We’ve been looking at this ‘new birth’ that we are told one must undergo and experience if we have any hope or longing to see and enter God’s kingdom. (John 3:3,5). Obviously we are speaking of a ‘spiritual rebirth’ and not a natural or physical one; but make no mistake about it, just because we refer to it as ‘spiritual’ in nature, does not mean it is not genuine, tangible, and so much more than just poetic language.

Just a few days ago, I suggested that many people, after examining so many of the scriptures from the Bible, could very well come to the conclusion that just maybe they were not a legitimate ‘child of God’ based on what is laid out there for us to see. (Act 17:11; Heb. 12:8). And I pointed out that this was not all that bad of a thing to conclude...IF...it led to an eye-opening and heart changing moment that humbled us and then made us a candidate of God’s unfathomable grace. (James 4:6-10)

Let’s not forget, there was an entire sect of religious scholars who were convinced they were children of God, and yet Jesus told them just the opposite. (John 8:44). And there is plenty of scripture to explain what a child of God is and how they live and it leaves little ‘wiggle room’ for confusion. (Rom. 8:14; Gal. 5:16; John 10:27; 1 John 3:9-10; 5:18). One is not a child simply because they show up in a courtroom demanding their inheritance by claiming to be a child of the one whose will is being read. You might ask those folks in Matt. 7:21-23 about that.

Then we considered the wonderful news that awaits those who ‘come to their senses’ and realize they are not, and maybe have never...lived like a child of God; which then prompts them in their humbled state to run to God and into His open arms to be welcomed in to His family. This is how we left off with the familiar story of the ‘Prodigal Son’. No doubt, the younger son who demanded his inheritance had a place in the family growing up.(Luke 15:12). But the idea of demanding something from the father ...before the appointed time, would suggest something is not ‘right’ here.

There are two very significant points here that I feel like I tapped into that is pretty amazing and I will be circling back to address in more detail. The first one has to do with what led to the downward spiral of the younger brother here in the story. As I mentioned yesterday, he ends up destitute and living with the pigs...longing to eat what they ate.

Now I don’t want to sound snarky or trite with any of you reading here that would want to make the case that this younger brother was ‘still a son’ though ‘backslidden’; or better (or worse) yet...want to make the case that he was just a ‘saint who sinned....like all the other saints’ we go to church with. “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven’, we like to tell ourselves. For all of you in that ‘camp of thought’, I’m not even going to debate that with you. Believe what you will but at least consider and take some time with the scriptures I present to you. If there is any truth to be gleaned, it will be God and the Holy Spirit that reveal it to you, and not me.

What is important to see here...is this ‘son’ who was estranged and about as far away from the life he once knew and the father who loved him, has a moment where he ‘came to his senses’ (17). The first critical point here is addressing what led him down this spiral path where he was not in his right mind. We tied in the story from Mark 5 if you recall from yesterday of another man, who was greatly influenced by demonic spirits, but set free by Jesus and he too, had ‘come to his senses and was in his right mind’. (Mark 5:15). IF we are not careful and vigilant (1 Pet. 5:8-9) we too can be influenced and led down a path of darkness if we ‘give place to the enemy’. (Eph. 4:27) 1 Tim. 4:1 might be good to underline about now.

Why even Jesus warned those with Him that they better take heed and be careful to walk in the light while it was with them lest they too, be ‘overtaken by darkness’. (John 12:35-36). Can I just tell you now He was not talking about the ‘darkness’ that comes during a solar eclipse? (Eph. 6:12; Acts 26:18)

Before I come back to this, I simply want to point out that the other ‘truth’ here is the fact that while you may want to tell yourself that even in his lowest point, he was still a ‘saved son’ of the father, this young man who has ‘come to his senses’ does not see himself as even being worthy to be considered a son. And he sure does not need some well-meaning but misguided deacon telling him otherwise. This young man has been humbled, is seeing ‘truth’ and is ready to ‘turn’ (repent). He’s at a very good place now in the sense he has no place to look to but up. And turn...he does.

But now this young man who longs to return to the father is not wanting to make demands saying ‘give me’; on the contrary he is ready to submit to the father as a servant even, and petition him to ‘make me’. (18-19). We then read that as he makes his way home...he was ‘still a long way off...his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” (20). The young man still had a journey ahead of him...but this time, the father seems willing, ready, and even anxious to be a part of it. We can’t do this on our own. (John 15:4-5)

There is still so much woven in to this display of a father’s love and willingness to restore that we could explore, but here is a very important point you don’t want to pass over: As the father is ready to celebrate and commemorate the return of the prodigal, he explains why now...is the time to do so. Take this verse in slowly and let the Holy Spirit open your eyes to what we are reading: “For this my son was dead...and is alive again; he was lost and is found. And they began to be merry.” (24)

Not only did the younger brother no longer see himself as a son, but even the father acknowledges that his ‘son’ was ‘dead to him’ and no longer alive. That is what sin does...it separates us from God (Isa. 59:2) and apart from Him, we can have no life. (Rom. 6:23; 8:13; Eph. 2:1) Jesus made that clear saying we can have no life unless we are willing to come to Him’. (John 5:40). And when we come to Him, it has to be on His terms, not ours. To even suggest we can still be a ‘son’ in relationship with the Father, yet continue in sin, is to be deceived.

The way many would explain it, when a person comes to Christ, there might be a few changes in them, but then they go on to tell you that you will remain a sinner, will always sin, and that it is impossible to truly go and ‘sin no more’. According to the proponents of such an ideology, that would be on course with a young adult who never learned how to manage money and was always getting in to credit card debt before finally coming home to his parents for help. And good old Dad is happy to have the son/daughter home and tells them to ‘go and spend no more’, but then reminds them they know this is not possible, but not to worry given his deep pockets. So when he continues to rack up debt, Dad will take care of it for them. Friends...that is not only twisted logic, that is a twisted gospel.

In the past decade or so, I’ve come across various news stories that strike me as being sadly, peculiar. It involves legal proceedings between a child and their parents. The first one, which I’m guessing is not that common of a practice, but still has happened...involves a young person who for whatever reasons, their life has not turned out well for them. They’d be the first to tell you that for all practical purposes, their life ‘sucks’, and...their parents are to blame for it; so they sue them for even having them. Yep...it has happened. I don’t even know what to tell you in response to that one. But the other issue does happen more often than not and it is a process called ‘emancipation’ where minors seek to legally become independent of their parents so as to make various decisions on their own. There is more to that, and I have no desire to delve off into all the ‘why’; only to say...one can sever a relationship with their parents. It can happen legally, emotionally and even physically (by death).

I only bring this up to warn you that you might want to rethink this idea that just because you ‘said a prayer’ at one point in your life to ‘accept Christ’, that this automatically made you a ‘child of God’. And this has nothing to do with God’s unconditional love for us. IF we learn anything from the story of the prodigal here, it is this: While this young man may have been born into this family, his choices to turn and go his own way brought separation and severed the relationship to the point he no longer saw himself as a son, nor did his father. But....But...But...as the father stated with great joy...his son was ‘dead’; but now...is alive.

Does this not sound like the gospel that Jesus came preaching?...unless there is a death, there can be no resurrection. Unless a seed falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies...it brings forth much fruit. (John 12:24) If we try to save our life, we will lose it, but if we lay it down for His sake, we find it. (Matt. 16:25)

But you have to die first...before you can begin to live. And that is exactly what the Holy Spirit begins to do when we come to the Lord with all our hearts...He begins to lead us to die to ourselves. This is what separates the wheat from the tares...one has fruit, the other does not. And you might also read another clue as to what defines those tares that ‘sort of looked like wheat’. (Matt. 13:40-41)

There’s an interesting line from that old classic movie – ‘Braveheart’ where Mel Gibson’s character says something to the effect that “Every man dies but not every man really lives.”

Yet Jesus tell us that we cannot really even begin to live...until we die. And should we surrender to that cross...just as He did (Phil. 2:8), then we too, have a Father who is looking for us while we are still a ‘long way off’, wanting to adorn us with a robe and ring just like that prodigal son received. Why there might even be a fatted calf ready to prepare. Oh...and the good news is....this is all supposed to happen on ‘this side of heaven’. ;-)

FREEDOM!