When you read the Bible,
00:00:29.40\00:00:31.10
do you discover
the grace, the love,
00:00:31.50\00:00:35.21
and the forgiveness of God?
00:00:35.24\00:00:37.02
Or do you see more
of the responsibility,
00:00:37.22\00:00:42.56
the duty, the accountability
that we have to God?
00:00:42.98\00:00:47.53
Actually, both themes are in
scripture, they're both there,
00:00:47.57\00:00:50.89
but I dare say that we
generally read the Bible
00:00:50.96\00:00:54.74
through our own lenses.
00:00:55.17\00:00:57.64
We see what we want to see.
00:00:57.67\00:01:00.11
Actually, Jesus told
a story of two brothers,
00:01:01.00\00:01:05.95
and they were opposites.
00:01:06.53\00:01:08.48
One was very
responsible, he was accountable
00:01:08.80\00:01:12.95
to what he needed
to do, he was diligent
00:01:12.99\00:01:17.11
in carrying out
all of his duties,
00:01:17.14\00:01:18.91
his brother
however was a little lax.
00:01:19.62\00:01:22.69
In fact, he quit his
job on his fathers farm
00:01:22.79\00:01:27.49
and he went away for a while.
00:01:27.52\00:01:29.34
When he came back, the Bible
says his father accepted him.
00:01:29.62\00:01:33.33
Now, if taken to extreme,
00:01:34.15\00:01:36.48
the good
qualities of responsibility
00:01:37.34\00:01:40.56
and
accountability, and diligence,
00:01:41.21\00:01:44.30
if taken to an extreme
00:01:45.78\00:01:48.97
can be called legalism,
00:01:49.24\00:01:50.79
but on the other
side of the fence
00:01:51.84\00:01:54.59
is what we call permissiveness.
00:01:54.85\00:01:57.07
Legalism kills the
spirit, but permissiveness kills
00:01:57.90\00:02:01.67
the spirit also.
00:02:01.70\00:02:03.28
Both rob us of the motivation
to come to the Savior.
00:02:03.48\00:02:07.76
Legalism kills because
we can never measure up
00:02:08.21\00:02:10.54
to our own
standards, let alone God's.
00:02:10.57\00:02:13.08
Legalism causes us to
either lord it over others
00:02:13.76\00:02:17.00
because we assume
we're better than they are,
00:02:17.03\00:02:20.01
or it causes us to
give up because it's no use
00:02:20.04\00:02:22.99
trying anyway.
00:02:23.02\00:02:24.66
Legalists are not
just hard on others,
00:02:24.70\00:02:27.01
they are hard on themselves.
00:02:27.04\00:02:28.90
They ultimately burn out
and lose their motivation
00:02:28.94\00:02:32.02
to love and believe.
00:02:32.05\00:02:34.83
But permissiveness
kills because if it doesn't
00:02:35.03\00:02:38.20
matter what you think or do,
everything becomes meaningless.
00:02:38.24\00:02:41.91
Nothing, not even
God, makes any difference
00:02:42.76\00:02:45.57
in a universe where
there are no value judgments.
00:02:45.61\00:02:48.70
There's an old saying:
"If you stand for nothing,"
00:02:48.96\00:02:50.97
"you'll fall for anything. "
00:02:51.00\00:02:52.80
The permissive must
lie to himself, you see,
00:02:53.20\00:02:57.69
he would like to believe
that he can live and let live,
00:02:57.73\00:03:00.55
and everything's going
to be OK, but his actions,
00:03:00.58\00:03:03.14
like it or not, do affect
people and they hurt people,
00:03:03.18\00:03:06.68
innocent people, so
he must lie to himself.
00:03:07.00\00:03:10.76
He must life to
himself that he can get drunk,
00:03:12.03\00:03:13.97
sleep around, spend
money however he wants to
00:03:14.01\00:03:15.92
and he's not hurting anyone,
00:03:15.95\00:03:17.68
or the final lie, that he
himself is not worth saving,
00:03:18.36\00:03:22.66
and so, nothing matters anyway.
00:03:22.86\00:03:25.47
And so Jesus told a story about
a legalist and a permissive,
00:03:26.22\00:03:29.86
two brothers,
00:03:29.89\00:03:31.61
one was so good.
00:03:32.32\00:03:35.43
He was the good son,
he was the elder brother,
00:03:36.13\00:03:40.68
he did everything right,
00:03:40.88\00:03:43.31
he performed his
duties on his father's farm,
00:03:43.35\00:03:46.02
and he was always faithful.
00:03:47.08\00:03:49.03
His brother
however, was a permissive,
00:03:49.13\00:03:51.59
and he was so bad, as
good as his brother was,
00:03:52.49\00:03:55.50
he was worse... in
the other direction.
00:03:55.53\00:04:01.17
He was so bad in fact
that he decided that he wanted
00:04:01.65\00:04:07.17
his father's inheritance
before his father ever died.
00:04:07.37\00:04:10.60
And as Jesus told the story,
He depicted this prodigal son
00:04:11.25\00:04:15.30
as going to his father
and saying: "Father, I want"
00:04:16.39\00:04:19.44
"my inheritance now,
so that I can leave. "
00:04:19.47\00:04:21.97
What father
wants his son to leave?
00:04:26.05\00:04:29.03
What motivation would
this father have to give
00:04:29.53\00:04:32.13
the prodigal son his inheritance
before he was supposed
00:04:32.93\00:04:38.24
to have it, so that he
could leave the family,
00:04:38.27\00:04:40.96
but that, according
to the story, is exactly
00:04:40.99\00:04:43.65
what the father did.
00:04:43.68\00:04:45.73
So, the prodigal went to a
far country, and lived the kind
00:04:46.21\00:04:50.49
of life he
always wanted to live,
00:04:50.52\00:04:53.88
one of
debauchery, one of freedom,
00:04:53.91\00:04:57.24
and spending all
the money he had.
00:04:57.56\00:04:59.81
The elder brother,
meanwhile, was back at the farm,
00:05:00.46\00:05:03.83
doing what he had always done;
00:05:03.86\00:05:05.54
he was
faithful, he did his jobs.
00:05:05.58\00:05:07.23
You know, we like legalists,
especially when they work for us
00:05:08.51\00:05:12.07
We love
legalists, let's face it,
00:05:12.27\00:05:13.95
legalists are good employees,
00:05:13.98\00:05:16.65
and we give a lot of
rewards to legalists,
00:05:18.02\00:05:20.50
but in this story,
the father is going out
00:05:20.54\00:05:22.95
to the side of the road
everyday, yearning for his
00:05:22.99\00:05:25.83
prodigal son to come back.
00:05:25.86\00:05:28.00
He, apparently, at least
according to the elder brother,
00:05:28.82\00:05:32.05
later, is taking his
good son for granted.
00:05:32.08\00:05:35.24
He's giving him everything
he always has, but he's
00:05:36.78\00:05:41.23
yearning for the
son that he's lost.
00:05:41.33\00:05:44.26
And then Jesus said the
prodigal son came to himself.
00:05:44.79\00:05:49.84
He had finally sunk so
low in his life, he had spent
00:05:50.24\00:05:52.69
all of his money, all of
his friends had left him,
00:05:52.72\00:05:55.14
that now he was
feeding pigs for a living.
00:05:55.17\00:05:58.52
Even wanting to eat what
the pigs themselves were eating
00:05:59.25\00:06:02.55
because he was so hungry.
00:06:02.58\00:06:04.28
And finally, when he came to
himself, he realized that even
00:06:04.32\00:06:08.45
his father's servants
faired better than he did.
00:06:08.48\00:06:10.92
So he thought to
himself: "If I could just"
00:06:11.60\00:06:13.89
"run to my father"
00:06:14.45\00:06:16.08
"maybe he'll accept me
back, at least I could... "
00:06:16.79\00:06:19.91
"... I could get on as
one of the hired hands. "
00:06:20.11\00:06:22.35
And so, he goes back
and the father is already
00:06:23.07\00:06:25.99
waiting for him, and we
have this glorious reunion
00:06:26.03\00:06:28.92
of the prodigal son, who
knows that he's not worthy
00:06:29.12\00:06:32.54
of the father's love, but
the father who clothes him
00:06:32.57\00:06:36.27
with a new robe, kills the
fatted calf, and has a party
00:06:36.31\00:06:39.98
for him, and
said: "You are my son. "
00:06:40.01\00:06:43.16
And you would think
that this wonderful story,
00:06:44.08\00:06:47.37
with the happy ending
would mean that everybody
00:06:48.06\00:06:50.75
would live happily ever after.
00:06:50.78\00:06:52.80
But that's not the way
that Jesus ends the story.
00:06:53.04\00:06:56.41
Let's read the end of
the story in Luke 15:28-32
00:06:57.24\00:07:01.85
[text on screen]
00:07:01.88\00:07:03.91
The younger son wanted
the good life and he got it,
00:07:50.46\00:07:52.56
but he found out the good life
wasn't as good as he thought
00:07:52.60\00:07:57.32
it was, permissiveness has
it's own natural consequences.
00:07:57.35\00:08:02.04
Legalism also has its natural
consequences, but they are
00:08:02.82\00:08:06.45
a little more insidious.
00:08:06.48\00:08:08.39
See, the older son
wanted to be rewarded for being
00:08:08.62\00:08:11.92
the good son and following
the rules, now he wasn't
00:08:11.96\00:08:15.23
so mad that the
father had mistreated him,
00:08:15.26\00:08:17.29
he's not complaining that
the father had mistreated him,
00:08:17.33\00:08:19.61
he's complaining
because the father is treating
00:08:19.64\00:08:21.99
the younger son too well,
00:08:22.02\00:08:24.04
and as a result, he
loses faith with his father.
00:08:26.73\00:08:31.75
In this story, the
father is the hero.
00:08:32.13\00:08:34.97
He is neither
permissive, nor legalistic,
00:08:35.52\00:08:38.05
he doesn't try to dictate
what his sons have to do,
00:08:38.09\00:08:40.89
but he doesn't protect his sons
from the natural consequences
00:08:41.37\00:08:44.47
of sin, either.
00:08:44.50\00:08:46.41
He's constant in love, and he
doesn't give the slightest hint
00:08:46.74\00:08:50.37
of reticence or resentment
when his prodigal son returns,
00:08:50.74\00:08:55.07
he's just glad he came
home, no lecture, no probation,
00:08:55.10\00:08:59.40
no payback.
00:09:00.04\00:09:01.49
I had a friend once, who
gave up believing in God,
00:09:03.85\00:09:08.65
completely,
00:09:09.10\00:09:10.43
he had been the
good son all of his life,
00:09:11.23\00:09:15.41
at least up until that point,
always studying his Bible,
00:09:15.45\00:09:19.39
he was diligent in every
way, you might say he was a bit
00:09:19.59\00:09:23.05
of a perfectionist.
00:09:23.08\00:09:25.08
He was always "on fire for God",
00:09:25.72\00:09:31.39
he became a
colporteur for a while,
00:09:31.43\00:09:34.71
he was doing the
work of the Lord,
00:09:35.40\00:09:38.26
and finally he came
to the point where he
00:09:39.29\00:09:41.03
just couldn't do it anymore.
00:09:41.06\00:09:43.66
He told me one day, he said:
"Mike, I just can't believe"
00:09:46.24\00:09:54.14
"that God is like that. "
00:09:54.54\00:09:59.19
And what he meant by that
is that all of his perfection
00:09:59.44\00:10:02.71
hadn't gotten him the goal.
00:10:03.36\00:10:05.52
The goal was to be perfect,
and he just couldn't make it,
00:10:06.25\00:10:11.31
and he was mad at God, so
mad, that he refused to even
00:10:11.94\00:10:15.19
believe in God,
because he didn't think God
00:10:15.22\00:10:17.89
had treated him fairly.
00:10:17.92\00:10:19.94
He felt that God had required
something that was impossible,
00:10:20.04\00:10:24.09
and he had been the good
son, he had tried to be good
00:10:24.68\00:10:28.45
all of his life.
00:10:28.48\00:10:30.21
You see, legalists
are hard on themselves,
00:10:31.16\00:10:36.17
but they ultimately
burn out too, they lose faith
00:10:37.00\00:10:40.17
with the father when they
discover that all of their
00:10:40.37\00:10:43.26
good works hadn't
gotten them anywhere.
00:10:43.29\00:10:46.21
It's especially irritating to
them when they see someone else,
00:10:46.25\00:10:52.11
who has not been the
good son, get the party.
00:10:52.14\00:10:55.82
Permissive people, are
not the opposite of legalists.
00:10:58.29\00:11:01.80
Their problem is
not that they are lazy,
00:11:02.46\00:11:04.61
where as the
legalist is industrious.
00:11:04.64\00:11:06.76
Permissive people can
be lazy or industrious,
00:11:07.26\00:11:09.95
depending on their
goal, what they want.
00:11:10.05\00:11:12.84
The difference is, they don't
think it matters to anyone.
00:11:13.13\00:11:16.31
Certainly not to
themselves, but not even to God,
00:11:16.34\00:11:18.90
what they do, what they think.
00:11:18.93\00:11:21.55
They can live and let
live, because they see life
00:11:22.23\00:11:24.54
as short and meaningless anyway.
00:11:24.57\00:11:27.10
Permissive people can be quite
nice to be around actually,
00:11:27.14\00:11:29.99
they like people,
they can be quite likeable,
00:11:30.19\00:11:32.68
but they don't love
enough to go against the tide
00:11:33.32\00:11:37.82
of popular culture.
00:11:37.85\00:11:39.85
They don't believe enough to
act on their God given powers
00:11:40.05\00:11:42.76
of judgment, whereas the
legalists may judge a person's
00:11:42.79\00:11:45.86
value on the basis of
behavior, the permissive refuses
00:11:45.89\00:11:48.93
to judge even behavior
by any objective standard.
00:11:48.96\00:11:53.27
Ultimately,
however, the permissive
00:11:53.30\00:11:55.81
appears for what he
really is, bankrupt and without
00:11:56.74\00:11:59.73
any substance of character.
00:11:59.76\00:12:02.71
Like the prodigal, he
is reduced to poverty,
00:12:04.94\00:12:08.75
to poverty of the soul,
and their highest service
00:12:08.95\00:12:12.63
is on the same
level as feeding pigs.
00:12:12.66\00:12:16.06
It's a job, it benefits someone,
but it's still a pig farm.
00:12:16.62\00:12:20.69
Whereas the legalist
may judge a person's value
00:12:23.36\00:12:27.75
on behavior,
00:12:27.78\00:12:29.33
the permissive doesn't
even believe that behavior
00:12:30.35\00:12:32.84
makes any difference to anyone.
00:12:32.87\00:12:35.03
Brennan Manning tells the
story of going to an alcoholic
00:12:37.21\00:12:42.80
rehab center up in the hills,
00:12:42.83\00:12:45.29
secluded away from everyone.
00:12:45.52\00:12:47.38
During the course of
his own rehabilitation
00:12:48.73\00:12:52.41
from his alcoholism
00:12:53.02\00:12:55.00
he said there was a
member of the group named Max.
00:12:55.86\00:12:59.48
Now Max was a
successful businessman
00:12:59.51\00:13:01.73
and on this particular
day, it was Max's turn to be
00:13:02.09\00:13:04.74
in the hot seat.
00:13:04.77\00:13:06.46
Everyone was seated in
kind of a "U" shaped pattern,
00:13:06.50\00:13:10.27
and the hot seat
was in the center.
00:13:10.30\00:13:12.79
And the group started
firing questions at Max.
00:13:14.59\00:13:17.67
Max was a successful
man, and he was quite talented
00:13:17.89\00:13:22.06
at putting on a good front,
and he could deflect almost
00:13:22.46\00:13:25.82
any question with a
little bit of humor,
00:13:25.85\00:13:28.43
a little bit of bragging,
he never let his guard down,
00:13:29.43\00:13:33.04
but they questioned him anyway:
00:13:33.56\00:13:35.05
"Max, how much do you
drink?" Oh he'd minimize it:
00:13:35.09\00:13:37.86
"Just a little
bit in the morning,"
00:13:37.89\00:13:39.59
"just maybe a little
bit during the afternoon. "
00:13:39.63\00:13:42.82
Then they'd dig into it a
little bit deeper, and finally
00:13:43.01\00:13:45.44
the facilitator to the
group, Sean Murphy-O'Connor,
00:13:49.52\00:13:54.12
dialed a phone number,
00:13:54.32\00:13:56.13
and the phone, as it turns out,
00:13:57.01\00:13:59.44
was hooked up to a
little PA system right there
00:13:59.48\00:14:02.95
in the treatment
room, in the therapy room,
00:14:02.99\00:14:06.43
so they could hear the
conversation of both sides.
00:14:07.56\00:14:10.41
The therapist, Murphy-O'Connor,
talked to a bartender
00:14:11.47\00:14:17.98
in Max's hometown.
00:14:18.01\00:14:19.98
And he said to the
bartender: "Do you know Max?"
00:14:20.79\00:14:24.25
"Oh, sure I
know Max, great guy!"
00:14:24.28\00:14:26.47
"Well, tell us a little
bit, we're trying to explore"
00:14:27.08\00:14:30.20
"Max's drinking habits. "
Well, it turned out he went by
00:14:30.23\00:14:33.32
the tavern
everyday, he had 6 Martinis,
00:14:33.35\00:14:37.25
plus a few more
drinks and left a good tip.
00:14:37.28\00:14:41.15
Well, Max was angry
because he had been found out,
00:14:42.82\00:14:46.60
all of his minimizing
had not gotten him anywhere,
00:14:46.64\00:14:50.39
but he gathered himself
together, after a little fit
00:14:50.70\00:14:53.31
of temper, he said
simply: "Gentlemen,"
00:14:53.34\00:14:56.23
"we all guild the
lily once in a while"
00:14:56.26\00:14:59.08
and pulled himself
together, and was his own
00:14:59.12\00:15:01.80
composed self again.
00:15:01.83\00:15:03.61
"Max," said one of
the members of the group,
00:15:06.83\00:15:09.06
"have you ever done
something mean to your kids?"
00:15:09.51\00:15:12.03
"I know," he said "I've
been a father for a long time"
00:15:12.83\00:15:15.56
"and I know how
it goes sometimes. "
00:15:15.59\00:15:18.23
"Funny you should
ask that" said Max.
00:15:18.79\00:15:20.29
"Why, I've got 2 boys,
great boys, one of them is"
00:15:20.33\00:15:23.30
and he named the
universities they were in,
00:15:23.33\00:15:25.32
and he told about how they had
gone on a camping trip together,
00:15:25.36\00:15:28.86
and how he had such a great
relationship with his kids.
00:15:28.89\00:15:32.41
The group wasn't buying it.
00:15:32.51\00:15:34.35
"Well Max, haven't
you ever done anything,"
00:15:34.39\00:15:37.76
"the slightest bit
mean to any of your kids?"
00:15:38.18\00:15:41.74
"Well," Max said,
"now that you mention it,"
00:15:42.58\00:15:46.23
"I have a daughter,
and something happened"
00:15:46.69\00:15:49.60
"last year
around Christmas time,"
00:15:49.63\00:15:51.72
"and I have kind of a
heavy feeling about it. "
00:15:52.18\00:15:57.72
"Well Max, give us the details,
come on, what happened?"
00:15:57.76\00:16:01.05
"No!", Max stiffened,
he got defensive again,
00:16:01.08\00:16:03.71
"I told you, I don't
remember exactly what happened,"
00:16:03.75\00:16:06.76
"I just have
this heavy feeling. "
00:16:06.79\00:16:08.63
Meanwhile, Sean Murphy-O'Connor
was dialing Max's wife,
00:16:08.67\00:16:13.23
and pretty soon her voice
could be heard filling the room.
00:16:13.27\00:16:17.80
"Ma'am, we're trying
to find out a little bit"
00:16:19.53\00:16:21.69
"about your husbands drinking
pattern, can you tell me"
00:16:21.73\00:16:24.48
"what happened with your
daughter last Christmas?"
00:16:24.51\00:16:27.02
The phone line was
silent for a while,
00:16:27.86\00:16:30.27
and there was crying on
the other end of the line.
00:16:31.24\00:16:33.72
When Max's wife gathered
herself together, she said:
00:16:34.36\00:16:37.38
"Last Christmas, Max
took our daughter shopping. "
00:16:38.23\00:16:42.38
"She wanted a
pair of special shoes,"
00:16:43.00\00:16:46.30
"and he found them for her,"
00:16:46.33\00:16:48.08
"gave her the money, and
she hopped out of his truck,"
00:16:48.91\00:16:51.79
"dashed into the store,
bought them and came back,"
00:16:51.82\00:16:54.39
"gave him a kiss, told
him he was the greatest daddy"
00:16:54.43\00:16:57.05
"in all the world, he was
feeling high, preening himself"
00:16:57.09\00:16:59.96
"like a peacock, he drove
by the Cork and Bottle tavern,"
00:17:00.00\00:17:02.84
"it was 3 o'clock
in the afternoon,"
00:17:03.28\00:17:04.94
"it was below 0
outside, it was bitterly cold,"
00:17:04.98\00:17:07.29
"and so he left the
truck running while he ran in"
00:17:07.33\00:17:09.61
"for a drink with his buddies. "
00:17:09.64\00:17:11.80
As coincidence
would have it, he ran into
00:17:12.58\00:17:15.60
some old army
buddies, and he didn't come out
00:17:15.63\00:17:18.62
until midnight,
and he was drunk.
00:17:18.65\00:17:22.01
By then, the truck
had stopped running,
00:17:23.05\00:17:26.07
the windows had frozen over.
00:17:27.14\00:17:29.65
Max and his wife had to
take their poor daughter
00:17:32.91\00:17:35.55
to the emergency room.
00:17:35.75\00:17:37.15
Max's wife at this point,
could hardly get the words out,
00:17:39.24\00:17:43.33
she was so broken up,
00:17:43.83\00:17:45.78
but finally it came out,
that they had had to amputate
00:17:45.98\00:17:51.47
the right index finger and
thumb from his daughters hand,
00:17:52.01\00:17:57.00
and she would be deaf
for the rest of her life.
00:17:57.03\00:18:01.25
Max fell out of his chair
00:18:04.21\00:18:06.60
into an all fours
position on the floor, and wept.
00:18:07.96\00:18:12.21
No, he didn't just
weep, he cried, he screamed.
00:18:12.24\00:18:16.46
At the therapist's
signal, all the other recovering
00:18:21.45\00:18:24.67
alcoholics vacated the
room, and arranged themselves
00:18:24.70\00:18:28.49
on a little balcony
overlooking the therapy room.
00:18:28.53\00:18:32.29
Sean Murphy-O'Connor walked
over to the figure of Max,
00:18:33.59\00:18:37.15
still on all fours on
the floor of the room,
00:18:37.18\00:18:40.76
still sobbing uncontrollably,
00:18:40.79\00:18:43.27
put his foot against his
ribcage and knocked him over
00:18:43.31\00:18:46.02
onto his back.
00:18:46.05\00:18:48.14
"You complete
slime" said the therapist.
00:18:48.94\00:18:52.12
"There's a window on your
right and a door on your left,"
00:18:53.01\00:18:55.53
"I don't care which one
you use, but get out of here"
00:18:55.56\00:18:58.19
"as fast as you can, I am
not running a treatment center"
00:18:58.23\00:19:00.83
"for liars. "
00:19:00.86\00:19:03.06
Later that evening,
00:19:06.08\00:19:08.83
Max asked for, and
received permission to come back
00:19:10.19\00:19:15.36
into the group.
00:19:15.39\00:19:16.91
You see,
00:19:19.19\00:19:20.86
when we lie to
ourselves about our condition,
00:19:22.02\00:19:26.34
it makes it
impossible for God to reach us.
00:19:27.54\00:19:31.68
The worst thing
about being in sin
00:19:33.52\00:19:37.71
is not that God has a
hard time forgiving us,
00:19:39.11\00:19:42.75
He does that,
00:19:43.20\00:19:44.90
the worst thing about
being in sin is what we
00:19:46.01\00:19:48.28
tell ourselves.
00:19:48.31\00:19:50.30
The legalist will say:
"We've got to be perfect"
00:19:51.70\00:19:55.74
and when that's
impossible, they can give up.
00:19:55.78\00:19:59.79
The permissive
says: "It doesn't matter"
00:20:00.26\00:20:02.53
and they lie to themselves
about their true condition,
00:20:02.57\00:20:05.66
that's why when Jesus told
the parable of the prodigal son,
00:20:05.89\00:20:09.50
the prodigal had to sink so
low that he came to himself.
00:20:09.53\00:20:13.11
He had to be honest with
himself about what was really
00:20:13.21\00:20:16.26
going on in his life.
00:20:16.29\00:20:18.02
My friend, I don't know
where you are in your life,
00:20:19.33\00:20:21.40
I don't know what
your conditions are,
00:20:21.43\00:20:24.20
I don't know what
circumstances you're living in.
00:20:24.24\00:20:26.98
Maybe you're like the
elder brother, still on the farm
00:20:27.50\00:20:30.15
and trying to work for
your salvation, or maybe you're
00:20:30.18\00:20:32.80
the prodigal a
long ways from home.
00:20:32.83\00:20:35.93
Whichever one you are,
it's time to come to yourself,
00:20:37.65\00:20:40.90
it's time for honesty,
it's time to look in the mirror
00:20:40.93\00:20:44.11
and see what's really there,
and not just you tell yourself
00:20:44.15\00:20:47.92
is there.
00:20:48.12\00:20:49.61
And that doesn't just go
for someone who's down and out,
00:20:50.91\00:20:54.80
on the street, a drunk.
00:20:55.06\00:20:57.96
That goes for the rest
of us who dress in suits,
00:20:58.20\00:21:01.79
and look nice on the outside,
we need to look ourselves
00:21:01.83\00:21:05.22
in the mirror and
see what's really there.
00:21:05.25\00:21:07.47
Quit lying to
ourselves, it's so easy
00:21:07.57\00:21:09.57
to put on a good front,
it's so easy to go to church,
00:21:09.61\00:21:14.19
dress up, clean up,
look like a nice Christian.
00:21:14.39\00:21:17.24
On the inside you know
you're a long ways from home.
00:21:18.28\00:21:21.79
Why is it so hard to come home?
00:21:21.82\00:21:24.13
You see, it doesn't matter
whether you are the prodigal,
00:21:27.43\00:21:31.38
or whether you're
the elder brother;
00:21:32.57\00:21:34.85
you're still away from God.
00:21:35.08\00:21:37.07
The prodigals
and the permissives
00:21:40.21\00:21:44.31
have to lie to
themselves in order to survive.
00:21:45.54\00:21:48.72
They lie that their
behavior doesn't affect anyone,
00:21:48.92\00:21:51.74
or they lie that
they are hopeless
00:21:51.77\00:21:55.38
and that God will
not love them anymore,
00:21:55.62\00:21:57.35
that's just as much a lie
as the lie that your behavior
00:21:57.39\00:22:02.05
doesn't matter.
00:22:02.08\00:22:04.16
The parable of the prodigal son
00:22:09.28\00:22:12.65
suggests that those who
are the furthest from home
00:22:16.89\00:22:22.54
may be the one's that
have been there the whole time.
00:22:23.53\00:22:28.59
Notice the reaction of the elder
brother at the end of the story.
00:22:29.73\00:22:35.59
Which one, the
prodigal, or the elder brother
00:22:35.85\00:22:40.27
is closest to his
father at the end of the story?
00:22:40.30\00:22:44.69
The elder brother
won't even go into the party.
00:22:46.46\00:22:50.78
All throughout Jesus' ministry
00:22:53.57\00:22:56.20
He was hardest on those who
were supposed to know better.
00:22:57.44\00:23:02.15
Is salvation easy or is it hard?
00:23:04.21\00:23:08.48
And if we were to follow
Jesus around during His ministry
00:23:08.93\00:23:11.55
and ask Him that question,
00:23:11.58\00:23:13.86
He would probably not answer
us directly, instead He would
00:23:14.09\00:23:17.60
show us things
and we would watch Him
00:23:17.63\00:23:20.46
as He healed the sick,
00:23:20.49\00:23:22.78
as he cleansed lepers,
00:23:23.87\00:23:25.73
as he forgave prostitutes,
00:23:26.41\00:23:29.24
and we would say:
"This is magnificent. "
00:23:31.29\00:23:33.63
"Jesus is so easy on
those who don't have anything. "
00:23:33.83\00:23:37.71
"He's easy on those who
are sick and ready to die. "
00:23:38.45\00:23:41.64
"He's easy on those who are
blind and need to be healed. "
00:23:41.68\00:23:46.32
"He's easy on those
who are caught in sin"
00:23:46.35\00:23:49.37
"and have prostituted themselves
in order to find fulfillment. "
00:23:50.10\00:23:55.30
But if we would follow Him
a little further, we would see
00:23:56.23\00:23:59.78
how He treats the Pharisees,
00:23:59.81\00:24:02.71
the rich young rulers, those who
00:24:02.75\00:24:06.59
thought they had it
all together, those who,
00:24:08.04\00:24:11.71
like the elder
brother, had been home all along
00:24:11.75\00:24:15.39
are actually the
furthest away from the Father.
00:24:16.49\00:24:20.91
My friends,
00:24:23.05\00:24:24.59
how do you know if
you're close to God or not?
00:24:25.64\00:24:29.15
The answer to that
question doesn't really matter,
00:24:30.02\00:24:32.29
the important thing
is you can come now.
00:24:33.19\00:24:36.05
Wherever you are, the
decision can be made right now,
00:24:36.41\00:24:40.41
you need not remain a
moment longer away from home.
00:24:40.44\00:24:43.57
Whether you're the elder
brother type, who has been
00:24:43.61\00:24:46.71
home all along, but
find yourself estranged
00:24:46.74\00:24:49.93
from the Father and His
system of love and mercy
00:24:49.97\00:24:52.12
that you don't understand,
or if you've been the permissive
00:24:52.16\00:24:54.63
prodigal and
you've sunk to depths
00:24:54.66\00:24:57.54
that you never
thought imaginable.
00:24:57.58\00:25:00.43
It doesn't matter where
you are, you can come now.
00:25:02.04\00:25:05.75
One time, Dwight L. Moody was
preaching to a large audience
00:25:06.38\00:25:10.25
in his Chicago tabernacle
00:25:10.64\00:25:13.29
on the subject "What
shall I do then, with Jesus"
00:25:14.03\00:25:16.48
"which is called the Christ?"
The message made a profound
00:25:16.52\00:25:19.78
impression on his audience.
00:25:19.81\00:25:22.18
At the close of
the meeting Moody says:
00:25:24.21\00:25:27.11
"I wish you would all
think about this question. "
00:25:27.15\00:25:29.87
"Think it over during the
week, and come back next Sunday"
00:25:30.36\00:25:33.20
"with your decision. "
00:25:33.40\00:25:35.22
Ira Sankey was
Dwight L Moody's musician,
00:25:35.69\00:25:39.04
and he knew at that moment
that Moody had made a mistake.
00:25:40.28\00:25:43.58
He had made a mistake
because instead of asking
00:25:44.03\00:25:47.16
for a decision right
then, he had put it off
00:25:47.19\00:25:50.29
and told people to go home,
00:25:50.32\00:25:52.06
and put it off.
00:25:52.83\00:25:54.73
So he arose, and began to sing
00:25:56.69\00:25:59.98
"Today the Savior
calls for refuge fly"
00:26:00.35\00:26:03.64
"The storm of justice
falls, And death is nigh. "
00:26:03.68\00:26:06.71
"Today the Savior calls",
but the hymn was never finished
00:26:07.25\00:26:12.66
but was cut short by
the loud clanging of bells,
00:26:13.02\00:26:15.71
the blast of whistles
and the noise and roar
00:26:15.74\00:26:18.36
of fire engines, the
Great Chicago Fire had begun,
00:26:18.40\00:26:22.34
and the tabernacle was one
of the thousands of buildings
00:26:22.54\00:26:26.18
in Chicago that
was reduced to ashes.
00:26:26.21\00:26:29.08
The appointed decision time that
Moody had given his audience
00:26:31.35\00:26:35.76
never came.
00:26:35.96\00:26:37.59
My friends,
00:26:39.74\00:26:41.10
you will never
have a better time
00:26:43.77\00:26:47.41
to decide to come to
Christ then you have right now.
00:26:48.31\00:26:53.87
I know that
sounds hard to believe,
00:26:54.42\00:26:57.15
there is never
going to be a better time
00:26:58.75\00:27:01.67
then right now.
00:27:01.70\00:27:03.28
You say "but I don't
know everything, I don't know"
00:27:03.53\00:27:05.54
"the Bible like I
should, I don't have"
00:27:05.57\00:27:08.23
"the depth of theology
I should have learned,"
00:27:08.74\00:27:11.35
"I don't know all
the stories of Christ. "
00:27:11.39\00:27:13.93
That's Ok, you make a decision
on what you already know.
00:27:13.97\00:27:18.69
And what you know, is that
Christ wants you in His family,
00:27:19.22\00:27:24.63
in His kingdom
right now, as you are.
00:27:24.66\00:27:28.09
If the father can
accept the prodigal
00:27:28.78\00:27:32.31
who still smelled like pigs,
00:27:32.34\00:27:35.15
then our Heavenly
Father will accept everyone,
00:27:37.33\00:27:41.36
no matter what
condition they are in.
00:27:41.64\00:27:45.15
The condition for eternal
life is not that you have to get
00:27:45.78\00:27:48.77
cleaned up before
you come to the Father,
00:27:48.80\00:27:51.32
the only condition of
salvation is that you come,
00:27:51.36\00:27:56.51
however you come, just come.
00:27:56.95\00:28:00.02
[Music for Credits]
00:28:00.72\00:28:02.92