Participants:
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR001850A
|
00:01 The story of the three prodigals
00:02 tells us that God's grace is greater than all our sins. 00:06 You may feel that God doesn't care, 00:08 and you are a long way from home. 00:10 But the Father is looking down the road 00:12 waiting for you. 00:13 Today's topic, 00:15 "Grace abounding, and the three prodigals" 00:17 will warm your heart and put a smile on your face. 00:28 Welcome back. 00:30 Today we're talking about the three prodigals. 00:33 Who on earth are the three prodigals. 00:35 Well, before we start with the three prodigals, 00:37 we're going to have a little preamble. 00:38 We're going to talk about the lost coin, 00:40 which is found in Luke 15:8-10. 00:44 This is a continuation 00:45 of the last part of the program. 00:47 Luke 15:8-10. 00:49 We talked about the lost sheep, 00:51 now we're talking about the lost coin, 00:53 "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, 00:57 if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, 01:00 sweep the house, 01:02 and search carefully, diligently, until she finds it? 01:05 And when she has found it, 01:07 she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 01:10 'Rejoice with me, 01:11 I have found the piece which I lost!' 01:14 Likewise, I say to you..." 01:17 Just get it, would you? 01:18 "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God 01:22 over one sinner who repents." 01:23 This is quite astounding. 01:27 God even gets happy, 01:29 and there's a party going on in heaven 01:32 when the lost coin is found. 01:35 Now the lost sheep, 01:38 it was lost through its own fault. 01:41 When it was lost, it knew it was lost. 01:45 Ah, this is different. 01:50 How can the lost coin know anything? 01:52 The lost coin doesn't know a thing. 01:54 The lost coin is lost, 01:56 but doesn't know it. 01:57 It's lost, 01:59 but it's not its own fault, 02:01 it's through the fault of somebody else. 02:03 And it's lost, 02:04 I would like you to notice, in the house of God. 02:09 A lot of people lost in the house of God. 02:12 Want to tell you, folk, something, 02:13 I was lost in the house of God. 02:16 When I was a boy growing up in Australia, 02:19 I was taken to church for one main reason, 02:22 my mother was a lot bigger than I was. 02:27 She took me by the ear. 02:29 I went to church. Did I like church? 02:31 I hated church. 02:34 I was lost in the church. 02:38 And then a young man, a little bit older than I was, 02:42 took care of me. 02:43 His name is Tom Ludovisi. 02:45 He said, "John Carter is a lost coin. 02:47 He's lost, he doesn't know he's lost, 02:51 and he's lost in the church, 02:54 and he came seeking for me." 02:58 The Bible tells us in this wonderful story 03:01 that they've got a little woman that represents the church, 03:04 she lights a candle, 03:06 turns on the Word of God, that's the candle. 03:09 And she searches, 03:10 and at last is a happy thing that happens, 03:15 the coin is found. 03:17 And the Bible says, 03:19 "The God and the angels are rejoicing," 03:21 verse 10 says that, 03:22 "It's joy in the presence of the angels of God 03:26 over one sinner who repents." 03:29 So apparently when you talk about religious people, 03:33 God is not a Pharisee. 03:36 Now, God is not religious 03:37 as we think of the term religious. 03:39 Now we come, here it is. 03:41 You've been waiting for half an hour. 03:43 Here we come to the three prodigals. 03:46 Remember, 03:47 prodigal means wastefully or recklessly extravagant. 03:52 Remember Mary with the nard, 03:56 a pound of it worth at least $50,000, $100,000 04:00 and she pours it out. 04:02 All the disciples say, "Why this waste?" 04:06 Look at Luke 15:11, 12, please in the scriptures. 04:12 I'm going to turn over here 04:14 to Luke 15:11, 12. 04:20 Now we come to the three prodigals, 04:23 you've got it now. 04:25 "Then He said, 04:27 'A certain manner had two sons. 04:30 And the younger of them said to his father, 04:32 'Father, give me, give me, give me, 04:36 give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' 04:39 So he divided to them his livelihood.'" 04:43 I don't have a lot of sympathy for this young guy. 04:47 He sort of a bit of a waster. 04:50 He's young, that doesn't make it bad, 04:52 but he's selfish and ungrateful. 04:55 He represents the human heart without the grace of God. 05:00 Jesus said, "It's more blessed to give than to receive." 05:04 But he believes 05:05 it's more blessed to receive than to give. 05:09 Any soul, he says, "Give me, give me, give me, " 05:16 is a very selfish, obnoxious young man. 05:21 He wants his share of the inheritance 05:24 before the old man is dead. 05:28 And at this stage in my life that makes me really annoyed. 05:36 Now I want you to notice this, this young man is lost. 05:40 People say, "No, no, nobody is lost, 05:42 everybody is saved 05:44 because Jesus died for everybody, 05:47 everybody is saved until they reject salvation." 05:51 I think that's a lot of phony baloney. 05:54 Pardon my French. 05:56 And now he's lost. And listen to this. 05:59 I'm going to put it up here on the screen. 06:02 We're not naturally saved, 06:04 we're not born in a saved condition. 06:06 If we were, Jesus will not have said, 06:09 you've got to be born again. 06:11 So Jesus said, you got to be born again. 06:13 Okay, look at this. It's not saved until we reject. 06:17 People think this, 06:19 especially here in Southern California. 06:21 We're all saved because Jesus died for all, 06:24 we're all saved until we reject. 06:28 That's not what the Bible teaches. 06:30 Here it is, but we're lost until we accept. 06:34 Can you see the difference? 06:36 We're not saved until we reject. 06:42 We're lost, my friend, until we accept. 06:47 So here is a young man 06:48 who hasn't accepted the marvelous grace of God. 06:52 And when people don't get this truth right, 06:55 they don't do any evangelism in the church. 06:58 And that's why the church 07:00 in many parts of the world is dying 07:02 because they believe you're saved until you reject. 07:07 If that is so, don't tell anybody. 07:11 Don't give them the opportunity 07:14 of turning down the wonderful gospel. 07:17 But the Bible teaches we're saved when we accept. 07:23 And look at verse 13 here, my friends, Luke 15:13, 07:29 "Not many days after the younger son 07:34 gathered all together..." 07:35 Let me read it again. 07:36 "And not many days after 07:39 the youngest son gathered all together, 07:41 journeyed to a far country, 07:45 and there wasted his possessions 07:47 with prodigal living." 07:49 So he's the prodigal son, there's no doubt about this. 07:53 He goes to a far country. 07:55 I want you to think about this. 07:58 He's a bit like Cain in the Bible. 08:00 Cain went to the land of Nod. 08:03 You know what Nod means? 08:05 It means wanderer, exile, fugitive, 08:08 it's not a good place to live in. 08:11 This young man goes away from the father's house. 08:14 And when you go away, my friends, 08:16 from the father's house, it's not real good. 08:20 Like Cain, he goes to the land of Nod. 08:23 There's no peace, says, my God for the wicked. 08:27 It's a land of violence, loneliness, drug taking, 08:32 suicides, murders, and hopelessness. 08:36 That's why Billy Graham, 08:37 when I heard him preach in Sydney 08:39 so many years ago, said, 08:41 "You are empty inside," said Billy. 08:44 He said, "You're empty inside. 08:47 God loves you, and you're empty inside." 08:50 I don't care who you are, 08:53 you can be the president of the church, 08:57 but if you don't know Christ, 08:59 you're in the land of Nod, and you're empty inside. 09:03 And that's why you're messing up so much. 09:05 I don't care who you are, 09:09 we need Christ. 09:11 In fact, the Bible says in Ephesians 2:12. 09:14 I want you to notice this text because this is a text 09:17 that most folks that I've met 09:19 in this part of the world have never read. 09:21 And those who read it don't believe it. 09:24 It says, "That at that time..." 09:27 This is the greatest evangelist in the history 09:29 of the world talking, Paul. 09:30 "That at that time you were without Christ, 09:35 being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel 09:41 and strangers from the covenants 09:43 of the promise..." 09:44 Now please, have a look at this if you don't mind, 09:46 it says, "Having no hope and without God in the world." 09:52 Now people say, 09:55 "If you don't know, you're safe, and you're saved. 10:00 You're saved until you reject. 10:04 That's one of the biggest lies that ever came out of hell. 10:09 The Bible talks about people who are not in Christ, 10:12 and it says, "Without hope and without God in the world." 10:18 Why do you think we believe in evangelism? 10:21 Because of texts like this without God, 10:24 if you're without God, 10:26 and if you're in the land of Nod, 10:29 it's not too good. 10:32 And after a while, 10:33 this young guy in the land of Nod 10:36 has a great longing for the father's house 10:40 because he starts to think, 10:42 and the father doesn't seem too bad. 10:45 He doesn't seem to be a scrooge, 10:47 he doesn't seem to be too hard. 10:50 Luke 15:13, 14, Luke 15:13, 14, 10:57 "Not many days after the younger son 10:59 gathered all together, 11:00 journeyed to a far country, 11:01 there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 11:04 But when he had spent all, 11:06 there arose a severe famine in that land, 11:09 and he began to be in want." 11:13 I want to tell you, 11:15 listen to me. 11:17 You need a revelation from God to get this. 11:20 Many people in the church... I've been a pastor for years. 11:23 I know what I'm talking about. 11:25 I've pastored the smallest church, 11:26 and I've pastored the biggest churches. 11:30 And I know this, religion doesn't save, Jesus saves. 11:35 And I want you to know this 11:38 that when you're in the land of Nod, 11:41 and you're bitter, and you critical, 11:44 and you're fault finding, and you're just sour, 11:48 and you're a pain to everybody and a pain to yourself, 11:54 it's not very nice. 11:57 And so he's wastefully extravagant. 12:02 While the money lasted, so did the friends. 12:05 Can you believe it? 12:08 We call him the prodigal son, big, big, big spender. 12:13 The older brother said, he wasted his money on harlots. 12:18 But the older brother was a Pharisee. 12:21 And the Pharisees were notorious for lying. 12:25 Oops. 12:27 Often the self righteous are also the biggest liars. 12:33 There'll be no liars in heaven because liars are bad people. 12:37 It says that in Revelation. 12:39 Liars can be saved if they repent of their sins, 12:44 but an unrepentant liar is not going to heaven, 12:49 and I don't care who he is. 12:53 Now this Jewish boy is in for a bad time. 12:55 Luke 15:14-16, Luke 15:14-16, 13:00 "When he spent all, there arose a severe famine..." 13:04 That always happens, people run out. 13:07 "A famine in that land, he began to be in want. 13:10 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, 13:13 and he sent him into the field to feed pigs." 13:17 He's a Jewish boy with the pigs. 13:21 "And he would gladly fill his stomach with the pods 13:24 that the swine ate, but no one gave him a thing." 13:30 How alone can a Jewish boy get? 13:35 They considered pigs to be the worst, 13:37 but now this boy has runway from the father's house, 13:41 who is in a state of lostness. 13:45 He's not saved, he's lost, 13:49 and he's hungry, 13:53 he's starving, lonely, and wretched. 13:55 This is the state of the sinner without Christ. 13:58 Why is there so much disillusionment? 14:02 Why do so many people commit suicide? 14:04 Why do millions and millions take drugs? 14:07 I'm not talking about just painkillers, 14:09 I mean, pain, the pain of the soul, 14:13 to counter up the terrible pain. 14:16 So I suggest to you, 14:18 it's not real good in the land of Nod. 14:22 But then verse 15 and verse 17 is a great text, 14:27 15:17, 14:29 "But when he came to himself..." 14:31 Now, just leave this text on the screen. 14:34 He didn't come to himself by himself. 14:38 John Wesley call this prevenient grace. 14:42 You cannot come to Christ just when you want to. 14:47 "Oh no, I can come whenever I like." 14:49 No, you don't know what you're talking about. 14:53 It says when it came to himself, 14:55 this is the grace of God. 14:58 "He said, 'How many of my father's hired servants 15:00 have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!" 15:04 He came to himself 15:07 because of abounding grace, 15:12 the Spirit of God. 15:14 You can't come to yourself without the grace of God. 15:20 Here's a person who got hard, hard heart, 15:24 and he says, "I will come to God 15:27 when it suits me." 15:28 Don't be so foolish. 15:33 We come to God 15:35 when God draws us. 15:38 The grace of God had been working in his heart. 15:41 He was not forgotten. 15:43 God loved him still 15:45 because this man receive sinners, 15:48 that's the thing. 15:49 You can never outrun the love of God. 15:52 And then verses... 15:53 I think verses 18-20, 15:55 I think they're the next verses. 15:57 He says 15:58 after he's been down with the pigs. 16:01 Sometimes you got to get down with the pigs 16:03 before you want to go home to glory. 16:05 Some of us haven't been 16:07 with the pigs long enough. 16:10 "I will arise and go to my father, 16:12 and will say to him, 'Father, I've sinned against heaven 16:15 and before you, 16:16 I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. 16:18 Make me like one of your hired servants.' 16:21 And he arose and came to his father. 16:24 But when he was still a great way off, 16:27 his father saw him, had compassion, 16:30 and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him." 16:39 He's a pretty good old man, isn't he? 16:43 That's grace. 16:47 You can never outrun the love of God. 16:50 You see, the old father had been looking down the road, 16:53 he'd been missing his boy, he was lonely without him. 16:56 God's lonely without you. 16:59 He ran, old men in those days had too much dignity to run, 17:04 but the old man runs, the old man runs 17:11 because he's the biggest prodigal of them all. 17:16 He's not a prodigal. 17:18 Yes, he is, extravagant, abundant, 17:22 over and beyond 17:25 like Mary, too much, too much perfume. 17:29 Why this waste? 17:33 Quite amazing. 17:36 He's the greatest of all the prodigals. 17:40 You can never outrun 17:42 or outshine the love of the Father, 17:44 who in character is the very opposite 17:46 of the self righteous, obnoxious Pharisee. 17:50 The Pharisee, I want you to know this, 17:52 unlike the Father, is totally obnoxious. 17:58 When you see him, you say, "Oh, not again." 18:02 When he comes walking your direction, 18:03 you say, "Oh, Lord, please. 18:05 What have I done today? 18:09 The old father is grace personified. 18:14 In verses 21-24, 18:17 you think it shouldn't be in the Bible, it's so good, 18:19 21-24, 18:20 "The son said to him, 'Father, 18:21 I've sinned against heaven and in your sight, 18:24 I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. 18:27 But the father said to his servant, 18:28 'Bring out the best robe, put it on him, 18:32 put a ring on his hand, 18:34 oops, 18:35 and sandals on his feet. 18:37 And bring the fatted calf, goodness. 18:41 Bring the fatted calf here, kill it, and let us eat 18:44 and be merry, for this son, 18:46 this my son was dead, and is alive again, 18:49 he was lost and is found.' 18:50 They began to be merry.'" 18:53 Here's a party. 18:56 The gospel is the party, 19:00 the best robe, 19:03 the best ring, the best sandals. 19:07 He stinks from the pig pen, make no doubt about it, 19:11 but grace is greater than sin. 19:14 His sin is covered by grace, the gift of God. 19:18 The party represents the gospel. 19:21 The gospel is liken to a party, 19:23 something the Pharisees never understood. 19:27 They never got it. 19:29 They never, never, never got it because they were so blind. 19:35 It has been said there are two great truths 19:37 that are very hard to comprehend. 19:41 Look at it, 19:43 "Man is far worse than he ever feared to think." 19:47 That's talking about you, 19:50 that's talking about me. 19:53 You know, "I'm a good person." 19:56 The Bible says, 19:58 "All our righteousness is as filthy rags." 20:02 Man is far worse than he ever feared to think, 20:04 but God is far better than he ever dared to hope. 20:10 God is far better, 20:16 and where sin did abound, 20:19 grace did much more abound. 20:22 So the first prodigal is this young waster, 20:25 who comes to himself, and who was redeemed. 20:28 The second prodigal 20:30 is the prodigal of the prodigals, 20:31 that's the father, 20:33 and the third prodigal is the elder brother, 20:35 Luke 15:25-28. 20:39 "Now his older son was in the field. 20:41 And as he came and drew near the house, 20:43 he heard music and dancing. 20:45 So he called one of the servants 20:47 and asked what these things meant. 20:49 And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, 20:51 because he has received him safe and sound, 20:53 your father has killed the fatted calf.' 20:56 But he was angry," 20:57 'cause he was a Pharisee, "and would not go in. 20:59 Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him." 21:03 Now this boy, 21:04 we shall discover is extravagant in his meanness. 21:11 Every church has an older brother. 21:15 Look at verse 28, 21:16 and then we're going to read a little further, 21:18 verse 28, 21:20 "But he was angry, 21:21 the Pharisees were angry with Jesus 21:24 because He was with the sinners. 21:26 "And would not go in, therefore his father came out 21:29 and pleaded with him." 21:31 He represents the Pharisees, 21:34 verses 28, 29 of this chapter. 21:39 "But he was angry and would not go in. 21:40 Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. 21:43 So he answered and said that his father," 21:45 listen, 21:46 "Lo, these many years I've been serving you, 21:53 I never transgressed your commandment 21:55 at any time.'" 21:57 Who is he fooling? 21:59 I'm sinless. 22:00 "And yet you never gave me a young goat 22:02 that I make merry with my friends." 22:08 Who's this guy? 22:10 He's the legalist, 22:11 the professional religionists, 22:13 the sinless perfectionist, the legalist, 22:16 no sense of his need, 22:18 no sense of his sin, 22:20 he's concerned about the sins of everybody 22:24 but his own. 22:27 No need for grace, 22:29 the greatest of all delusions. 22:32 This young fellow had been living 22:35 in a different kind of Big Ben. 22:39 Fumigated, but still a Big Ben. 22:43 And verse 30, notice verse 30, 22:47 "But as soon as this," 22:49 my brother, "No this son of yours comes, 22:52 who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, 22:55 you killed the fattened calf for him." 22:57 He's a prodigal. 22:59 He's a prodigal in his meanness, 23:04 in his self righteousness, 23:07 and we're told in Revelation, 23:08 we don't have time for the text. 23:10 This is the sin of the last church, 23:13 the sin of the elder brother. 23:16 And then verse 31, and 32 please, 23:20 31 and 32, 23:21 "And he said to him, 'Son..." 23:23 Now, Jesus is talking to the Pharisees. 23:27 "You're always with me, all that I have is yours. 23:30 It was right that we should make merry 23:32 and be glad, 23:33 for your brother was dead and is alive again, 23:36 he was lost and is found." 23:41 There's no record that this boy ever repented. 23:48 I've had many great experiences, 23:50 none perhaps greater than going to the hermitage 23:53 or the hermitage in St. Petersburg. 23:59 When I've gone there, 24:00 I've seen the great painting by the great Rembrandt. 24:05 You notice the hands of the old man. 24:09 One as a man, one as a female. 24:12 It takes a man and a woman to represent 24:14 the heart of the father, 24:16 and here is the boy who comes back, 24:19 he got no shoes on, 24:22 and they're standing in the background. 24:24 You can see him, there he is, there he is. 24:32 When this son of yours comes, 24:37 so here you have in Rembrandt, 24:40 the three prodigals, 24:42 the old Father, 24:45 that's God, 24:47 prodigious in His love, 24:49 the young guy redeemed by grace, 24:52 prodigious in his sin, 24:54 but the elder brother, cold, legalistic, 24:59 full of religion, 25:02 who later put Christ on the cross. 25:11 Now I've got a message for everybody here today. 25:14 Here it is. 25:16 You may feel a long, long way from God, 25:20 but remember this, 25:23 there is an old Father, 25:27 there is a young Christ, 25:33 who is looking down the road, 25:38 and He knows your name, 25:42 and He loves you, and He died for you. 25:47 And if you come home with all your stink, 25:51 He'll put a ring on your finger, 25:56 sandals on your feet 25:59 and a robe that covers up the filth 26:04 because the Bible says 26:07 where sin did abound, 26:10 grace did much more abound. 26:15 Amen. 26:20 In the series, This I Believe, 26:23 Pastor Carter reveals the heart and soul of the Carter Report. 26:27 I believe in Jesus Christ. 26:31 I believe in The Ten Commandments. 26:37 I believe in the true gospel. 26:42 I believe in the last days. 26:48 I believe in the America that believes in God. 26:54 I believe in heaven. 26:58 I believe in evangelism. 27:04 This I Believe. 27:07 The seven DVD series, 27:09 This I Believe can be yours with a gift 27:11 of $75 US or $105 Australian. 27:15 Please write to us at the address on the screen 27:17 or visit our website at cartereport.org. 27:22 Time, it takes only a minute to have eternal life. 27:26 How can you get saved in a minute? 27:28 It's simple. 27:29 First, believe that Jesus was the Son of God. 27:32 Second, accept His free gift of eternal life 27:35 and then you're saved. 27:37 It's not hard. It doesn't take any time. 27:39 You can be saved in a minute right now. 27:42 Pray with me, 27:44 "Lord God, I realize that I am a sinner. 27:47 My sin has separated me from You. 27:49 I accept that Your Son Jesus Christ died for me. 27:52 I ask Jesus into my heart." 27:54 If you prayed this prayer, you are saved. 27:57 The next thing to do is, tell someone. 28:00 Fellowship with other followers of Jesus, 28:02 get baptized, read your Bible, and pray. 28:06 Choices, 28:07 we make them every day, all day. 28:10 The most important choice you'll make in your life 28:12 is whether to choose eternal life 28:15 or let it pass you by. 28:16 If you would like more information 28:18 about your new life, 28:19 call the number and visit our website. 28:25 For a copy of today's program, 28:27 please contact us at P.O. Box 1900, 28:30 Thousand Oaks, California 91358. 28:35 Or in Australia, 28:36 contact us at P.O. Box 861, Terrigal, 28:41 New South Wales 2260. 28:44 This program is made possible 28:46 through the generous support of viewers like you. 28:49 We thank you for your continued support. 28:52 May God richly bless you. |
Revised 2019-03-21