Welcome, man. What an incredible story right talking about taking something from what could be tragedy to Triumph and celebration. It's incredible. Hey, look do me a favor. If you have a Bible or if you use an app, whatever go ahead and grab that and start to look up Luke chapter 15 The Gospel of Luke's third book in the New Testament Gospel of Luke chapter 15 while you're finding that I want to just kind of take a second right here a few minutes and then I want to celebrate a little bit.

Okay, because I think there's some things going on this that's worth celebrating one. I mean, I want to celebrate our lead Pastor Jeff Clark because here's the deal you might not kind of see this all of the time but Not every leader is comfortable leading from behind the scenes and asking others to kind of step forward into leadership. But but Jeff is and and honestly, I think that's that's very indicative of the the Gospel and the message of of the church in Scripture that no person no position is more important than any other person or position. But rather the thing the only thing that's important is the mission that God's called us to be about right and the way we articulate that here at Venture church is that the mission God has called us the the church to be about it's to lead people to know love and follow Jesus so that God receives the glory that's through his name, right? Not any person not any position not any stage not any particular building or group of people, but rather so that God receives the glory to his name and I and I think that that man Jeff does a great job exemplifying that and leading Us in that and so can we celebrate him real quick?

We celebrate Here's the other thing man. I want to celebrate you. I want to celebrate all that you have been a part of this past week of your neighbor week has just been absolutely incredible to see and hear all of the different stories from Gulf Coast to Laurel over 120 Interstate miles. Right people. I'm who have been present in their communities in their neighborhoods face-to-face need a knee with their neighbors loving encouraging supporting you've shared clothes with families and need you shared meals with families and need you've loved on those families and those kids you've loved on local schools and local organizations.

So well and so man, can we celebrate you? Can we do a little bit more? Thank you so much. For for all that you've done this weekend and listen understand this. Okay, if you missed any particular like project over this past week, it's no big deal.

Right? Because what we man what we want to step into isn't just an opportunity that happens on a certain week a few times a year, but rather a lifestyle right a choice an active choice and mindset to say man. I want to be present. I want to pay attention like Blake talked about last week. I want to slow down enough to see the needs around me and see in need and then meet that need because that's what God's called me into right and so you have opportunities each and every day you have an opportunity today.

I don't know what that'll look like for you maybe sharing a meal with somebody. Maybe it's praying with somebody something simple goes a long way, right? And that actually is kind of the the theme of this series that we've been in today. We're wrapping up our fifth week of this series just kind of collection of teachings through some of the most influential and memorable Parables of Jesus and when we talk about Parables remember that The Parables themselves, Are simply stories that have a truth alongside them, right? Jesus would take an everyday picture an ordinary picture and he would use it to illustrate a story and then he would bring a truth alongside of that a truth about you and me a truth about our heavenly father truth about eternity a truth about how God sees us and how we interact with the world around us through the power that God has placed in us, right the very presence of The Parables themselves that Jesus teaches this way so often throughout Scripture shows us it teaches us it reminds us that God uses the ordinary and the everyday to bring us into extraordinary moments.

Jesus would use these ordinary stories and these ordinary pictures to teach an extraordinary truth. He uses ordinary in everyday conversations to bring us into extraordinary moments. That's why this past week has been so powerful. Right? I mean some of you you shared a prayer with somebody over a mill trunk or treat a clothes rack.

And that might have felt like a simple interaction. It might have like a simple Choice. It might have felt like a simple prayer and ordinary prayer, but I promise you it wasn't okay. It was much more than that. God will use those ordinary interactions and moments to do an extraordinary work.

And that's what we see in The Parables. And so before we jump into the parable itself that we're going to be talking about today in Luke chapter 15. What kind of do a little work? All right a little work to kind of set the stage what we see what we're talking about and really while we're talking about it today. So look at Luke chapter 15 start in verse 1 of that chapter Luke chapter 15 verse 1 says this now the tax collectors and sinners were all Drawing Near to him him being Jesus the tax collectors and sinners were all Drawing Near to Jesus and the Pharisees and scribes that grumbled saying this man receives Sinners and he eats with them.

So Jesus talk these Parables and so there's these two groups of people who are who are with Jesus in this moment. Right one. We see the tax collectors and sinners are being drawn to Jesus and I understand When Luke uses that phrase the tax collectors and sinners. Right. This isn't just kind of a blanket statement.

Right? Like this isn't just like oh man those Millennials that have tattoos and cuts right? Like that's not what Lucas saying because let me honestly. I got tattoos right you give me playing Mario Kart some things might slip out. I don't know but that's not what Brooks told me.

I couldn't say that. I'm sorry. I did it again. Um That's not what Lucas talking about here. Right?

There's something different to play. This is a this is a deeper thing and when Luke uses this phrase the tax collectors and sinners he is talking about the most rejected the most hated the most disgusting people in that culture. And in that Society these were you know, we like to picture these we like to talk about Jesus. All the time is as a God who spent time with the broken and the beat down and that's very true. But one of the things we don't talk about as often is the fact that Jesus also spent time with the people who were doing the beating and the breaking down.

That's who he was talking about here. That's the tax collectors in the Sinners the ones who are bringing about the Injustice in the world around them and they were in the very presence of the son of God. And the scribes and the Pharisees they were going to Grumble against him saying why does he let these people in? And understand the the Pharisees and the scribes before we like give them too much of a hard time and they got it wrong here. But know that these guys listen they would have done Church better than any of us could ever do it.

Okay. Well we talk about like a lot of a lot of conversation lately has been around the idea of Sabbath this conversation. I've had a whole lot, right? How do I develop this habit this discipline in my life? And I think that's a very important conversation you figure out you start talking about what does that look like for me to practice Sabbath these guys the Pharisees they would have counted their steps literally counted their steps to make sure they did not accidentally go too far into work on the Sabbath.

They listen how many of you have ever been trying to do one of those like I'm gonna read the Bible through a year, you know, you get started real good. I'm gonna do it. You know, this is the year finally gonna do it. Genesis feeling pretty good Exodus slow down a little bit, but still pretty cool. There's some fun stories in there.

You're picking up some new things and then you hit the brick wall of Leviticus. Done Right somebody tells you. Hey Deuteronomy, by the way, it's a second telling other levitation like I'm out done. Forget it John John's like 12 chapters. I'm going to read it.

These guys had it memorized Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy. They had it memorized. They knew it by heart. They knew everything there was to know about the law of God, except they didn't know the love of God. That they knew the words, but they didn't know the heart.

They had all the education they didn't have the experience. And so they grumbled and they complained and they fussed why would Jesus let these people in? And I listen I'll tell you this to. And and I think I think this is coming from a good place in my heart. Maybe it's not fully pure but I think it's a good place.

I love okay, I love To hear that complaint against you as a church I do. Man Venture, I don't know about man. They're inviting those people in they welcome those people. I don't know if that's true. I love it.

I love it. Here's why because from my perspective if they said it about Jesus then please let them say it about us. You know, I want to hear that. I want to I want to hear this man. How are they letting those people in yet?

Why because Jesus did it Jesus invited on me Jesus. Welcome to men it was as if he really meant whoever believes right then he tell us the love our enemies. Then he tell us that whoever believes regardless of their background regardless of their story regardless of their choices. Whoever believes can have eternal life. He lived it out and as he lived out and as he taught that message of Hope people were drawn into his presence people were drawn into that light of Hope and man.

I want the same to be said of us and true of us. And so the Pharisees and scribes are began to Grumble. So Jesus taught three parables in response to their complaining with these two different groups of people very different groups of people listening. He taught three Parables the parable of the lost sheep the parable of the lost coin and then the parable of the lost Sons because there's two of them. There's two sons in the story and each one of The Parables was designed to teach us about God's Compassionate Heart to the lost the hurting the broken it was designed to teach us about God's unending pursuit of those that are far from them.

So look at the story Luke chapter 15, we'll pick up in verse 11. Luke chapter 15 verse 11 and he said and Jesus said there was a man who had two sons. All right hot take right here. This is first and foremost a parable about a father. You see that in the language.

There was a man who had two sons. We talk a lot about the parable. We talk a lot about the prodigal son right in this story in this Parable because that's where we tend to see ourselves more than anything else and I want you to see yourself and I want you to find yourself in the story. I think that's why they're taught but more than anything else what I want you to see what I want you to experience. Is a father okay a gracious a generous a loving father who sees you not through your choices not through your mistakes, but through his love that's what we see in this parable.

Story about a father and he said there was a man who had two sons verse 12. And the younger of them said to his father father give me the share of my property that's coming to me. I want my inheritance. I want my my savings. I want my college fine.

Give me the the share of the property that's coming to me. And so the father divided his property between the two sons not many days later the youngest son gathered all that he had and he took a journey into a far country and there he squandered his property and Reckless living and when he had spent everything the unthinkable happened a severe famine arose in that country and he began to be in need. So he went out and he hired himself to one of the citizens of that country who sent him into the fields to feed the pigs and he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, but no one gave him anything. So son the younger son, he goes to his father. He says look, I want my inheritance.

Give me the third that's coming to me in that culture. I want mine inheritance and he takes the inheritance and he moves into a far country where he does the foolish, right? We know that we know that story We recognizing and oftentimes If we're honest we see ourselves in that story, right he takes and it goes and he lives the foolish Reckless life and he finds himself completely broken and destitute but here's the thing. I don't think the son intended to live a foolish life. I don't think that was what he was going for.

I think what he was going for was freedom. And the reason I think that is because man, that's so many of our stories right? We've been there we've lived this out. We're looking for a sense of freedom. And where's the first place we go to find Freedom?

The lack of accountability, right? This is the 18 year old. I can't wait to get out of your house. I'm gonna do things my way. Right?

We think that's where freedom is found. But listen to me, that's not it right. The lack of accountability does not bring about Freedom. It is a false sense of Freedom. If you've ever been on the other side of that pursuiter that choice you understand this that a lack of accountability does not bring freedom.

That is what brings foolishness. A lack of accountability that false sense of Freedom. That's where we fall into that foolish and Reckless lifestyle because we're not free from our own Pursuits. We end up enslaved to our own desires. This is what James said, right?

James says that each person is lured and enticed by his own desires. And when desire is conceived it gives birth to sin and sin when it is a full grown brings forth death. To your joy Death to Your hope Death to Your Dreams death to your marriage death to your relationships. Because an unguarded desire was pursued. There's a there's a difficult truth.

It's difficult for me. Honestly to wrap my head around but I know it to be true and I know it's the Romans chapter 1 lays us out really well for us. And it tells us that in God's love and in God's justice and in God's judgment, sometimes that he will turn us over to our own desires. That like the father in the story, right? The father did not have to let the sun go we understand that he could have said no he could have said absolutely not he could have sent him back into the fields to work.

But he allowed his son to run and in the same way if we want to run God will allow us to run in his love. He say man. I don't know that sounds like a really weird thing to to describe love with but hear me out on this, okay? When you think about love in your life you think about relationships? Somebody told me this the other day.

I think there's a lot of Truth in this. That love is only as deep as the freedom that it's found in. Love requires a choice, right? And so God in his love allows us to choose to run if we desire that. Because in our desires, you know this you've been there you felt this oftentimes.

We have to taste our desires to understand they will not bring the satisfaction We crave right? And now that understand doesn't sound a lot like love except for the fact that God does not abandon us there. God doesn't abandon you and your choices God doesn't abandon you in your running and you're fleeing in your Pursuit and you're unguarded desires. He doesn't abandon you there. But rather as we run and we grow weary of that God awakens in our hearts the hope that he alone provides As Romans chapter 8 right that while he might abandon that while he might allow us to run he does not abandon us but rather he'll awakens us to hope the hope that he alone provides that's what happens with the sun, right, you know the story if you've heard it before verse 17, but the son who had found himself broken and destitute with the pigs longing to eat the food that the pigs were eating but when he came to himself He said how many of my father is hired servants have more than enough bread.

But I perish here with Hunger. I will rise and I'll go to my father and I'll say to him father. I'll send against heaven. And before you I'm no longer worthy to be called your son treat me as one of your hired servants and so he arose and he went to his father. But while he was still a long way off his father saw and he felt compassion.

There's the Compassionate Heart Of God, he saw him and he felt compassion and he ran and he embraced him and he kissed his son. And the son said to him father I've sinned against heaven. And before you I'm no longer worthy to be called your son, but the father is if he heard nothing from his son, but the father said to his servant bring quickly the best robe and put it on him put a ring on his hand his shoes on his feet understand what the father's doing here. He's restoring his son's dignity with the road right cover him up. I'm restoring his dignity.

He's restoring his son's Authority by putting the ring on his finger. It would have been a family crest a family seal. He's saying no, he's in the family He's Mine He's restoring his sonship with the shoes the servants. They might not have had shoes but his son would He's restoring his son in this moment. Verse 23 and bring the fat and calf and kill it and let us eat and celebrate for this.

My son was dead and it's alive again. He was lost and is found and they began to celebrate. Listen, I cannot I don't think I can I can emphasize this enough. Man, if you have been in a place of running, okay, if you've taken what you could and you've chased after those desires and maybe for a season it's tasted sweet. Son had fun.

He had some parties and he lived it up. It wasn't always broken and bad. He had some fun with it. But then what he couldn't prepare for beat him down. What his father knew what happened that he had?

No clue what happened finally called up to him and he found himself broken and if that's you if you've been running. And if you've been chasing after an unguarded way these desires listen to me, you don't have to stay there. I don't know. What's kept you there with the pigs. Maybe it's embarrassment.

Maybe a shame. Maybe it's regret. I don't know. But what I want you to see what I want you to understand what I want you to experience in the story is you don't have to stay there and you got to follow that's waiting for you to come back home. Right?

I I think for a lot of us, we haven't figured out how to change those patterns. We haven't figured out how to change those stories because we're still busy trying to write our apology letter, right? That's what the sun does. We all do this right you get a bad report card. You're late for work.

You start working up your stories. Right? Well, I lost my homework. I spent coffee on my pants. Whatever.

The Sun starts working up his story what he's gonna tell to his father and he gets to his father. And what does his father do he wants to hear? None of it? He don't even let him finish the story. He doesn't even let him finish his apology.

You're still trying to figure out how to change those patterns and get back to God by writing that apology letter. Listen. Here's the good news. God don't want to hear it anyways. He doesn't need you to read the apology letter.

He's just waiting on you. He's waiting on your presence. He's waiting on you to return. And what I want you to see what I want you to experience what I want you to know personally. Is the love of a generous father in the story towards you?

But we see that he is generous one. We see that he's dinners with his grace. Right? Do you see what happened with his father how he interacted back in in verse 20 the sun was was coming back to to give his rehearse story and the father goes running after him. And what's the first thing he does?

Let me hear your story. All right. I'll wait for you to apologize. No. No, he goes running towards his son and he Embraces him and he kisses him.

He kisses his son before he could ever offer any confession before he could ever offer any apology the father wraps him in his arms before he could ever wash the pigs think off of him. He raps him in his arms, and he kisses him. Because it's love and his grace is generous and it's supersedes any choice any flaw any failure any shame in regret that you could bring to the conversation? Look, we don't change. I hope you understand this like that that we don't change our patterns.

We don't change our choices. We don't change our Direction so that God will forgive us. Now we're brought into a place of change because our father forgives us. Like the sun knew. He knew that his father was gracious.

He didn't understand the extent of the grace, but he knew he'd be better in his father's presence and so he went home. And he found an abundant and generous Grace. The father is generous with his joy. I love this is incredibly ironic to me. But I love the fact that the son who just wasted a third of his father's property with a party lifestyle comes home to a party.

That's it. You just wasted all of that. But you know what? I'm gonna spend more money. I'm a celebrate.

You know, why cuz I love you. In my joy is overflowing that you're home. He throws the party to celebrate not the son's choices not the son's lifestyle, but he throws a party to celebrate that his son is home. But his son is returned. You remember the two weeks ago.

I think we talked about the parable of the talents Matthew chapter 25. And what the master say to well done my good and faithful servant. You've been Faithful over a little so I'll put you over much. Enter into my joy. You realize that when God is inviting you into joy and to Celebration.

I mean, how much joy have we missed out on in life how much celebration have we missed out on in life? Because we view God as placing a burden on top of us. No. Oh. And he wants to invite us into the joy and into the celebration.

He's generous is the last idea. He's generous with his presence as well. He goes running to a son, right? But that's not the only place we see that. His presence the generosity with his presence.

I told you there's a second son, right? There's three characters in the story. Look at verse 25. We pick up the Second Son the older son story. It says now his older son was in the field and as it came and he drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing by the way how hard you got to be parting to hear dancing?

You know, I'm saying like these dudes. They throwing down like this is a party party. So, okay. It came near to the house and he heard the music and dancing verse 26 and he called one of the servants and he asked him. What are these things mean?

But he said to him the servant said to the brother, your brother has come and your father has killed the fat and calf because he's received him back safe and sound but he was angry and he refused to go in. So what the father do his father went out and treated him. He begged him. Please come inside. But he answered he answered his father.

Look these many years. I have served you and I've never disobeyed your command yet. You've never given me a young goat that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came who's devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fat and calf for him. It's a weird value system.

I get it verse 31 and he said to him son. This is my favorite line in this whole parable. He said damn son. You are always with me. All that is mine is yours.

And if you don't understand what the father's saying to a son right there, let me let me give you another. Another phrase He said all that is mine is yours. Here's what the father say. Hey, why don't you stop complaining about what you don't have and start claiming what I've already given you you're looking at this person. You're looking at that part of you're looking at that picture you're looking at that video and that family and that house and you're complaining about what you think.

You don't have so much. It's you're not able to claim what I've already placed in front of you. The son said you've given him the calf. All I wanted was a goat weird value system. I get it, but we only try to pick up what we feel like we're worthy of right?

He said I he said you don't even think I'm worthy of that and his father said no, you've missed it. You've missed it entirely. You're worth it all I've given it all to you already. Just pick it up and claim it. You can have the party you can have the goat you can have the cow.

Whatever is yours. All that is mine is yours. And yet we spend so much time complaining and whining and grumbling about what we think we don't have we've completely missed. All that we do have That in Christ, every spiritual blessing has been given to us the joy the celebration the hope the grace the blessing the mercy, it's all been given already. We just got to pick it up.

Now here's the plot twist of this whole story, okay? If you go back and look at verse 28. The sun's response. It says that he was angry. He was angry at his dad.

He was angry at his brother. He was angry at this party. He was angry and he refused to go in. He said absolutely not not going in the house. And what does the father do?

Says that the father went to him. And he treated him he begged him. Now we know we talked a lot about the younger son. Right and how the father responds to the younger son. He sees the younger son coming from a long way off and he goes running after him.

Right the father leaves his body goes running after to the younger son. But what happens with the older son he gets mad. He says I'm staying right here in the field. I'm not moving on. What's the father do?

Goes to a son. He moves to a son. Here's the plot twist. Whether you are willing to move or not. God's moving to you whether you are running you are refusing God's moving to you.

Whether you are choosing to stay in the mess with the pigs or you're choosing to stay in the fields where you see yourself as a servant God's moving to you. As a son as a daughter. He's inviting you in to the Celebration. He's inviting you into the joy. He's moving and he's inviting.

And that's always true. And so look here's what we're about to do. Okay, we're about to step into a moment of response and worship across all of our campus across all of our campuses. Our teams are about to come they're gonna lead us in a time of worship. They're gonna lead us in a time of response.

Here's what I want you to know. Here's what I want you to experience in this moment. Regardless of your choices regardless of your background regardless of your present state you have a father who is actively moving towards you. And inviting you in is inviting you in the question is are you going to step into the celebration or not? And so maybe right maybe for you men as we worship maybe for you what that looks like is just right there where you are all in worshiping God praising God given him glory because you know, he is celebrating you as a child.

Maybe it means getting on your face at the altar. Let me spending some time at the cross and pray asking God to forgive you of your choices man. Asking God to soften your heart. Accepting the invitation to move into his presence and into the celebration. It mean spending some time taking Lord's Supper in communion and Thanksgiving and Remembrance to what he's done the way the fact that he's made away for you by the cross.

Maybe you just need one of our prayer team members to put a hand on your shoulder and pray for you. This is your chance. This is your time God's moving God's moving to you. That's the promise of Scripture. Will you come into the joy in the celebration?

Let me pray for us and then we're gonna worship. Or we come before you got I thank you. That you have not abandoned us in our running. In our refusing whatever choices we've made. Maybe we've tasted the fact that those desires don't bring satisfaction.

You haven't given us up. But I pray that you will awaken and our hearts the hope that that only you provide God that you will give us the strength the courage to lay those things down. And step into your joy I pray that you'll guide us that you will move and that you'll be glorified. All things we ask in your name. Hey.