The third thing the prodigal did that we need to do…
#3. Come home to God’s Love!
Verse 18 “I’ll set out and go back to my father.” You have to move – get off dead center. Remember 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV) "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." God is waiting for everyone to come to repentance - to turn around and come home.
Runaways can always come home. When you do just imagine God’s presence, His joy, His face. Ephesians 3:12 says, “Because of Christ and our faith in Him we can now come fearlessly into God’s presence assured of His glad welcome.” Underline the phrase “glad welcome”. You can be assured that God’s saying, “Welcome back! I’ve been waiting for you. Welcome home!”
The natural result of these three steps is the fourth one.
#4. Come celebrate a fresh start!
Celebration is the result of being connected with God. When I am connected with God, it gives birth to an attitude of celebration. I live in the real world with you. I understand pain. But what I’m talking about is the celebration that rises above your circumstances. It’s a joy that is deeper than just your normal happiness. When any one of us comes to our senses, comes clean, comes home – we need to celebrate.
This coming home that Jesus referred to in His story ends with a celebration. It ends with a celebration. Verse 22-24 “But the father said to his servants quick, ‘Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fatted calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of my was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.”
Listen to this story out of Readers Digest It’s a story about the game that all of us know called Hide and Seek. We’ve all played it.
“ Hide and Seek – what a great game. I loved it as a kid. Did you ever have a kid in your neighborhood who always hid so good that nobody could find him? We did. After a while we’d give up on him and go off leaving him to rot wherever he was. Sooner or later he’d show up all mad because we didn’t keep looking for him. He’d say, “It’s Hide and Seek, not Hide and Give up!” We’d all yell about who made the rules and who cared for who anyway and how we wouldn’t play with him any more if he didn’t get it straight and who needed him anyhow and things like that. Hide and Seek and Yell.
Now, as an adult, I write this, and the neighborhood game goes on. There’s a kid under a pile of leaves in my yard just below my window. He’s been there a long time now and everybody else is found and they’re about to give up on him. I considered telling them where he’s hiding. Then I thought about sitting the leaves on fire to drive him out. Finally I just yelled out my window “Get found kid!” I scared him so bad, I think he wet his pants, but either way, he started crying and ran home to tell his mother. It’s hard to know how to be helpful sometimes.
I think adults play hide and seek – just not for fun. Most of us probably don’t even know we are playing it. A man I know found out last year that he had terminal cancer. He was a doctor and he knew about dying and he didn’t want to make his family and friends suffer through that with him so he kept it a secret and he died. His family and friends were angry that he didn’t need them, didn’t trust their strength and he didn’t say good-bye. He hid too well. Getting found would have kept him in the game. Hide and Seek grown up style. Wanting to hide. Needing to be sought, confused about being found.
Come in from the game – come to your senses, come clean – admit who you are and what you have done, come home and watch the celebration that happens.
Prayer: God, thank You for Your love for us. When I read this story and think about how much You love me I’m overwhelmed. Thank You God that Your love for us is patient, that it’s extreme and it’s forgiving and that You created us and want a relationship with us. It’s incredible.
If you’re reading this today and you want a relationship with God, you might say something like this in the silence of your heart, “God, I want a relationship with You. I don’t understand everything, but I want to come home. I’ve come clean. Forgive me of my sins. Thank You for sending Jesus to die on the cross as a payment for my sins so that I could have a relationship with You. I want to come home.”
God, thanks for hearing our prayers. Thanks for hearing the prayers of those who’ve drifted that we can come home. And you say Welcome back. God, may we be different people as we all leave here today because we’ve heard Your voice, we’ve sense Your presence. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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