The Free and the Reckless

Aaron Cloutier

Midland SDA Church

January 28, 2023

Who here is not familiar with the idiom “The grass is greener on the other side”? If, by chance, there is an individual who is not familiar with such lies, allow me to elaborate a little bit. Often we find ourselves in situations where we begin to believe a change in circumstance will benefit us. Career, location, someone you are romantically involved with. You know…some general change in the landscape. Now to be fair, the idiom is occasionally true. Sometimes the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence, hill… whatever object separates the green grass from the golf course quality suff. Sometimes making the decision in hopes for something better does work out. But in reality … just how often is this true?

Ill admit, I may be a bit jaded regarding the subject at hand because I have been a victim of my own stupidity numerous times when looking for something better. I tell you what, for every time I’ve found grass that’s lush and green, 5 times over I’ve also crossed that fence line only to find a brown, crispy, and dead landscape with occasional doggy doo. And this is where I’ve learned to appreciate the perspective of someone like my wife who is generally content with her circumstance. She plays the odds when she decides to enjoy her current landscaping. You see, her experience is different than mine because she has this ability to appreciate her life and she notices her blessings. And I tell you what, it’s really hard to argue with her about significant life changes because, truthfully, she can pull out of her hat a kajillion times I was wrong about seeking out greener pastures and somehow always achieves morale high ground during these arguments.

So, anyways… not sure exactly what your guys’ experience has been like but I’m making some assumptions here. I believe we have all learned some lessons about walking away from something good, not knowing it at the time, but realizing how good things were after the fact.

Now as Christians, we are in a particularly interesting position. Who here believes the God we serve is an amazing deity? And what a blessing it is to be a child of God. Who here believes God offers us all that we need and then some? Who here believes we don’t have a clue just how good God is and that we often take Him and His love and his liberty for granted? I’m afraid there are some who have lost sight of Gods offerings, or in the process of seeking something “better”…looking for that greener grass, maybe not even realizing it but starting to wander.

Today we are going to examine the parable of the prodigal son; not from the angle its usually presented but something a bit more dark. This parable can be found in Luke 15 along with two other very similar parables. I say very similar because the Shepherd, the Coin Keeper, and the Father all are very symbolic of a Caring God. Reciprocally, the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son represent those who have wandered and are lost or displaced.  I have to believe most of us are very familiar with the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son because they are cited frequently; very popular. I happen to believe these stories are popular for a number of reasons:

1. They make you feel good because they offer hope, some would say they even offer a “safety net”

2. They are relatable because, to one extent or another, we have all wandered or been lost. Very universal, especially to Christians when you realize the context

But today I want to focus on that last parable and glean some points from it, so lets start in verse 11. READ

Prodigal definition: spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant

Now this is where we start to feel all warm inside because we are reminded of just how loving God is and willing to accept us even in poor condition. Unfortunately that is something we like to abuse though.

          However, the story of the prodigal son isn’t just about redemption and restoration. In basic form, this story is a call for boundaries and story of consequence. You see, unlike the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin, this parable offers us detail on what happens when we wander and step outside if the influence of our Father . You get a glimpse of just how cold and unforgiving the natural world is when we are not where we ought to be.

          Now, I right off the bat I want to emphasize a couple things about hardships:

1. The world is hard enough, even as a solid Christian. In fact there are specific life challenges guaranteed for those who follow after Jesus. So don’t get caught up with the idea that accepting Jesus removes you from the possibility of bad thigs happening to you. That would be a tragic misunderstanding of the scriptures. In fact in this story, the famine that struck impacted everyone in that country.

2. However, there is something to be said about having God centered in your life...sort of stacks the cards in your favor, if ya know what I mean. Nahum 1:7 reads “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of distress; He cares for those who take refuge in Him”. So brothers and sisters, and the very least, we have a certain degree of protection when we seek God out.

However, there remains a flip side to this coin you guys. If our circumstances are such that we don’t invite Him to lead, or allow Him to offer you any kind of direction, what kind of position are we putting our selves in? I don’t know, it’s a crazy world out there.

I want to interject an asterisks here, just real quick.  He is in fact, in the business of redeeming creation. We have evidence over and over again in scripture where God was working overtime on people who continued to turn their back on Him. He is not a mob boss who offers protection if you are for Him, but is quick to whack you if you are in opposition.  No, but the fact is He has allowed the human family to practice autonomy in the name of love. And for better or for worse, usually worse… the outcome of our own decisions put us in bad spots when we follow our own devices. God doesn’t just abandon the human family.

So in light of all things that could go wrong when we choose not to allow God to lead, this makes me wonder what the father was experiencing watching is son walk away into the distance…knowing the probable outcome of his sons decision to leave. The story doesn’t offer that detail, but I imagine as loving as he was to receive him back his sons departure was probably heart breaking. Page 203.1 on Christ Object Lessons, Mrs White expounds on this. “Little did the gay, thoughtless youth, as he went out from his father's gate, dream of the ache and longing left in that father's heart. When he danced and feasted with his wild companions, little did he think of the shadow that had fallen on his home.” Now that I’m a father, I completely understand why my dad was as careful as he was. He knew what the real world was like. He knew the things that could come to pass if he weren’t present to direct me. Let’s take a moment to give praise to the dads out there putting in time! Lord knows we need dads…

You guys… it’s a crazy world out there, and I do mean crazy. We need direction from our earthly fathers, from our heavenly father because Sin has no logic. When we talk about the present dangers in the world, its not just a conversation about the physical experience. A lot of different bad stuff can happen. Having no influence from your father can lead you void of purpose, having a loss of identity. And in the end this can set you up for some pretty bad experiences. And people will go lengths trying to fill those spaces in their lives with all the wrong things. Its so sad

Here is the hard reality: Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” There is a lot of things out there that can go wrong when you consider there are legions of darkness that want you distorted or dead… we don’t even have a clue how far south things can go for us IF God was not present in our life. WE ARE COMEPLTELY AND UTTERLY DEPENDANT ON GOD. Do not forget that

How often do we reflect on this truth? I’m going to say probably not very often, because for a lot of us this truth isn’t very comfortable to work through when you weigh on just how little control we have.

Now here is my left hook this morning… some of you might be asking yourselves “we are Christians, we all depend on God”. Are you sure about that? Are you sure you also don’t take God for granted? Are you sure you aren’t searching for greener grass? Are you sure your aren’t actually a figure for the Laodiceans church; believing you are wealthy and protected but in reality you are lukewarm, busted, broke, and desolate?

Sometimes we forget the story of the prodigal son is about Christians. It isn’t about people who haven’t came to God yet. The story of this young son is about someone who was in the house of his father, and for whatever reason, wandered thinking he was all set… for greener grass. He somehow became blind and apathetic to how good he had it UNTIL he until he found himself in the gutter…which is exactly where some of us end up, figuratively of course. This comes to fruition in many forms. But generally comes when we follow through with something that distracts us from something more eternal. But yes, with love, this parable offers a warning to all Christians about life outside of the designs and parameters of the Most High.

There are a couple things that stand out to me in reflection of this parable:

1. First, how amazing God’s love is to seek out, redeem, and elevate folks who walk away, not accidentally, often intentionally. God’s love is beyond understanding. This is the God we take for granted.

2. Second, I continue to dwell on the use of freewill and the misuse of liberty we see displayed in this story.

It blows me away how the Father is willing to give his son the portion of his inheritance knowing he will probably misuse it. I’m sure there are details not mentioned in this story where the father tried to reason with his son, but it coming to no avail. And earlier, we talked about God offering free will. And it blows me away, even more, recognizing the son was either delusional to the point of not recognizing how blessed he was in the midst of his father, or that he was in rebellion so bad that virtue and reason curbed nothing against his ambition to leave. What is it that drives us to make bad decisions, knowing or being numb to the fact that in the end the outcome will probably hurt us?

Again in Christ Object Lesson, we get a little clarity on the prodigal sons motives:

This younger son had become weary of the restraint of his father's house. He thought that his liberty was restricted. His father's love and care for him were misinterpreted, and he determined to follow the dictates of his own inclination. COL 198.4

Brothers and sisters, at the very core, our carnal nature is rebellion against God. And because God is love, we naturally respond negatively to love when it doesn’t come in the form that suits our pursuits. I am quite sure the sons father laid out boundaries for him to live by. But those boundaries were going to be hedged by love, obviously with the motive to shield this young son from the consequences that would come from stepping out of those parameters.

Here is the thing… nobody really likes rules. BUT, there is safety and promise within the boundaries God seeks to fence around you. A lot of folks out there balk at the idea of order and boundaries but that is where true freedom exists. This sounds very counter intuitive; however… consider how the world views liberty. Just how much freedom do you really have when if you were to pursue the things many folks use their freedom for?

· What liberty is there when you end up losing your dignity from being promiscuous? Now you have no self worth but now you have Gonorrhea. Yeah, you thought that you were free, but now you are just gross.

· Eating what you want. What freedom do you have when you are stroked out

· How about the guilt and shame you have after drinking yourself into a buffoon and you said something you shouldn’t have to someone or, at the very worse you smoke a minivan on your way home with kids in it. Where is your freedom now?

I can imagine the prodigal son fantasizing about all the things he would be able to do without his father around. But, the truth is he was put into bondage seeking “freedom” to the point he wanted to go back to a position of servitude back when things were good. The son landed himself in his own prison. It was by the pursuit of his own passions, unbridled  and unchecked by those who loved him most, he became desolate, broke, and shameful. Brothers and sisters, when you hear that voice of God… as small as it is sometimes, listen to it. It is the Lord trying to keep you from making a decision you both will regret.

Now here is the kicker, God offers us freedom hoping we will choose Him with it. Instead so many of us take the liberty we have and follow after the world…and then we will blame God for the outcome.

So here is my right hook: You want to be free? Then we need to understand that our freedom is really freedom from ourselves; our wants and desires. And this how we avoid abusing the liberty he has granted us. Galatians 5:13 Reads “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. But through love serve one another.” Instead of serving yourself, serve someone else…

So in closing, I think one of the best ways we can serve one another is sharing Jesus. Sharing how he has pulled us out of our own stupidity, or how he has redeemed us, or how he has kept you from failing. People need to hear this because in a world full of darkness it offers hope. And while we share, we also are blessed because we glean purpose and true identity in things that actually bring joy. And this, my friends is how you experience true freedom…no need to look for greener grass, at least on this side of eternity.

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17

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