Jump Start # 2186

Luke 15:13 “And not many days later, the younger son gather everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.”

Our verse today comes from the powerful parable we call the Prodigal Son. This parable isn’t about a bad boy who became good, it is about the compassion, forgiveness and grace of the father. Without the father, there is no story here. I love this parable. I have a bunch of sermons on this. I have collected dozens of books just on this one topic. It’s our story. Throughout our lives we have stood with the prodigal. There are occasions when we get to stand with the father. Hopefully, through this parable we’ve learned never to be in the shadows of the older brother, but often we are. The forgiven sometimes have a hard time forgiving others.

We must remember that this is a parable and the central thought is the forgiveness of God. This parable answers the accusation of why Jesus received sinners and eats with them. That’s what God does. It is the sick who need the physician. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. The Pharisees, like the older brother in this story, were lost, but they just never realized it. The sinners did.

Our verse today begins, “And not many days later.” The prodigal has received his share of the inheritance. The money was in his hands. He didn’t leave as soon as the coins hit his hands. Not many days later. He stuck around, got his things together and worked out his plans in his mind. Not many days later, he was thinking. His heart was already in the far country. He was spending his wealth in his mind. All the fun he was going to have. The more the days came and went, the more excited he became about leaving. This parable doesn’t have the feel of a young man going off to war. He looks around his room one last time, pets his dog one last time, and takes a long, long look into the eyes of his parents before he must leave. The soldier leaves knowing that he may not come back, even though thoughts of home will be kept dear in his heart. No, for the prodigal it was different. He couldn’t wait to shake home off of his feet. No looking back. No dreading leaving. No, for the prodigal it was get me out of this place as fast as I can and I hope I never see it again. His leaving was his choice. His leaving was rebellion. His leaving was shaking off the rules, lifestyle, faith of dear ole’ dad. He was done with that and he wasn’t coming back to that. Sadly, for far too many young college students, away from home, this is the same road that they take. Seeing things that they’ve never seen before, free to do as they please, God is left in a box, along with their Bible, and fun, sin and irresponsibility seems to be what many major in for a semester. They come home from college at Christmas break changed and too often, not for the better. A semester of reckless and loose living has changed them and a semester without worship, prayer and God, was all it took for them to turn their backs on God. Drinking alcohol, partying hard, sleeping in on Sunday morning becomes a regular routine. They soon meet someone that enjoys doing that as well. Friendship turns into love and soon the thoughts of marriage roll around. And, mom and dad, back home, are witnessing the death of all that they stood for and all that mattered to them.

In Jesus’ story of the prodigal, the father represents God. Using that image, the prodigal and his big brother, had the best parent. They had God. No one could say that God was dysfunctional. The rules were not too strict. God was not out of touch. God was not neglectful. God did not have a favorite among the boys. That’s our homes. Those are things we struggle with. But not God. He is the perfect parent. He is flawless, holy and righteous. When the prodigal returned, the father never apologized. He had done nothing wrong. He didn’t promise to change so the prodigal would never leave again. You can’t improve upon perfection. God is perfect.

So, in that setting, the prodigal still left. The perfect home had a prodigal. The perfect home had a judgmental, jealous older son who never counted his blessings. The perfect home was a sad home. Can you imagine dinner time with those two brothers? One couldn’t stand the other and the prodigal didn’t even want to be there. The perfect home didn’t look very perfect. The perfect home was troubled. Should God have done more? Did He fail these boys at an earlier age? Was He too busy for them?

Even with God as a father, there was a prodigal. No fingers in this parable are pointed to the father. The father did nothing wrong. The blame falls to the attitudes and choices that those boys made.

Now, our homes will never be perfect. They can’t be as long as we are a part of them. We are not perfect. But there are many good, godly homes that suffer with prodigals and judgmental and jealous grown children. Parents have taken their children to worship. They have been amazing examples of faithfulness, service and devotion to God. They have prayed together as a family. They have talked often about the Lord and His word. God has been an active part of these homes, yet still, there is a prodigal. Parents feel guilty. What should we have done differently? They are ashamed. They beat themselves up with guilt. They look at other families and wonder why their home has the prodigal and others do not. Where did we fail, is a constant burden that these parents carry in their hearts.

Sometimes, the blame does fall upon parents who expected the church to raise their child morally. They did very little and that’s the exact results that they received, very little. Sometimes the congregation is the problem. The children grow up see dysfunctional Pharisees shoot their own wounded and that has left an ugly impression upon them. They want no part of that. But, then, sometimes the blame rests upon no one but the child. As in our parable, the prodigal chose to leave. His heart wasn’t right. The father couldn’t have done any more. And, for some of our children, that’s their path. There is no blame at home. There is no blame with the congregation. A child is pulled by the far country. He yearns for the taste of sin. First chance he gets, and it is often in college, he breaks free. He’s done. He’s gone. Life in the far country is what he wants. Broken hearted godly parents cry at home. They pray for their child. They seem to care more for his soul than he does. They talk, but he won’t listen. They plead, but he ignores them and changes the subject.

They must now stand in the shadow of the father. They long for the spiritual return of their prodigal. They look. They pray. They must be ready to celebrate. No time for sermons, lectures, or details of wrong doings. The return is a time for rejoicing. Patience and love are the key here.

Others in the congregation often stand with the older brother. They feel the parents of the prodigal didn’t do enough. They talk. They whisper. They judge. They assume. They don’t know. They only further hurt the broken hearts of these godly parents. What they need is not more guilt, but compassion. What they need is not more fingers pointing to them, but hugs and tears. What they need is not lessons about where they failed, but hope, grace and prayers for the prodigal to return.

The perfect home, had two very imperfect sons. Maybe we can learn something from that.

Roger

Jump Start # 1262

Luke 15:13 “And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.”

Oh, the prodigal son. I never tire hearing this story. I have a whole collection of books devoted to this parable. I’m in the midst of a new book now. The story is rich with layers of lessons. We have a Jump Start book devoted to the prodigal son, so I will not spend much time writing about the background or the multiple lessons. There is one thought today—”there he squandered…”

The word for squandered or waste comes from farmers who would glean the wheat. They would toss the wheat up into the air, the wind would blow the chaff away and the heavier grain would fall into their baskets. The blowing chaff is the idea here. We use the expression, “He blew it,” and that’s so true. He let opportunity and resources fall through his fingers. He literally threw his life away.

What struck me about all of this was the drastic contrasts between the father and this wasteful son. The father had earned this wealth. He had protected it, grew it and it became something of value. The father was careful. The father was prudent. The father was responsible. It was his, given to him by God. The wealth represented years of labor. It was his life. Another interesting word illustrates this. The context of Luke 15 says that the father divided “his living” between the two sons. The word “living” is bios, the Greek word for life. We get our word “biology,” “biography”, words about life, from this word. The father literally handed over years of his life. He gave decades to his sons.

In contrast to the dedicated years of building up an estate, the younger son, who did not have the vested time, concern or interest in these things, threw it all way in a short time. It didn’t take the prodigal very long to fly through the years of money that the father had earned and saved up. The prodigal didn’t honor what his father had provided for him. He didn’t care. He misused it. He wasted it. He burned through it.

There is lessons here beyond just the obvious. The obvious, of course, is the sinful choices that led to the nightmare that crushed the prodigals dreams. His choices ruined the wealth, the reputation and the opportunities that were given to him. He was foolish, unwise and sinful. He ends up wanting to eat what the pigs were eating. Desperate, lonely and hopeless became his three constant companions. His only thought was returning to the one he ran away from. The only one who would help him was the one he turned his back on. The lesson is about the forgiving grace of God. The sinner is welcomed back home by our loving Father.

We should never tire of this story. It is our story. It is the reason for the cross. It is the hope of Heaven. It is the grace of God illustrated. That is the lesson of the prodigal.

But another layer, is the contrast between one generation and the next. One generation carefully maintains and saves things and the next generation wants to toss out those very things. We see this first in just material items. My generation is facing dealing with aging parents and family members. Many of them were pack rats. They saved. They saved papers. They saved articles. They saved bulletins. They saved and saved. Nightstands are stuffed full of stuff. These things were important to them. Along we come and we do not have the same feelings toward those things. Many of those things are about people we do not even know. The task becomes ours someday to go through it all and decide what to keep and what to toss. Most gets tossed. My kids will have to do that with my stuff someday. I have notebooks, covering more than three and half decades of church bulletins that I have written. I have file cabinets, a lot of file cabinets, that are already stuffed with sermons, articles and things I have felt were worth saving. These things have helped me. Someday my kids will have the lovely job of deciding what to keep and what to toss. Most will be tossed.

Greater than all of this, is the great spiritual contrasts between generations. This comes out very plainly in the study of church history in general, and in the history of specific congregations. Forefathers sacrificed greatly to get a congregation established. They literally poured hours into that effort. Many donated land and labor and supplies to put up a simple place to meet and worship. Those early saints did all that they could to hold things together. They were small and struggled. Every dollar was carefully spent. That little church grew and grew. In time, a larger church building was built. More people. More money. Decades later, some come along and they do not have the time, interest, devotion into the place as some of the early folks did. The call for change takes place. Some of the changes may not be necessary. Some may even be wrong. People without that dedication to the principles of God force changes. The good and the purpose seems to be wasted. Years of standing with God seems to be tossed out. New and bigger becomes the theme. Happy replaces holy. Contemporary and casual trump reverence. The place just doesn’t look the same any more. This is how congregations have shifted doctrinally through the years. This is how congregations have lost their identity and purpose through the years. What it took years and years to establish and build, can be thrown away in a short time.

In many places there is a sharp discord between the younger generation and the older generation. The older generation fears technology and change. The younger generation groans at tradition. As the older generation passes away, the younger voices outnumber the older ones. They generally get their wishes. In some ways there is nothing to fear. But in other ways, some may be throwing away “life.”

What is the answer? For some, impatience leads to dividing up the congregation. A split takes place. It generally falls down family and generational lines. That’s not the best move. Open discussion is the key. Appreciation for what has been done in the past and the hopes of keeping those godly principles in the future. Working together for the common good of God. Not tossing out things that are treasured. I was walking through the hallway of a hospital the other day. There was an wooden display case filled with old medical items. It was more than a museum piece, it was honoring those early doctors and nurses and staff that made it possible for that hospital to still be in business today. The past and the future intersected. As a church looks forward, it cannot forget those who helped them stay the course with God. Isn’t this what Hebrews 11 reminds us of? Those great heroes of faith that remind us, instruct us, and are examples for us, as we live in a modern world.

Some things in the past cannot be tossed, not if we want to continue walking with God. The beginning of a new year makes us reflect upon those who have passed away recently. Their lives helped us and shaped us in many, many ways. The pitiful prodigal never understood most of this. He simply wanted to run from the past and who he was. It was his father’s past that made it possible for him even to have an inheritance. Remembering who we are, where we came from, and what others have done for us to make it possible for us to worship God are valuable lessons.

Do you know your congregations history? You ought to find out. Do you know your family’s religious history? You ought to find that out as well. Great lessons. Great sacrifices. Some things to treasure and keep.

Roger

Jump Start # 876

Luke 15:13 “Not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.”

This week we are taking a closer look at the parable of the Prodigal son. That phrase, “prodigal son,” is not actually used in this text but the concept certainly is. It carries the idea of reckless and irresponsible living without any thought about the consequences or the future. It is commonly used of someone who has failed and came back to what is right.

Our passage today tells us many things. The prodigal had already demanded his share of his father’s estate. The father gave the prodigal his share. With money in his pocket he now has a means to fulfill all of his dreams. So much good could have been accomplished. He could have bought some property, started a business, invested it. It must have taken his father a life time to earn the estate. Instead, as our passage states it, “he squandered his estate with loose living.”

Long before the prodigal ever took that first step out of the house, the call of the far country appealed to him. The far country was much more than a country boy going to the big city. It was more than moving away from where you were born. For the younger son, it represented freedom. Away from dad and his rules. No more anyone telling me anything. It was an opportunity to do wrong, which he wasn’t allowed to at home. It was an opportunity to become vulgar, obscene and immoral. It appears as fun, but is actually nothing more than sin.

There is a sense in which the far country calls to each of us. For those away from home for the first time, especially college students, it is the opportunity to do things that they would never do at home. The far country calls those who are weary and tired of always serving. It calls those who are weak and have had a taste of the far country before. The thirst for alcohol, the lust for passion, the thrill of doing the illegal, the fast life, the hard life, the night life calls many people. Living like a rock star. Living only to self. Living like a fool.

There is more than just a call to the far country, there is also a dissatisfaction with home. Home can actually be home. It can also be the rules that we live by. It can represent our faith, our church, our family. Bored with being a house wife. Getting nothing out of church services. Dull marriages. Tied to a job that has no satisfaction. Nothing to challenge you. Same ole’ same ole’, over and over. Stuck. In a rut. Life going by without really living. The mind complains. Then the mind begins to explore ideas and fantasies. Then the mind starts to think of options. Loose living doesn’t seem all that bad. It’s better to have some fun than be stuck, the mind thinks. Before long, the far country seems very appealing. We start thinking of how we can do it. We start justifying why we have to do it. Before like, like the prodigal, we are ready to head out the door.

The heart of the prodigal was already in the far country when he asked his father for the inheritance. He had already thought about it. He was already gone in his mind. There was no staying around that place.

The same works with us. Before a man or woman moves out of a marriage, they have thought about it over and over. The mind, not governed by God, will take you to the far country. The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life has an appeal. You’ll remember, when Jesus was tempted, Satan didn’t tell Jesus to eat rocks. Rather, turn these stones into bread. Hot, buttery bread. Soft biscuits. The smell. The look. Before long, those plain, ugly rocks looked more and more like bread. That’s the far country. It doesn’t want you to see consequences, pain that it will cause others, or the trouble it may bring you. Think of the fun. Think of the freedom. Think of you. The far country tells you that you deserve it. You are under appreciated. You are not respected. No one cares for you. The far country calls you at night. It calls you when you are alone. It calls you when you’ve had a bad day. It calls you when you are driving home from work. It’s persistent. It’s loud. Once it gets in your head, it’s hard to get it out.

Our passage begins with, “not many days later…” It didn’t take the prodigal long to go. He wasn’t on the fence with his decision when he asked for his share. He already knew. His plans were thought out. This was “premeditated.” He was gone soon after he had the means.

Is there anything to do to stop the call of the far country? Are we destined to lose our young people to the far country? Like the Amish, should we just allow them to go to the world at a certain age? I, for one, do not accept that. I do not agree that nothing can be done. I do not believe that we must cave in to the far country nor that the far country always wins. Understand, the far country is not just about young people, it calls all of us. All ages. All walks of life.

Here are some thoughts:

1. The core values of right and wrong must be believed. If we just go through the motions of church, faith and godliness, then the far country will grab us by our ankles and take us for a spin. Talking about our values. Practicing what we preach. Grasping why right is right and wrong is wrong. Seeing beyond glitter and sparkle of sin to what sin does. The lost job, the divorce, the ruined reputation, the night in the jail, the withdraw letter from the church, the kicking out of the home, the lost savings, the guilt, the shame, the embarrassment, the displeasure with God, the wrath of God—these are all truths that must be seen. The Bible speaks of them. Do not look upon the wine as it sparkles in the cup, Proverbs warns us. Don’t listen to the far country. The young man walking down the street greeted by a harlot, as another Proverb presents is nothing more than the far country. The call of the far country is defeated by the call of God. The call of the Gospel must be louder and stronger than the call of sin. Teach these things. Show the folly of sin. Show the waste. Emphasize the goodness of God and all that God stands for. God knows what He is talking about.

2. There must be a deep satisfaction at home. If someone has steak at home, they will not go out for hamburger. Unrest, not content, unhappy are the cords that the far country plays in our minds. Unhappy marriages. Well, stay miserable, or, start dreaming of immoral encounters, or best yet, make your marriage satisfying. Put the romance back in it. Have a real date. Write notes. Buy flowers. Most people do not stay miserable long. They will do things to find happiness.

What about church? Do what you can to make it challenging, God centered and meaningful. Don’t wait for the preacher or the leaders to start. They may never do that. You have people in your home. You have a Bible study that is enriching and fulfilling. You go to your closet as Jesus said and pray. You go visit someone. You offer to teach a class. You are responsible for your faith, not the church. You are responsible for keeping it alive and passionate, not your preacher. What you do on a Tuesday is as vital as what you do on Sunday morning.

Not every young person going off to college will succumb to binge drinking. Not every church member in a small congregation is dead. Not every person married to a handicapped person feels trapped or stuck. No. Those folks have learned what is right and how to make things meaningful and good.

The far country, it’s calling. It’s message is on TV, radio and in magazines. It speaks during commercials and through songs. It’s speaking to you. It’s telling you that you will never be happy until you leave. It says, you must go. Leave the marriage, the church, the job, the responsibilities, the faith. Leave. The Gospel message is different. Do you hear it? Have you turned down the volume on it? Have you grown weary of hearing it?

Who are you listening to? The far country or the Gospel message? The one that speaks the loudest to you is the one that you will follow. The prodigal left because he wasn’t satisfied at home. Many are following his same steps today. Many will make the same mistakes he made. How about you? What about you?

Roger

Jump Start # 388 

Luke 15:13 “And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.”

  The prodigal son—what a great story of Jesus. One that is familiar to us and one that we know too well from personal experience. There are many interesting facets of this parable: the reason why Jesus told this; the attitude of the prodigal; the older brother who was lost at home; the loving father who mirrors our Father in Heaven.

  Today, I want to focus upon just one aspect, the call of the far country. It was that distant country in the mind and heart of the prodigal that led him to approach his father about his inheritance, insulting as it was, since the father was still alive. There is something about that far country. The idea of adventure, excitement, thrills and mostly living without the restrictions and rules of the father. It meant doing what I finally want to do. It meant the rejection of the way he was brought up. The far country tugged on his heart for a long time. I don’t see this as being an impulsive whim but something that the prodigal thought and thought about for a long time. Finally he mustered up the courage to approach his father. Finally, he was going to set out and go.

  In Jesus’ story the far country was more than the dreams of a young man. We all have them. They are what motivate us through college and those early jobs. The dream of owning a house is what people in apartments think about. More space, your own yard, buying instead of renting. The dream of a decent full time job instead of sacking groceries. The dream of being married. We all have dreams. This is not what Jesus has in mind.

  The far country or the “distant land” (NAS) was far from the way he was raised. It involved the immoral and the wrong. It is the sinful. There is an attraction and a pull. Sin does that to a person. The thrill of wrong. The excitement of sin. The appeal of doing what you can’t do tugs on many hearts. The book of Proverbs tells us not to envy the evil doer. Hollywood does that. There are not very many movies about decent people just living each day with the Lord. But the bank robbers, the kidnappers, the wicked, they are glamorized in the movies.

  The prodigal had been thinking about the far country for some time. He wanted to go. It began with a thought. Then those thoughts conquered what he knew was right and wrong. He fed those thoughts and kept them alive. He planned. The thought. He calculated. He was in the far country a long time before he ever approached his father. And that is the thought we need to consider.

  Most marriages do not simply crash at a moment. One in the marriage has been thinking, and for a long time, about getting out. Just as the prodigal had thought and thought and in his mind he was already there, so it happens in marriages. The thought of leaving is fed and built upon. The person sees it, thinks it, until one day, they announce, I’m leaving.

  The same concept happens within a church. Rarely does someone just decide to quit attending and quit walking with the Lord. It’s gradual. It’s a downward slippery slope. It begins by feeling disconnected to everyone else. Mistakes of others are highlighted. Misery is fed. The person starts thinking that there is nothing to church services. Those feelings accelerate until one Sunday the person decides no longer to come. Guilt bothers them for a bit. They do it again, and again. And before long, they simply do not “believe the way the rest of you do.”

  Three parallels here: a prodigal who ran from home; an unhappy mate that leaves a marriage and a discouraged Christian who leaves the church and God.

• All of these began with thinking about leaving. All knew it was wrong but the far country called them and pulled on their hearts.

• Instead of defeating those thoughts, they fed them. They grew them. They could see this being a reality.

• Finally, they got the nerve to act upon them.

The far country still calls. What is a person to do. First, quit dwelling upon it. The far country means throwing away everything that you believe in and everything that is right and good. Fed your faith, not your doubts. Dwell upon what is right. Paul told the Philippians to let them minds dwell upon that which is good, pure and right (4:8). The Colossians were told to set their minds on things above (Col 2). Could it be that we are our own worse enemy.

  The story of the prodigal tells us how wrong his thinking was. He wasted everything. He didn’t think about famines. His friends left when the money left and in the end the only one he could count on was his father. Life at home was far better than life with pigs. His dreams became a nightmare. Ruined, shamed and guilty were not the experiences he anticipated.

  Nothing can be better than God’s way! Nothing.

Got some far country stirring around in your heart? Be careful. It’s not good. You know better. You know what’s right. Time to get back to feeding your faith. God has always been good to you. He has treated you better than you deserve. The far country makes us only think of self. How happy I will be…how much I deserve this…how it’s time for me to do what I want to do. Dumb thinking. Satan talk. Stick with the Lord, that’s the answer.

  Roger