt so good to be home.  Not just to have food and shelter again, but because my father fully restored me as his son.  I expected to get a good lecture and counsel about how I had wasted my inheritance and my life.  I fully deserved that, but my father took such a different approach. 

For the first time in my life I understood what it meant to be loved.  For the first time in my life I knew what it meant to be accepted when I did not deserve it.  For the first time in my life I knew what it meant to be forgiven and it truly blew me away.  My heart was filled with feelings of love and acceptance.  I began to think about all the people I needed to forgive.  I determined to live my life in such a way as to honor the forgiveness that my father had given to me.

 

Brotherly Love?

            I wish I could say that everyone was happy about my return but, sadly, this was not the case.  When word reached my elder brother about my return and the celebration my father held for me he became furious.  I was so hopeful that he too had missed me but he wasn’t.  Father went out and pleaded with him to come in a join the celebration but he refused.  He actually spoke harshly to father and asked why he had never been given a feast in his honor. 

He was so angry at father and me.  I had thought that he was always the faithful one who did everything right, but now I had to question his true motivation for his service.  I came to realize that all of his service had been motivated out of selfishness and a desire to appear pious and committed.  His heart was filled with jealously and rebellion at the very thought of father showing me love too.

Father tried to explain to him that I had been dead but was now alive.  I was lost and now I had been found.  I wish I could say that I am hopeful that he will come around but I am not.

 

Life Application

            Friends, it is no secret that this story is symbolic of how our heavenly Father longs to bring us back to Him.  When I think of this story I am so amazed at how merciful and loving God is to us.  No matter how much we may have ruined our lives He is willing to offer us forgiveness and acceptance beyond what we deserve. 

            When we consider the elements of this story we need to understand what is happening.  There was a huge problem among the Pharisees when it came to witnessing to the outside world.  They were very closed off to wanting to share the things of God with those they deemed unworthy of God’s love.

 

Seeking the Lost

We also need to understand that Jesus had a very special mission.  He said that He came to seek the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24).  The prodigal son in this story represents those who knew what the Lord wanted them to do but they turned their backs on God and went out into the world to live as they please.  They took the spiritual riches of God, so to speak, and wasted them by living their lives fully apart from God and many of us do the same thing.  I want each of you to stop and think right now about how many people you know that have left the church.  How many people over the years have you seen come in, accept present truth, and then leave for whatever reason?  Far too many, right?

So many times we wonder what has happened to them but perhaps we don’t actively seek to bring them back.  In fact, some of us may even take the attitude of the elder son who never left home.  Of course the elder son in the story is representative of those that remain in the faith and then resent those who come back to God.  Not only do they resent those that come back, they resent God.  They may even say within their hearts, “God must love me less because He had not caused such a stir over my remaining faithful.”  I have even seen people in churches get upset over the rebaptism of one who strayed from the faith and then returned after many years of running from the Lord. 

We, like our heavenly Father, should rejoice when one of our lost brothers or sisters returns.  Moreover, we should be out there facilitating bringing them back to Jesus.  Should we not?  We should be e-mailing, calling, writing letters, going to visit, but above all we should be praying for those families that should be but are no longer worshiping with us.

 

Personal Apostasy

            If we are all honest with ourselves we know that there are things that we have each done in our lives that should exclude us from the kingdom of God.  By rights, not one of us deserves to see the kingdom of Christ.  But praise the Lord it is not about what we have done but about what Jesus has done, Amen?  If each of were to be placed in the balances and weighed on our own merits then we, like Belshazzar, would be found spiritually wanting.  But I am so thankful that when we accept Jesus it is no longer the dark spot of sin that God sees on our character, it is the blood of Jesus and His righteousness.

            Sure there is an element in this story that seeks to call each of us to a fuller commitment to Christ.  There may even be some here today that have the heart of a prodigal.  You may be the one today that has wasted the spiritual riches of heaven on apostate living.  You may have an outward form of godliness while living for self on the inside.

 

Wrap-up and Appeal

 

 

When God Ran

By: Phillips, Craig and Dean

 

Almighty God, the great I am
Immovable rock, omnipotent, powerful, awesome Lord
Victorious warrior, commanding King of Kings
Mighty conqueror, and the only time
the only time I ever saw Him run

Was when He ran to me, He took me in His arms
Held my head to His chest, said “My son’s come home again”
Lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice He said,
“Son do you know I still love you?”
He caught me by surprise when God ran

 

The day I left home I knew I’d broken His heart
And I wondered then if things could ever be the same
Then one night I remembered His love for me
And down that dusty road ahead I could see
It was the only time – it was the only time I ever saw Him run

And then He ran to me, He took me in His arms
Held my head to His chest, said “My son’s come home again”
Lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice He said,
“Son do you know I still love you?”
He caught me by surprise as He brought me to my knees
When God ran