Gospel—Ruben Ruga
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Thing #25 #25 Life at best is very brief, like the falling of leaves, like the binding of a sheath. Be in time. Fleeting days are telling fast that the die will soon be cast and the fatal line be passed to be in time. Verse two. Ever see a young man, you say? My, what a handsome young fellow he is. You don't see him for a couple of years. Next time you see him, Well, what happened to him? He looks old and stooped over. So you see a pretty girl and say, my, what a pretty girl she is next time you see her, why, she's not too pretty anymore.
Ferrous flowers soon decay. Youth and beauty pass away. They have not long to stay, be in time. Just the first two verses of #25.
What if it ********?
And 24 hours in time I'm tired, so I will still be getting by her.
Dear friends, I recently returned from a visit to Diana, South America. That term means land of many waters. They have a lot of waters there. Rivers that run through the land. They have diked up the ocean so they can further increase arable land for farming, agriculture.
And uh, you would think that it would be a prosperous country, but it's not. There's a lot of corruption. But nonetheless, the very fact that it has so much water over there reminds me of a verse of scripture in Acts chapter 14, which I'll read to you. Nevertheless, he left not himself without witness, and that he did good and gave you reign from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness. You know God is long-suffering and kind.
He's not willing that and he should perish. There's also another verse out perhaps just read. And in the second chapter of Romans it says despise us now the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth the repentance. Why is God so good to all alike to the UN thankful and the evil as well? Because he's not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Why are you in good health here tonight?
Because God is good to you. Why is it that, uh, the Lord sends reign and fruitful seasons? Because he's not willing that any should perish. He wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. So to this end, we we're thankful we have the Gospel meeting tonight and we invite all to bow today before it be too late. Time at best is very brief, like the falling of belief, like the binding of the sea. Be in time. You don't know how much longer, how much more time you may have.
Before your life will be snuffed out, let's pray. Blessed God, our loving Father, we thank you for the gospel meeting, and we do pray now. It's a blessed Thy precious word as it goes forth. We know that Thou art longing for perishing sinners to come to Christ for salvation. Thou hast.
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Made the greatest sacrifice and doubt that thou just give thy only begotten son to die in Calvary's cross for us. And so we do pray that.
Many under the sound of thy word this night may receive it as thy gift, Realizing that, uh, it is thy kindness now does take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that he should turn from his wicked way. Blessed God, we ask thy help and blessing now in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Could you turn with me, please, to Luke's Gospel?
Chapter 15.
I suppose the gospel has been preached more on the prodigal Son than any other passage in Scripture because it's so aptly illustrates God's heart of love and our lost condition. You know God is a giving God. He tells us in Hebrews Chapter 7 that without doubt the less is blessed of the greater, and God is a giving God.
Uh, we had in uh the 14th chapter of John. My peace I give unto you. That's what God wants to offer.
Peace to the Law Center. Can any other man offer peace? God wants to offer, he says, in fact, in the end of that 14th chapter not as the world give eye unto you. The world always gives some of what they have and retains A portion for themselves that God wants to bring you into that which he has peace. The 11Th chapter another brother referred to it. 11Th chapter of Matthew, another brother referred to there come unto me all ye that labor and the heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
That's something God wants to give you rest.
There is no rest for the wicked. There is no peace for the wicked. God is willing to offer this to those who come unto him.
Then in the 4th chapter of John wasn't it uh, the Lord tells that woman that said, well I would have given the living water.
You find satisfaction what the world has to offer you.
We're listening to a tape by Al Coleman. I think he had the gospel in Des Moines and he was saying that before his BC days, before he came to Christ, he tried everything that this world had to offer and gave him no satisfaction. He would smoke, he would drink, and he would get whipped by his father. He called it tanning. He got a good tanning by his dad, but he he always went right back to it.
But he never found any satisfaction in any of these things until he came to Christ. Then he found satisfaction. He found that living water. You know, the 10th chapter of John. The Lord says, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and I give unto them eternal life. Isn't that nice? My son Tim preached on that not too long ago.
Uh, eternal life. He told us that that is the very life of Christ himself.
Umm, not just the life that has no ending. Uh, For the ungodly have that life too. They'll have eternal life and a Christ with eternity, a life that will never end. But having the life of Christ, you have a life that never begins as well as never ends. We have that life in Christ. The Lord wants to give this as a gift to all those that come to him. Furthermore, for those who are the Lord, that tells us in the second chapter of Revelation that he will give to the overcomer.
Uh, of the hidden manner.
And a new stone. What is that hidden manna? A new stone, I suppose. The hidden manner would speak of the bread that came down from heaven. Christ himself comes down in humiliation as a man amongst men, perfect in all his ways.
And uh, a new stone? Would that bring before us, uh, the fact that Christ was humbled as well?
The stone which the builders rejected the same as made the head of the corner. All these things the Lord wants to give. And then it tells us in Ephesians chapter 2 for the wages of I beg your pardon, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy he saved us and forever I just bought in Ephesians. Uh, chapter 2.
I'll just read that verse to you, verse 8.
Whereby grace, are you saved through faith in that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast the very gift, my dear friend uh, of faith is given to us of God, Otherwise none of us would receive the Lord and Savior. Well, let us turn to that 15th chapter of Luke, and read commencing with the 11Th verse. And he said a certain man had two sons, the younger of them said to his father.
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Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me. And he divided unto them his living.
Not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with righteous living.
When he spent all, there was a mighty famine in that land, and began to be in want, and he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
And he would fain have filled his belly with the husk, with the swine to eat, and no man gave unto him. And when he was come to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's?
Have ready nothing to spare, and I perish with hunger. I will arise and go to my Father, and I will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before they and am no more worthy to be called thy son, Make me that is one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. And when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
And the Son said unto him, Father.
I have sinned against Evan and in my sight, and I'm no more worthy to be called my son. But his father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet, and bring Heather the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat and be merry. For this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost, and his family.
And they began to be married. Now his eldest son was in the field, and as he came and drew an eye to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked one of these things meant. He said unto him, My brother is coming. Thy father has killed the fatted cat, because he hath received him safe and sound.
And he was angry he would not go in. Therefore came his father out and entreated him.
And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I survey he the transgressed by at any time thy commandment. And yet thou never gave us me a kid, that I might make merry of my friends. But as soon as this my son was come, which hath devoured, and thy living with harlots, I was killed it for him the fatted calf.
And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine it was meat that we should make merry, and be glad that this thy brother was dead, and is alive again, was lost, and is found.
What is the prodigal son? That word prodigal, if you were to look it up in dictionary, it means a wasteful son. One who wastes the goods is good.
Now this man had two sons. What do you suppose a father would like from his sons more than anything else? Would he not like their love and affection? Does not God say, children, honor your parents? Isn't this that which is becoming composed and brought us into this world and nourished us, provided for every need, and trained us in the ways of the Lord? Perhaps you have a mother, a father. That's what brought you to Sunday school, and you've turned your back to that.
And you said no, I want the world.
He's not honored your father and your mother.
This man had two boys and neither of them had any love with their father.
It was the younger of them that said to his father. Notice the older one never addresses him his father, but the younger on several occasions addresses. Is that his father?
He says, Father, give me the portion of goods that fall to me. You know, in normal course of events you don't. You don't get an inheritance until.
The death of the testator.
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And this boy was just as much as saying, uh, father, I can't wait until you die to get that portion of goods by inheritance. Give it to me now. Why wait until you die?
He had no love for his father. What about the older boy? Did he have any more love for his father? No, the father knew that older sons heart as well. That's why it says he divided unto them his living. The father didn't just divide the portion of goods to the younger son and keep the rest and to the older. No, he gave them both their portion.
It says here that the younger son, he didn't wait around too long. He was just sick of home though. Later on in the chapter we see that he got home sick, but at this point he was sick of home and he took off, he says. I'm not sticking around here any longer. Uh, I'm going out living up, uh, life the way I want to do it. I wanna be on my own without any restraint by my parents. We've heard of young people that way.
When they came of age when they said I'll no longer abide them to my father and mother's roof. I'm gonna go out and strike out for myself and do as I please and they sow their wild oats and you know what happens whatsoever man soweth that's only also reap and they reap like kind. Well, this younger son he he gathered all and he goes out into the foreign country and sometimes I've asked this question.
Do you think he was happier when he left home?
Would you think he was happier when he came home?
When was he happier going home?
We're leaving home.
The obvious answer is that.
He was happier when he he left home because when he was coming home, he didn't know how he would be received. He didn't know if his father was waiting just to get in the looking of his life for being such a profligate, such a prodigal son. But here, at this point in our story, this young man had his pockets full of money and his mind full of mischief, and he was out to have a good time in this life. He was gonna forget all about his parents.
All that is home and he is going to live for himself.
Joseph's Ecclesiastes. It says, Remember now as our Creator, in the days of thy youth, while the evil years draw not high, of the days come when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. He was the youth. Was he remembering? No, not at this point he wasn't.
He was going out there and he was going to live it up to the hill.
He went into this foreign country.
Far away from his father and he wasted his substance with varieties living. What about his older brother?
You know what his older brother did? The first verse of the next chapter. That's what his older brother did.
He wasted his goods in his father's house. He didn't go to the far off country. Uh. He presumably stayed. 9 But he wasted his father's good right there, uh in his father's house.
They were both unjust stewards of that which has been committed to them. My dear friends, what have you done with what God has committed to you? Have you used all your talents and your time and your money for yourself?
Yeah, the searching word brought before us not too long ago about he that loses, loses his life. Here, we'll find it.
We lose our lives for the sake of the Lord. You'll find it. And if you want to gain your life here, you're going to lose it. If you think that this world is all that there is to life, the three score in 10 years here, and forget about the eternal day, you're going to lose your life. The Lord said that.
The song thought, well, here was this man. He goes to this far country. In fact, you'll see in these UH-5 successive chapters in in Luke far off place, as mentioned 8 in each chapter. Here's the far country. And he wasted his substance with a riotous living.
When he expends all, there arose a mighty famine in that land, and he began to be in want.
He spent all.
You probably had a lot of friends because you know, uh, when you have friends, you have uh, you have money, you have friends. They all come around to see what you can do and how you can, uh share with what you have, uh with them. Those who strike it rich in the lottery, uh they spend their money so foolishly they have plenty of friends. But it's not uh too long before the fool and his money are parted. And that's what happened. Sometimes you wonder how they ever got together in the 1St place, but here they parted. Here's a full.
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He's parted from his money.
And began to be in want. And umm, suppose you went to this man at this time and you say, well, what you've got to do over here in this far off country is to improve your circumstances.
Uh, try to get a good job better yourself. Would that ever have brought him back to the father's house? Never. He never would have realized himself as a Sinner. That's what the social gospel does. Improve for yourself.
Lift yourself up by your bootstraps.
But he was a man. He got so low, he got right down into the pigpen. Now, you know, a pig was a swine or unclean animals. It was the most detestable thing for a Jew to be feeding pigs. There was a man in Dorothy who told me that he was saved by this passage. His name was Eli Clemenson, and he had some pigs on his, uh, chicken farm. One day when he was feeding the pig, he says, you know, I'm just like that prodigal son.
Here I am feeding pigs in the pig pen, and I'm not saved. I'm gonna receive the Lord right here. And he got down his knees as a pig pen got saved. Wonderful Christian man, Mr. Clementson was.
Uh, but here was this poor boy in the pig pen, and it says, No man gave unto him.
Yeah, it husks. He had this wine there, You know, the devil always has plenty of both. He always has husks and swine. And here was this boy over there. And no man gave unto him. No one cared to him. But it says that when he came to himself. Can I ask you this question? What made him come to himself?
I believe it was the Spirit of God that made him come to himself in time, who sang Be in time, Be in time. In the 16th chapter of the same book, there was a man who came to himself too late says in hell. He lifted up his eyes. Being in torment, he came to himself all right, didn't he? But it was too late for that man. Thank God this man came to his fences in time, says in Zechariah chapter 4, Not by Might.
Norwich by power, but by my spirits, saith the Lord God, neither one of us dear friends, would ever come to Christ. We're not for the fact that God worked in our hearts by his spirit give us to see our lost condition and cause us to flee to Christ for refuge. Who is God that brought this man to himself in that far off land?
Man's extremities, God's opportunity when this man came to his end.
Within corner, you wanna call it that? Like you're having Psalm 107? They come to their wits end and then they call upon God. Those Mariners there. Remember Psalm 107?
Now his memory starts working when he's there, he starts to think when he comes to himself, he says.
How many hard servants of my father's have read enough and to spare?
He remembers his upbringing.
He was. He had a good upbringing, probably had an education. His father was well off and servants there. He remembers this. And here he was perishing with hunger. You know, I don't like that word. Perish is a certain ring of finality to that word. Perish. Remember rehab in the 11Th chapter of Hebrews? What's it say about her?
Verse 31, I'll just read it. You need not turn, because by faith the Rehab perished not with them that believe. Not when she had received the Spies and Peaks.
Rehab saw that her Jericho, her country was doomed and she didn't want to perish with everybody else. Would you say that she was a trader to her country and that she hits spies? No, she was white. She did not want to perish. She traded time for eternity. Fact. The grace of God brought her into the very lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ. She did not want to perish. Here. This boy in the pigpen. He was.
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Thing I I'm perishing here with hunger. My dear friends, you realize that in your seat. If you're without Christ tonight, you are about to perish. The Lord were to come. We've been reading about the Lord's coming in. John 14. I'll come again. If he came tonight, you'd be left behind. For what? To perish.
Is appointed unto men once to die. And after this the judgment. There is no second chance after this life, dear friends, It's all over fuel.
This boy realized I'm perishing here with hunger. I've got to do something. The spirit of God.
Commenced the work and was about to complete it with him.
He says I will arise.
Is the energy of faith.
I will arise. The Spirit of God was working, we say, you know, in Genesis chapter 24.
Uh.
When the unnamed servant there saw Rebecca, you know what?
Uh, he did. He ran to her. In this chapter, we have the Father running to the sun, the 24th of Genesis. We have the entire the Spirit running to the bride. Will thou go with this man? But how's the response? I will.
Here, he says too. I will. I will arise and I'll go to my father.
Now say unto him, Father, I have sinned.
You know, many people would like to say, well, we've all said, you know, and we're all sinners in the sight of God, but this man made it very personal.
He said I have sent this person now if I can find it, what does it say?
Uh, Job chapter 33 and verse 27. He looketh upon men, and if any say I have sinned and perverted that which was right and a prophet of me not what will be the result? He will deliver his soul from going into the pit. He had a lovely verse in Job 33. If any will say I have sinned.
What I've been doing isn't profiting me anything.
Then God will deliver his soul from going into the pit. What a lovely verse of scripture. There's no good to say. We have sinned. I have sinned.
It's a personal matter in salvation. Have you ever come to that point where you said God be merciful to me the Sinner? As Republicans prayer went into the temple he said God he smote on his breast and he said God be merciful to me the Sinner. I understand the force of those words is as if there was no other Sinner. God be merciful to me the Sinner. That man went down to his house justified. Have you ever prayed the publicans prayer my dear friend?
Between yourself and God. God be merciful to me, Mr. That's all I am who are healthy. Irving Center. For I have sinned against heaven, And before thee I take this to be his confession.
And I'm no more worthy. I think she is worthy. I think anybody who knows the Lord, any Christian, is worthy. There's no worthiness in anyone in this world, my dear friends.
There's only one in the 5th chapter of Revelation who is found worthy to open the book and to lose the seals thereof. The lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed is the only worthy 1.
We're not worthy. I'm not worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of the hired servants. You know he was willing just to be a a doorkeeper in his father's house. And there's nothing wrong with that.
Tells us in Psalm 84 I'd rather be a doorkeeper in the House of Lord than to dwell intensive wickedness, If only I could just get inside the door.
And many folks feel that way. You know, if only I can just get saved, that's that's all I want. John 316 is good enough for me. But let me tell you that, uh, there's far more of it. God has in store to you, your fellow believer. He wants us to explore all the treasures of the house, all that he has, all our spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Just make me as one of my heart service. He wanted to be in the Father's house, but would that be acceptable?
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Uh, for him to come back as a servant. Suppose you to encounter that boy afterwards, and uh, there he's a servant and you say, well, how come isn't this boy uh your son? How come he's a servant? You know, the reproach of what that boy had done would always remain with him as a stigma as long as he was a servant. Right. The father wasn't receiving back as a servant. No way. No way.
We won't be in heaven as a forgiving sinners, my dear friends.
Well, look. Uh.
Do you suppose that Rahab sat at her husband's table as a forgiving harlot? No way, no way. God brings us into all the blessedness of his son as his children and his coheres with Christ, and this father is not going to receive this prodigal son as a servant. And so he arose verse 20, and came to his father.
And when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him. You know that that word there a great way off it could be read this way. His father saw him in the far off land. His father saw him while he was in the pigsty. His father knew all about his sinful condition, but was waiting until he would come to himself.
And come back home. The father couldn't.
Say, say, reverently. Wait to show love and affection to that poor boy. The father saw all that he was doing there.
In the second chapter of Exodus, wasn't it there that we read that and God looked down from from heaven and he tells Moses, Uh, let me just read you a few verses there.
What he had seen.
In the third chapter in verse 7, the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt. I have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters, and I know their sorrows. It doesn't say that the the children of Israel, prides of the Lord, they were crying, but not to the Lord. They had forgotten all about the Lord.
But God looked down. He saw, He heard, and he knew, just like the Father.
Saw, heard and knew all about his boy down there in the pig pen.
When he was hit a great way off, his father saw him and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. He he covered him with kisses. I think a better translation surrenders that the father covered him with kisses with all his filth. You have no idea, they said. A friend that welcomed that God wants to give you. He longs to redeem you. He wants to save you just as you are with all your filth and rags. The father fell on that son, covered him with kisses.
The same word is used of Judas. When he betrayed the Lord, he covered the Lord with kisses. How deceitful and incurably hard, wicked is the heart of man.
One who accompanied in the presence of the Lord for 3 1/2 years, covering the Lord with kisses and betrayal. But this is the Father's reception of the guilty Sinner.
Rags in the ruins without and within when terrible mass of pollution and sin by false friends. Deserted of riches, bereft, he now returns to the home he once left.
The father saw him there.
And so the sun starts in with his little preachment here.
He says father.
I see.
Notice that the older older brother never said that. The older brother never once in his life said, I have sinned. This younger man did father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight.
And I am no more worthy to be called my son, my son.
Period. His little sermon got interrupted at that point. He got cut short. His father never let him finish in that speech of his. That was the end of it. That's all that his Father wanted to hear. I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight shall we sin against seven, All sinners primarily against God, as David said in the Psalm of repentance. Against thee and thee only have I sinned. You may tell me why he sinned against you, or I am Bathsheba.
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Was primarily against God that David's sinned. I have sinned against thee and against heaven in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
That's as far as he got, my father said to his servant. Spring forth the best robe and put it on.
You didn't even have to put it on himself, did he?
You take that robe and put it on my boy.
What happened when Adam and Eve sat in the garden?
It says God clothed them with coats of skin. Adam and Eve didn't have to put on those uh, coats of skin. No. God slew these animals and provided, in the substitutionary death of an innocent animal, a covering for our guilty parents. God covered them with totes of skins. And so here the father had his poor boy covered.
Take this robe and put it on and put a ring.
On his hand.
What does that speak of?
When I see a young lady and she's wearing a ring on her hand, this is not me. I don't have one because sometimes my ring gets caught. Almost lost my life several times.
The nature of my work. But when I see a young lady with a ring on her finger, it tells me she belongs to somebody. The ring speaks of possession.
Uh, someone has won her affections.
And uh, we belong to somebody.
We've been redeemed with the price. You're not your own.
Paul says, I have espoused you as a chaste virgin, uh, unto Christ.
We belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. If our sins are washed away in the precious blood of Christ, he has it where it puts a ring on our finger. We belong to Christ. The disciples of First call Christians at Antioch Christ ones.
And shoes on his feet.
Tells us in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 15, have you having your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace?
What a blessing thing it is to have the good news of salvation, to tell others not to keep it to ourselves. This is the day of good tidings. We do not well to keep this good news to ourselves, dear brethren, I know we can spend all our time preaching to ourselves, but what about taking the gospel in the regions beyond? To those that have never heard the old, old story of Jesus and his love? How beautiful on the mountain are the feet of them that bring good tidings.
Oh, what a what's good news we have? We always have our feet shog with the preparation.
Of the gospel of peace would also speak, I'm sure, of separation from this world and all its defilements, having our walk in order, shoes on our feet, and bring Heather the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat and be merry. Notice that this was a very special animal. This was not any gas. It certainly was not the kid that the older one requested in verse 29.
The fatted calf was a a special animal that was kept up for a special occasion. And this is what the father thought of his returning son. Uh, let us kill the fatted calf. The fatted calf, my dear friend, speaks to us of Christ.
Christ is the fatted cat who sacrificed for us at Calvary, God's well beloved Son. This is my beloved Son whom I found all my delight. It was kept up from the 10th to the 14th to see if there was anything within without any defect. But there was nothing that they could find within him. There was nothing they could accuse him of. Which of you convinced me of sin, The devil commented. And find that nothing in me.
Perfect the fatted calf. And yet he was crucified on Calvary. Christ suffered for sins. Adjust for the unjust wine so that he could bring you to God. That's why he suffered to just for the unjust that he could bring us to God. Did we deserve it, my dear friend? Oh no. In sovereign grace can you ever fathom such love as that that God would give his son? Would you give your only son to die for people who hated you?
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If that's what God did, gave his only begotten son.
That whosoever that means, everybody whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life kill the fatted calf.
So they began to be merry. It doesn't say anything about ending here on earth. The song begins in heaven, more sweet and loud to him who claims our sins in his own precious blood to send him. We sing with joyful strain beyond our power and praise on them they just began.
To be married before he began to perish with hunger.
He began to be in want, but now he begins to be merry.
You know the elder son was in the field.
What's the field in The 13th chapter of Matthew's Gospel tells us that the field is the world. That's where the older boy was. He was in the world, enjoying the world, and as he drew near to the house.
He heard music and dancing.
You know, you can go to a lot of places, I'm sure right now in Binghamton where you can hear music and dancing. There was a time when Moses, he heard music and dancing in that 32nd chapter of Genesis when he came down from the mount, he saw the children of Israel dancing around this calf and this angle of wax hot.
Cast the tables out of his hands and he breaks them.
There's a lot of music and dancing going on around about today, my dear friends, but I don't think it's, it's, uh, joy in the Lord. I don't think it's joy in the Lord. There is joy in the Lord when you come to Christ.
Tremendous joy that will never cease in thy presence. There is fullness of joy in that right hand. There are pleasures forevermore. Well, he heard an explanation about this music and dancing called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
And he said unto thy brother is common. Thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound.
You know the Lord has not given to us the spirit of fear, but of power and love, and of a sound mind or sound intellect. Ah, Timothy there. It's a wonderful thing to be possessed with a sound mind. To test these things by the word of God. Like the Marines to see. Search the Scriptures to see if these things are so. Not to take the preacher's word for it this evening, my dear friends, but have you ever opened the Bible for yourself?
I found that so many people have a Bible and they never read it. And I tell them, you know, suppose the wife and I invite you to our house to a lovely supper. And he come in and you sit down at the table, and you look at that lovely food on the table, and you just look at it and you never eat it because it could do you any good. No. Suppose you have a Bible in your house and you never read it. Does it do you any good? No, won't do you any good.
Unless you open the book and search it out for yourself to see if this is indeed the word of God.
Well.
Here.
This boy was angry.
Verse 28. He was angry. He should have been happy that his younger brother came home. He should have been very happy. Now if you wanna take, I don't know, some expositors, take the older one as being the Jew and the younger boy as being the Gentile. Uh, the Jews should have been very happy if the Gentiles. If the Jews themselves did not wanna receive the good news of salvation, they should have been very happy that the gospel goes out to the Gentiles. But there is a verse in uh, Second Thessalonians. Uh, first Thessalonians is it.
That tells us.
Thessalonians 2, verse 16 forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sin always, for wrath has come upon them to the uttermost. They did not want to receive the Jewish people. The Lord came to His own people. They received and not. They did not want to receive the good news, and they for bad the gospel going out to the Gentiles, those who were steeped in heathenism.
Idol worshippers, they didn't want them to receive the good news of salvation. This boy here, he was angry that his brother came younger brother came home and he says and he he would not go in. You know he he is a will is expressed there. We don't have time to turn to it but we would have turned to Deuteronomy 21. It tells us that if a a father and mother have a stubborn son who will not obey the voice of their parents.
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They were to bring them, Bring that boy before the congregation. They were to stone him with stones until he died for being stubborn and he would not listen. You'd be stubborn tonight when you hear God's word and God is beseeching you. He's not asking for your money, dear friend. He wants you to come just as you are. He wants to receive you. We're all sinners. We're all on the same platform before God. There's nothing to do with good. No, not one.
God says that it all comes shorter. We'd just like the kids. We've all come short.
This boy was angry. He exercised his will. He wouldn't go out.
So his father.
Went out to him and entreated him.
Strange, isn't it? Isn't it strange that you read in Isaiah chapter one, where the Lord says I'll read you those words here if you're familiar with it.
Come now, verse 18, Let us reason together, saith the Lord. Will your sins be a scarlet? I'll be white as no, though they be red like Crimson, they shall be as wool. You know what? It's so strange. How do I put things?
How often do you find the president?
Pleading with a a convicted prisoner.
Not often, but here is God pleading with those who are guilty who are sin laden. He says let's read them together. If your sins are a scarlet, I'll make them as white as snow. If they be red like Crimson, they'll be just like wool. I'll cancel the entire, uh account for you. I'll set you free, you can go Scott free, and furthermore I'll bring you into my home.
As a.
To share the inheritance of the first born son. Marvelous grace of our saving God, isn't it? Here the Father goes out and he plays with him.
He entreated him.
But the boy says, oh, these many years, do I serve thee? Oh, let me tell you, there are a lot of folks in Binghamton tonight who think they're serving God. They go to church. I just passed the great big Let's see, what was it called? The Universal Unitarian Congregationalist Church. Oh my. I read that description on the church this morning. If ever I thought of Laodicea lukewarmness, that must be ice cold.
I serve the Lord. I'm doing all these things for the Lord, and yet you never gave me a kid that I can.
Enjoy with my my friends. He said that I can make merry with my friends. He didn't have any love for his father. He didn't want a kid to share and to enjoy happy fellowship with his father. This older boy had no love for his father, he said. I wanted to make merry with my friends. You never gave me. Don't believe it, My friends. God's given you everything. Life and health, fruitful seasons and rain. He's giving you breath of this very moment.
Why do you think God has prolonged your life until July year 2001? Is it not so that you could be saved? That's why you're here tonight? The gospel meeting God does not will. He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked wicked should turn from his evil way. He says that as soon as this.
Thy son was come notice that he never refers to him as my brother, he said. That's your son.
He never refers to the younger one. Is my brother as soon as this thy son?
Was gone which have devoured thy living with harlots. Thou hast killed for him a savage cat. Well, the older boy didn't understand, he just did not have it at the intelligence of the son. And so his father says to him in verse 31, Child and better translation, child, Thou art ever with me.
And all that I have is thine.
He doesn't want to address her as a child, one who doesn't have understanding.
Says in Proverbs 23. My son, give me thine heart. God wants your heart.
All that I have is fine. It was meat that we should make. Marian be glad for this. Thy brother. You see, the father reminds this boy of what he forgot that he's your brother. He has to be reminded of that. He was dead. He was alive again. He was lost and is found. You know that's the condition of every Sinner dead and lost before God. Not like that man who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves. And they left them half dead.
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All my dear friends, you are completely dead. You are dead in trespasses and sins before God. You don't need a social gospel. There were those in Guyana who uh.
My people, I guess in this church, they would go to the, uh, the prisons, and they would, uh, entertain the prisoners with music and so forth, and uh, they would have beautiful singing and there was no change in those prisoners. But one day the Lord sent one of his servants there and told those men that they were on their way to hell. They didn't repent and turn to Christ and trust in him and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ so that they could be saved. You know, they never heard that.
They're entertained Sunday after Sunday, but they never heard the gospel.
But these people on death row, they heard the gospel and they got saved.
I think I saved so thoroughly the work of God that they laid hold of the Bible and they started in the Georgetown prison. The Gospel worked with other prisoners and the wardens left. These death row inmates preached the gospel to everybody else.
We entrusted to them the questionnaires on John's Gospel.
They're over 70 men there who did not have a Bible shared one Bible answered these questions so that seventy others could get the Bible.
My friend, what is your choice tonight?
Christ wants to save you. Choice is up to you. If you go to hell, God has blocked the road to hell with the cross of Calvary. And if you go to hell, you have to go around the cross on the Broad Rd. that lead to the destruction.
In closing, let's just saying to.
2 verses The 1St 2 verses of #12 just as I am that one play, but that's my blood was shed for me and that thou best me come to thee. Oh Lamb of God I can't remember 12 just the first two verses.
You know what I'm.
Right. Blessed God, our loving Father. We thank you for thy saving grace we do praise.
Strike down the heart of someone who's been resisting the all these years.
Some center who thinks he can make his, his or her way through life without Christ, then to face lost eternity without Christ. Blessed God, do bless thy word. We pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.