The Heart of the Father - June 15, 2014

all right Lord bless you all what a

privilege to be here on this on this

Father's Day I'll invite you to please

open to Luke chapter 15 I'll tell you

something interesting about this morning

sermon the Lord actually gave me this

sermon I there's a reason why I keep I

keep journals around and and when I see

the Lord when I hear the Lord calling me

hopefully the Lord will give me

sufficient warning that he's calling me

to my eternal home so I could send about

15 crates of journals to the care of

pastor Greg too I don't know to give to

the Smithsonian Institute or something

but meanwhile they're quite useful to me

because it reminds me of my

conversations with the Lord and they

remind me of the Lord responding it's a

sort of a transcript of our

conversations the Lord actually gave me

this sermon I'm preaching it on Father's

Day but the Lord actually gave me this

word back in February februari eighth

and the moment I received that word you

know in my living room doing that

devotional I knew in my spirit that that

was that word was meant for this

particular fellowship I I knew I had to

share it at one point or another here

and just a word about that as we pray

you know the reality I feel so bad for

dad sometimes because isn't it always

always the case Mother's Day Holy Smoke

you know you would think every woman in

the congregation was Mother Teresa

and the sisters of the church know

better and dad's boy I mean I use I used

to go to church man dad's got beat up

real bad on Father's Day that's what we

would get on father anybody ever go to a

church like that y'all step up do right

thing do what you gotta do thank you

Pastor happy Father's Day to you too

yeah but the truth is we've had all

kinds of father some of us have had

marvelous dance exemplary God's

sacrificial dads dads who really

incarnated fatherhood in such wonderful

ways many others we have very imperfect

debts of some extremely extremely

imperfect dads and we're reminded of

their imperfections every time we shave

in the morning because there they are

right there staring back at us we've

become in many ways this man and the

glory of God has over Layton over that

and we've become all the more aware of

God's grace ironically because of this

imperfect man others of us will tell the

other two-thirds of the room guys don't

complain at least you met your dad he

had one my dad just a few wondering

where I was you know my dad I you know I

them to this day it's days like this you

know when you when you have a dad and

God calls them home just like your first

Mother's day without a mom here you know

you never so my dad was somewhere

between dad number one number two just

as I am I guess I'll be completely

honest with you but you're here we are

here sir

for something else and someone else some

of us come here precisely all of us come

here and pursuit of some very important

stuff at one point or another we need

healing frankly or we need the Lord to

illuminate us for something or we need

we need this we need were lonely we need

the fellowship of saints an inheritance

from the Holy Father we need we need

that if you come here in pursuit of that

I promise you you're going to find what

you're looking for in Jesus name I

declare that over you but if you come

here looking for the Father's heart

seeking the Father's heart that the

Father's heart may be revealed to you

you're going to find everything you're

looking for and more my prayer amid my

infirmities as a human filter of this

beautiful word is that somehow here

whether through what you hear or in

between these lines or even despite what

you hear the Father's heart may be

revealed to you it's a passage that

we're all familiar with a story that

many of us heard in Sunday school that

we find in Luke chapter 15 verse 11

Jesus continued there was a man who had

two sons the younger one said to his

father father give me my share of the

estate so he divided his property

between them not long after that the

younger son got together all he had and

said offer a distant country and there

squandered his wealth in wild living

don't you just love that Spanish to

translate I wish they would translate it

verbatim in spanish la vida loca I mean

that's what it is in the greek wouldnt

it be cool if they did that after he had

and everything there was a severe famine

in that whole country and he began to be

in need so he went and he hired himself

to a citizen of that country who sent

him to his fields to feed pigs which is

an extreme and dignity for a Jewish

young man he longed to fill his stomach

with the pods that the pigs were eating

but no one gave him anything when he

came to his senses he said how many of

my father's hired men have food to spare

and Here I am starving to death I will

set out and go back to my father and say

to him father I have sinned against

heaven and against you I'm no longer

worthy to be called your son make me

like one of your hired men so he got up

and went to his father but while he was

still a long way off his father saw him

and was filled with compassion for him

he ran to his son threw his arms around

him and kissed him the son said to him

father I have sinned against heaven and

against you I'm no longer worthy to be

called your son but the father said to

his servants quick bring me the best

robe and put it on him put a ring on his

finger and sandals on his feet bring the

fattened calf and kill it let's have a

feast and celebrate for this son of mine

was dead and is alive again he was lost

and is found so they began to celebrate

meanwhile the older son was in the field

when he came near to the house he heard

music and dancing so he called one of

the servants over and asked him what was

going on your brother has come he

replied and your father has killed the

fattened calf because he has found him

back safe and sound

the older brother became angry and

refused to go in so his father went out

and pleaded with him a father with two

sons and both of these guys both of

these sons are in trouble I'm reading

from the NIV the title that the NIV

editors have for this portion is the

parable of the lost son we're actually

going to be speaking about both sons but

you might be reading from attacks

perhaps even the King James that it has

entitled this section the editors have

been titled it the prodigal son and you

have known this as the prodigal son

coming from the word prodigal which

means literally extravagant we never use

it's one of those words try that in a

you know try that and it's in a

boardroom meeting or or you know you

don't use the word prodigal anymore in

fact the word prodigal in them in modern

parlance refers now almost exclusively

to this tale to this young man but

prodigal really what to define prodigal

means extravagant in the way you invest

it doesn't necessarily need to be a bad

thing its extravagant in the way you

invest or you spend or in this case

waste your property what's wrong what's

yours and Tim Keller wrote an

interesting book a pastor in a hue of a

huge church in you in New York City the

prodigal father I recommend it to you

it's on one of those guys that will

recommend you books he hasn't quite yet

read the Lord is my witness I recommend

it to you my wife has read it I guess

that's half of me has read that all

right and I've heard him speak about it

in purpose in person okay so that counts

I heard him preach about it I was in the

room and I heard Tim Keller preach about

this so

all that counts so Tim Keller in his

book the prodigal father actually argues

that the true prodigal in the story is

the father not the Sun the true tale of

extravagance is the father and I having

read this I tend to agree and it the

tale begins the story of these two sons

and by the way you'll notice I'm going

to tell you up front I believe I would

wager that we have both sons represented

in this room right now where can I look

so I'm not looking at anybody look at

the hosts of heaven there are two sons

in the story both for them are

represented in this tale and represented

in this room I honestly believe that I

honestly believe that and it begins see

verses 11 and 12 there was a man who had

two sons the younger son said to his

father father give me my share of the

inheritance it actually begins this

story two chairs begins with this this

house that that is this household that

is predominant for two things it's known

for two things number one property

property actually figures very early on

and it's very important here on

inheritance and estate represented by

abundance there's livestock there's

apparently a farm there are servants you

could guess there's some income involved

here there's money one so it's we so as

the story begins the two key elements

here are a the property the inheritance

and in this house there is somebody who

administers or governs over this

property and who actually who is

actually responsible for the

administration of this property and that

is the father you have

stuff or property and you have the

father those that these are actually two

integrated streams throughout this story

let's start with let's start with the

stuff let's start with with with

examining this stuff let's start with

examining the property because there's

so much emphasis emphasis on that the

younger son asks I want my share of the

estate I want my share of this property

and that word that you see you know

translated and it's alternatively

translated property it's a toner

alternatively translated estate in the

Greek that is well in the case that it

uses here tom beyond and the accusative

say in it and it's uh and and it's

infinitive it is tongue bios or the life

the life bios the life and what it means

is this it's actually illegal to a in

the classical Greek this was a legal

term having to do with with you know the

I know the lawyer in me is loving this

because i had this class in law school

never used it michelle may use it more

than I do I I hardly I hardly touch this

stuff but I sir oh I remember that it

was on the bar that's right so the term

in Greek the life means it's a legal

term and what it literally means is that

this property so say it's a an

inheritance a it's some farm that you

leave somebody say it's your you know

your your favorite watch but this

property is representative of the life

literally the bios the life of the donor

it is a product and what they mean is

this and this is true to this day it is

in fact the spinal cord of all trust in

the state's law even now into

14 and it means this nobody earns an

inheritance legally or spiritually you

didn't earn it you didn't earn it it is

the product of the bios the sweat the

work the genius the investments the

risks and the toil of the donor that

stuff was a product of something that

came out of the life of another human

being and that person chooses to give it

to you you haven't earned it it's

impossible to earn an inheritance

legally because you didn't work for it

belongs to it's the product of the life

of someone else and that's present that

precisely what you would expect out of

scripture doesn't the word say that

every good and perfect gift comes from

where comes from above from the father

of heavenly lights and each of us we all

enjoy a Tom BIOS a bios from our Father

Heavenly Father we all have an

inheritance from our Heavenly Father a

functional brain let's start with that

the breath in your lungs the capacity to

dream and to plan the ability to think

around the corner that's a gift from the

Lord your your your hamster does not

have that but you do and some of us have

been given a little bit more some of us

have so you know God has thrown us a

couple of extra stuff that's just I mean

that that would be enough to make it on

the surface of this planet but God

this extravagant prodigal god some of it

gives us gives us you know a couple of

Benny's some of us have a family some of

us have been given children some of us

have been given a wife some of us

actually have the key to our own space

our apartment or house and then if that

weren't enough this prodigal dad he just

keeps giving us gifts like some of us

are remarkably creative where poets like

my brother Shelton or we read well like

my brother Shelton are we sing like my

sister Chantal or we danced like my

sister kennis I'm praying in Jesus name

that we see you up your booking it soon

in the name of Jesus we love you

creative some of us are really really

good with our hands this altar is

brought to you by the creative gifts of

some important people in this sanction

in this in this church that we often

take for granted but everything here my

god this building you should have seen

it in 1993 and you should see it I mean

looking at now there are people who went

literally making this place it's a labor

of love you never hear them you know

ministering very seldomly you don't see

them up front they don't need one of

these this was their ministry and they

did it with as much anointing and love

the Holy ABS of this congregation that's

a gift we've all received a gift and

inheritance that makes sense in the

context of home and this kid this young

man asked his father for his inheritance

his BIOS while his dad is alive which is

extremely wet rare in Jewish culture

that's a huge no-no in Jewish culture

this far

other could have just done so he could

have disinherited him in that spot but

his father gives it to him can you

believe it that's one of the first

remarkable scandalous things about this

story is that his this kid has the

temerity to ask his dad I want I want

what I I want what's coming to me now

and his dad gives it to him go on ahead

verse 12 the younger one said to his

father give me my share of the estate so

he divided his property between them in

other words he didn't he doesn't just

give the younger son his property he

gives a property also to the older son

who by the way is entitled to two-thirds

of the property or twice the property of

the younger son in other words a double

portion so the older son gets a double

portion the younger son gets his estate

his part of the estate verse 13 not long

after that the younger son got together

all he had and set off for a distant

country where is that the Bible doesn't

tell us it's far from where ever was he

was and then squandered his wealth in

wild living two things that we can learn

from this number one you could already

pick up these two things from Scripture

number one about our stuff say with me

nothing oh come on yeah this is this

work work we're about to Coastal's we

know how to do call and response tell

your neighbor nothing that's what I Sam

get it right that's how it's done all

right nut that's right they tell your

neighbor thing I got to remember that

tell your neighbor nothing nothing we

have will last

none of our stuff will last this

includes your physical health this

includes the car and the lot this

includes guys your your your your frame

of mind this includes your your breath

in your lungs none of the hour prior are

cherished property well you can't

protect any of it we can lose it all at

a moment's notice it's extinct it's it's

fungible that's another wonderful trusts

and estates word anything that you can

give to somebody else anything you can

give away is by its nature fungible you

can lose it lesson number one lesson

number two free will guys this prodigal

father gives him his inheritance watches

the Sun get up and leave he lets us he

will let you your heavenly Father will

let you administer or invest or use or

grow in or absolutely squander the BIOS

the stuff of life that the Lord has

given you he'll let you why because he

loves you he trusts you he respects you

he respects you and it is in this

fashion that we learn we learn as we

administer the stuff that God has given

us we learn and this kid did some

serious learning verse 14 after he had

spent everything there was a severe

famine in that whole country and he

began to be in need so he went and he

hired himself out to a citizen of that

country who

who sent him to his fields to feed pigs

he longed to fill his stomach with the

pods that the pigs were eating but no

one gave him anything he's far from home

far from for the protection of his

father how many of us have ever been

there you ever been there you know what

that place is like anybody in this

industry I'll be I'll I'll help you with

this I know I've been there it's not a

fun place it it is no one can you cannot

expect to come to anything good they're

far from the protection of the Father

Satan is there too with one mission in

mind which is to help us forget we were

ever a son help us forget there was ever

a home and the first thing he does as he

wears away at your dignity here's this

Jewish young man son of a proper deed

father and some i think the word fits

well here god forsaken place doing

things he never imagined in his life he

would ever do just things that would I

mean if he was with his buddies he did

not you know I'm sure when he was

growing up at his bar mitzvah when they

talked about well what do you what are

you going to do when you grow up one I'm

gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna feed pigs for

a living and I'm gonna I'm going to envy

what they feed these things like that

was his am no kid grows up no mother's

son grows up with those ambitions by the

way bipods there were these care

seeds that in in this agrarian society

that they fed pigs in the ancient world

and they in particularly near East it

was known throughout the ancient world

and the only time that you they were

they were seldom digested by humans the

only time humans in this society in the

the in the Near Eastern society it fed

on them was in times of extreme hunger

when all other crops failed when there

was nothing why because they gave you

the sensation of filling your stomach

but they were almost utterly free of any

kind of nourishment they would fit they

would fill the hole but there was no

there was no it wasn't in there was no

nutritious there was no nutrit nutrition

there was no nutrient coming from it and

so many of us when we were out there we

had to fill our whole with something so

many of us spend that kind of time just

you know we go from one experience of

feeding on pods feeding on pods going

from one experience to another you know

today this party tomorrow this

relationship tomorrow okay let's swing

over here to this religious experience

this a SRAM somewhere else and let you

know let's let's figure out my zone I

let then you go from that to this other

experience and you were going from pod

the pod you just just you know pastor

Santa hat I was hungry I was hungry

pastor Sam and I fed pigs

I had to do what I had to do it's

shameful I'm sorry I don't know it's

nothing that I'm going to be proud of

ever but have you ever had to do that

pastor Sam just because I was I was

hungry I had if I had to fill the hole I

had to do something to survive don't you

think your heavenly Father knows that he

knows what that's like and the entire

time your heavenly father is watching

the road pining for you grieving over

you worrying about you morning you

praying you come home let's talk about

him for a little bit because this

parable has more to do with the heart of

the father it has more to do with the

heart of the father than anything else

and that's the whole point you know when

this chapter opens there are some folks

Pharisees the religious leaders who

commented to Jesus and not not

complement rly this guy this man

welcomes sinners and eats with them

verse 2 in fact this is a running theme

in the Gospel of Luke in chapter 5

there's a group of religious leaders who

who approached Jesus and asked him why

do you welcome sinners and eat with them

and break bread with them it's a running

theme throughout the Gospel of Luke

which is directed by the way at Gentiles

which is because you know Gentiles were

everyone who was not Jewish when you

hear Gentiles in Scripture there it's

usually not it's

that's not a complementary term either

it usually means not just the fact that

you were not Jewish but everything that

went with that they were a dollar ters

they were they were into everything they

experimented with everything they were

about everything but the god of the

universe why on earth do you break bread

with those people Jesus why do you eat

with sinners and in response the Lord

tells them these stories he's he

responds with a parable now a parable is

a way of trying to explain remarkably

complex eternal truths to finite human

beings not unlike trying to explain

really crazy things mommy where do

babies come from to a child how do you

respond to some of the things when a

child asked it's it's it is very

analogous you know it puts Jesus in the

same spot that you're in when your

four-year-old ask you things like daddy

why do you love mommy and there's

something daddy can say and there's a

lot of stuff daddy cannot say unless you

know you know he's totally inebriated

but he there's some things that daddy

should not say or it's trying to explain

to a Martian love love I hear this word

love what is that could you explain to

me what love is what do you do do you

you know do you go to Pandora write the

word love and have him here like half a

million songs and poems and so you know

how hard it has been for the human race

to try to explain love

to each other let alone to someone who

has no frame of reference to what this

means that is the spot Jesus is in how

do you explain what's going on in God's

heart and in the heart of the father to

repeat to someone like this is to

someone like this way are you why do I

break bread with sinners are you not are

you kidding me why do I break bread with

sinners okay how do i how do I where do

I start knowing that if this kid or in

this case this Pharisee gets ten percent

of it we're good there's a lot here that

still locked up in the heart of the Lord

in the heart of the father we're all

living through we're all looking at God

through a glass like the darkling my

friends all we're seeing his shadows and

images it's enough to thrill our hearts

it's enough to blow our minds it's a

loft introduces the tears but all we're

getting is glimpses of his majesty what

he's really about his heart we've yet to

really feel we've not felt his hog yet

and I'm waiting for my when he when he

when we see him but right now we are

content with receiving these fragments

of Revelation and the Lord says look why

do I dude the father is heartsick why do

I break bread with sinners let's see and

he tells him a series of stories says if

you if I had you know if you had nine if

you if you had ten drachmas and you lose

one you have nine like this with the

first Powerball in looper in Luke 15

you're going are you going to be content

with those nine drachmas or okay

oh it you win you lose no you tear the

house around until you find that last

drachma or if you had a hundred sheep

you lose a sheep what Shepherd worthy of

the name Shepherd is going to be content

with watching one of the Sheep wander

off and die no you leave the rest of the

flock you leave the ninety-nine you go

off over hill over Dale in the rain and

wherever you need to go you find that

sheep and you bring that cheap safe and

sound because that's your job as a

shepherd if you can understand that and

you can understand that that kid is not

expendable you're not expendable either

you matter to the Lord there's nobody

anonymous to God especially if you find

yourself in a far country until your

home this God will pray and intercede

and wait and let nature take its course

he'll let nature take its course not it

makes your take its course which means

you're going to be hungry and you're

going to suffer human little humiliation

and you're going to go through the dregs

and you're going to know what that feels

like not because he doesn't love you but

because he cannot force you to come home

he created you with free will he did not

create a robot he did not create a slave

Satan would be content with you being a

slave you've got the wrong God in mind

if you think that God can force you

compel you to come home you have

I'm mistaken with somebody else God is

not going to force you he is not going

to compel you to come home his nature

won't allow it his love for you won't

allow it he instead will pray that his

nature takes its course you come to your

senses as the NIV translates it I prefer

actually the way it's translated in the

in the new evidence you nintendo co not

in the spanish a que diga in the reina

valera in the spanish version because

it's actually very close to the Greek

the Greek for that phrase came to his

senses ace a con el phone actually

literally means he came to himself he

comes to himself what happens at that

point and it's very close to the Jewish

idea of repentance that we see

underlying scripture to come to yourself

means i know a dawns on me for the first

time Who I am in relationship to my god

what he means to me and it awakens us

through the idea that without him I I am

dead I am lost and I need him he's my

Heavenly Father and I am fragile and I

would be nuts not to be in his presence

and this kid comes to him census verse

17 when he came to his senses he said

how many of my father's hired men have

food to spare and Here I am starving to

death I will set out and go to my father

and say to him father I've sinned

against heaven and against you I'm no

longer worth

to be called your son take note of this

make me like one of your hired men so he

got up and went to his father this

younger son comes to his senses and he

says and you the key here is that phrase

you come to yourself you come to your

senses you realize who you are a

relationship with your God when you

start with when you declare listen I'm

not I'm not worthy even of being called

your son make me like one of your hired

men holding a little this is I mean

notice we're not talking servant there

he says I would be content you know what

a hired men ahern a little did in those

days was basically somebody who was a

day laborer who worked for bed and for

hire you know a meal at the end of the

day of bolas oops oatmeal in the morning

a bed to sleep in I'll be content to do

that I'll be dad I would be content to

wash the dishes I'll be content to plow

the field I'll be content to take out

you know to clean out the barn I'll be

content to do anything just don't let me

leave your presence I do now ever want

to find myself far from home he comes to

his senses his father of course had

other ideas verse 20 so he got up and

went to his father but while he was

still a long way off his father saw him

and was filled with compassion for him

he ran to his son threw his arms around

him and kissed him the son said to him

as he had planned father I have sinned

against heaven and against you I'm no

longer worthy to be called your son but

the father said to his servants quick

bring the best row which represents

covering his shame cover covering his

filth not unlike a vision that you see

in Zachariah chapter 3 cut covering

covering him covering covering god knows

what he looked like her he got there

bring the best robe and put it on him

put a ring on his finger representing

Authority this is not just anybody in

this house this is my son you will treat

him as you treat me authority the the

church word for that is anointing by the

way anointing put a ring on his fingers

sandals on his feet distinguishing him

from slaves and servants who walked

around barefoot bring the fattened calf

and kill it provision provision the Lord

providing for us let's have a feast and

celebrate for this son of mine was dead

and is alive again he was lost and is

found so they began to celebrate you

know this is conduct unbecoming of a

Jewish father on a couple of levels

number one legally once this father

gives the inheritance away to a son to a

living son he is by all legal means dead

to him he's really he's not a part of

the estate legally there's no you know

the father you're you struck out on your

own there's a horizontal relationship

now with the father but but here this

dad gets up sees the kid coming down the

road and which is why we know that this

kid this father's pining for him he's

literally can you imagine him watching

the road day after day is it today will

they come today maybe

tomorrow there's still a couple of hours

left of daylight get up at dawn is he

there did you see anybody on the road

did y'all notice did y'all notice anyone

and everyone everyone in the house

moo-hoo anyone was let me know anyone

comes down the road they knew that the

old man was still looking for this kid

people in the washroom people in the

kitchen were all talking about this

everybody knew this kids business it was

the scandal of the house the kid shows

up the dad goes nuts he leaves his stool

runs after him daddy's a good

self-respecting daddy does not do that

he doesn't care runs to him grabs him

and it's not you know and he throws a

good old-fashioned Pentecostal Puerto

Rican party I mean this is this was not

this was crazy this was a the word for

music that you see in Scripture there is

literally seen for Nia as in Symphony is

this is correct the wedding yesterday

right okay let's start with the

horse-drawn carriage and make our way

down and here we are we're having such a

wonderful time and we thought we thought

I mean it was and this couple deserved

it really it's couple deserved it but

all of a sudden we hear when changing

Boone Jeong Jeong Jeong Jeong Boone

janta and out of the Isles comes a

mariachi band drop it to the cords and

then we are

jaja bruta to do touch I mean they spent

some time and keep in Texas and he says

you either you go big or go home you

know but then so I imagine this father I

imagine you know a mariachi band at this

thing and his brother this is wonderful

right praise God the Bible says over and

over there is rejoicing in heaven when

the kid comes home rejoicing in heaven

when the kids comes home folks I rest my

case this is what we mean by rejoice

this is what you mean to your heavenly

Father I pray in Jesus name that the

heart of the father be revealed with you

that you mean this to him and all is

cool all is perfect all is wonderful my

son came home right except there's two

sons we're not done with this tale

there's two sons meanwhile the older son

was in the field when he came near the

house he heard music and dancing dorada

jihad so he called one of the servants

and asked him what's going on your

brother has come he replied and your

father has killed the fattened calf

because he has him back safe and sound

the older brother became angry and he

refused to go in so his father went out

and pleaded with him you see are you

getting a nature of how humble this this

man is he's the father of the estate his

his his younger son has come back from

the dead and when his older son refuses

to come in he

leaves that party to end goes out to

plead with him our Heavenly Father is a

one of the humblest beings in the

universe but he answered his father look

all these years I've been slaving for

you isn't that an interesting word

slaving for you will pick up on that and

never disobeyed your orders yet you

never gave me even a young goat so I

could celebrate with my friends if

pastor Sam is imitating him well is for

a good reason but when this son of yours

who has squandered your property where

prostitutes comes home you kill the

fatted calf for him my son see that word

son in this text in the original you'll

see two words for son one is the very

neutral word wheels which just means

male progeny my son a a male child or

male progeny this in Spanish it's so

much easier because we have mean you and

we have many mini it might even be I

mean the best way to translate this for

you is actually to say son with us you

know with a southern accent my son my

child the word is deccan on my child

you're always with me everything I have

is yours but we had to celebrate and be

glad because the brother this brother of

yours was dead and is alive again he was

lost and his phone some of us have been

this guy actually some of us have been

both of them right it's not on it is not

out of bounds to actually have been both

of these sons

to have been the younger son at one

point and then you morph into the older

son it is totally possible to be both in

this tale and this guy is in trouble too

he's religious you know I've never

disobeyed you he's dutiful faithful I've

slaved for you all these years he never

leaves the house but you know what he's

never a part of it either he never

leaves the house but he's never a part

of it either there's no joy there's no

real love even no real intimacy with the

father he's in the house sees his father

day to day brushes shoulders with his

father goes out and serves his father

does things for his father does things

in the name of his father but doesn't

know the man has no intimacy with him

you know what he's no different in many

ways in part of his heart he's no

different from his younger brother in

this respect they're both after the

inheritance that's what really all they

were matters to them is the stuff except

with this guy with the older son he

believes he has a right to it he

believes he's earned it he believes that

it's his as a matter of justice he

believes that it's his as a matter of

right not as a matter of grace not as

the bios from his dad everything his

father says all that I have is yours

doesn't dawn on him

in the house but no joy in the house but

there's no intimacy with his hiring

father in the house but because he's

never known grace all that I have is

yours my nanny my child it's impossible

for him to show grace to somebody else

to extend grace to somebody else my my

prescription for this older son is the

same prescription for the younger son

this kid just needs a hug from his death

I pray for the older sons in the room

that as you journey here you realize

just how much your heavenly father has

poured himself into you and that you

lose nothing in fact you gain so much

more by just pouring yourself back into

him I'll invite island by our

worshippers

to join us

how's this for a wonderful midlife

discovery life is way too short not to

experience the heart of the father

life is way too short not to make the

father's heart your priority

you