A Word about the Church as a Divine Creation

 

Today I want to share a word about the church as a divine creation.

Our family served in Great Yarmouth, England, for three years on loan to the Baptist Union of Great Britain. During those years we had the opportunity to take passenger trains to other towns on several occasions. Once I took a train trip from Great Yarmouth, on the east coast of England, all the way to Glasgow, which is on the west coast of Scotland. This was at least an eight-hour trip. This kind of travel is almost impossible in the USA, which is why it is so funny to me that the British people complain so often about how bad their trains are. 

In the USA, we have very few passenger trains left, and we also have relatively few railroad companies left also. That sector of our economy has seen much consolidation in recent years, with many mergers between what once were large, powerful, and profitable railroad companies. A reason for this, according to one industry expert, is that the owners of the railroads did not realize what business they were in. Their vision of their business was in operating trains. In truth, they were in the transportation business. Therefore, they failed to adapt to the rise of air travel, and the growth of the Interstate Highway System. Their share of the transportation market shrunk, as did the profitability of their businesses. Instead of diversifying their business plan, they dug in and lost their shirts.

Before we can have a vision for the church, we must understand what it is, and what God intends it to be, and to become.  Let’s begin this by looking at the nature of the church from 1 Peter 2:1-10.

So rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, desire the pure spiritual milk, so that you may grow by it for your salvation, since you have tasted that the Lord is good. Coming to Him, a living stone—rejected by men but chosen and valuable to God— you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it is contained in Scripture: Look! I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and honored cornerstone, and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame! So honor will come to you who believe, but for the unbelieving, The stone that the builders rejected— this One has become the cornerstone, and A stone to stumble over, and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the message; they were destined for this. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

The Church has a Divine Origin:

A common question when you meet someone for the first time is, “Where are you from?” It is obvious that while all people are similar, we are not all alike, and where someone comes from has a bearing on their outlook on life. So, asking, “Where are you from?” helps us find a frame of reference and it helps us understand more about how a person thinks.

For example, I was on a mission trip to New York City when I had two starkly different experiences. One day, when our team was travelling by the subway at rush hour, a colleague and I got separated from our group and we were left on the platform when the car doors closed. We got on the next train going in the right direction, but we were uncertain of how many stops remained before we were supposed to get off and rejoin our team. As we were discussing this, a kind young lady spoke up and corrected us. She knew we were from out-of-town, and she was glad to help us rejoin our other colleagues.

On the other hand, on that same mission trip to NYC, we were walking back to our accommodations after supper one evening, when we overtook an older lady pushing a baby carriage. As we came up on her, I heard her talking, cooing, and saying, “You’re such a good little boy; you’re such a good little boy.” Thinking she was a grandmother taking her grandson out for a stroll, I looked down into the carriage as we walked by, in anticipation of saying, “What a beautiful baby,” but I had to choke back those words. In the carriage was not a baby, but a furry little dog! I think it was a Pekinese, but I was too stunned to be sure. In hindsight, what that lady was doing made some sense, because that dog’s legs were very short, but in the moment, I was speechless! I have learned since then that this may be something that some people from big cities do with their small dogs, but it was not something I had ever seen before!

Then there was the revival speaker who said in his sermon, “Know this: everyone from this town will die one day and face God’s judgment.” That’s when a guy at the back started giggling. Taking this as a challenge, the preacher confronted him, saying, “You don’t believe that everyone from this town will die one day and face God’s judgment?” The man said, “No, it’s just that I’m not from this town!”

Peter reminds us here that the church comes from God. He chose us and He sought us when we were nothing. We had no home, but He made us a nation. He gave us a name, a heritage, a fellowship, and an identity.

Some of the churches with the most powerful ministries are the so-called “international” churches. In most major cities around the world a large number of ex-patriots have moved there because of their businesses. These people are sometimes called “cut flowers” because they are not from where they are living and thus, they are rootless. These ex-patriots often find a common faith, and also a common bond in their church. They are not at home in the foreign city where they work, but they find a home in God’s church.

This should be true for us as well! We aren’t from here either!  We are in the world, but we are not of the world! We are from God! Therefore, we should act, speak, love, work, and live, like we are from God!

The Church has a Divine Calling:

At various times in our lives, we find ourselves waiting to be called. This can be tedious, difficult, and discouraging. For example:

• Family members waiting to be called to find out the results of a loved one’s surgery 
• Defendants waiting for their cases to be called in court 
• Job applicants waiting to be called back and offered a job
• Patients waiting to be called back to see the dentist
• Customers of an auto repair shop waiting to be called to find out how expensive the repairs will be

In many ways, this is how we were before God called us. We were people in darkness, waiting for someone to call out to us and guide us. Praise God, however, because He has called us! Isaiah 9:2 says,

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness.

Blessedly for us, God called us out of darkness: The darkness of sin. The darkness of despair. The darkness of isolation. The darkness of aimless living. The darkness of hopelessness.

To me, darkness has an oppressive quality that can be overwhelming. For me, to be standing alone in the darkness is like having a blanket thrown over my head. Darkness presses in on every side, but instead of being a cocoon, it is a trap, it is a grave.

Blessedly for us, God called us into His marvelous light: The light of forgiveness. The light of encouragement. The light of relationship. The light of meaning and mission. The light of purpose.

This light in us starts small, but even the smallest of light defeats darkness.

Geri and I once toured Carlsbad Caverns, NM. We went down 1,604 feet underground, and one of the features of this tour was when the guide shut off all the lights. I have never been in such a dark place in all my life. The darkness had a physical quality, but then the guide lit a single match. It was like the burning of the Sun, it seemed so bright! After a short while, as the match started to die, the guide switched on the overhead lights again, and the light from the match was swallowed up by them. This is just like our faith in Christ.

God has called us from darkness, and our personal knowledge of Him begins like that match. It drives the darkness from us, but our faith is small and immature. As we grow in Christ, our faith grows, and so does His light in our life. It fills us until it shines out into our family, friends, co-workers, and community.

God calls us from sin and despair into a loving relationship with Him!

The Church has a Divine Relationship:

When God called us to Himself, He adopted us, and He made us a part of His family. Paul described us as being a branch grafted onto an olive tree. Either way, we have a new relationship in Christ.

Families tend to have characteristics all their own. Leo Tolstoy began his novel Anna Karenina by saying, “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”  What is God’s family like?

First, God’s family has a royal relationship. We are the Bride of Christ, so we are betrothed to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. We are no longer commoners, but we are royalty, with all the rights, privileges and responsibilities there unto pertaining.  This changes who we are and how we should see ourselves. We may not think we are very much ourselves, but we are in a royal family. Conversely, we might think a great deal of ourselves, but our family is so much more than what we are. In our royal family, we all serve the same King, and we all share His glory as well.

We also have a peculiar (unique) relationship. The church and God have an exclusive relationship, which is another reason why the church is the bride of Christ. As Genessis 2:24 says,

This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh. 

No one can replace God for the church. No one can replace the church for God. God is righteously jealous for His church, and His church should be righteously zealous for Him.

We also have a relationship based on mercy. This is not the kind of mercy that you might see when you play the game where you lock your hands and interlock your fingers with your opponent and twist and squeeze them until they cry, “Mercy!” No!

Once we are in a relationship with God, He is not trying to make us submit, but instead, He is trying to build us up. While we do not deserve our relationship with God, He has called us to Himself out of His love and mercy. This means we can rest in Him; we did nothing to earn His mercy, so we can do nothing to lose it either!

 In God, we have a relationship that meets our needs while also honoring and glorifying God.

The Church has a Divine Purpose:

Many people are searching for purpose in life. They feel empty and meaningless. This has been true for millennia. In Ecclesiastes 1:2ff. King Solomon, whom God had given a special gift of wisdom, bemoaned,

“Absolute futility,” says the Teacher. “Absolute futility. Everything is futile.” What does a man gain for all his efforts that he labors at under the sun? A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets; panting, it returns to its place where it rises. Gusting to the south, turning to the north, turning, turning, goes the wind, and the wind returns in its cycles. All the streams flow to the sea, yet the sea is never full. The streams are flowing to the place, and they flow there again. All things are wearisome; man is unable to speak. The eye is not satisfied by seeing or the ear filled with hearing.  What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun. Can one say about anything, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us. There is no remembrance of those who came before; and of those who will come after there will also be no remembrance by those who follow them.

Many centuries later, the singer Tennessee Ernie Ford agreed with Solomon in his own, simpler way, lamenting, “You load sixteen tons, and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt.”

In spiritual terms, the old saying, “it’s not what you know, but whom you know,” is true. Outside of a vital relationship with God, life is empty and meaningless. In a relationship with God, in His church, serving His cause, we have purpose and meaning. This is what Paul told us in Philippians 3:3-9.

For we are the circumcision, the ones who serve by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh— although I once also had confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless. But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith.

So, what is our purpose? First, we are to proclaim God’s praises. We are to praise Him for His mercy towards us and for His grace to us. We are to praise Him for His blessing of us. This is why we sing in church, and it is also why we will sing around the throne in heaven as we see in Revelation 7:9-12.

After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were robed in white with palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb! All the angels stood around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures, and they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, saying: Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen.

We also find fulfillment in being God’s priests. We have a High Priest, Jesus, whom we saw last week sitting at the right hand of God, but we also have our own calling to be priests. Just as Jesus stands between us and God, interceding for us, we are called to stand between God and humanity, bridging the gap.

For each of us this looks different. We are not all Billy Graham, but as many people as he pointed towards God, he is no longer with us. We are priests in many different ways, but the one thing that we will have in common is that we point toward God.

In God, we have a purpose that turns everyday events into actions that point to Him.

Conclusion:

Many celebrities, as they are working themselves up the ladder of fame, are reminded, “Always remember from where you came.” This should be true for us as well. We must remember that God’s church has: 

• A Divine Origin 
• A Divine Calling
•  A Divine Relationship  
• A Divine Purpose

We are all human, and our churches are made up of humans, but our Founder, and our Sustainer is God, and that makes all the difference!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about the Perfect Son

As we conclude our series “Family Business,” today, I want to share a word about the Perfect Son.

I think that most parents are proud of their children, and often they are too proud. Many teachers have found out that many parents of their students believe that they can do no wrong . . . at least at school. Sooner or later, however, the truth becomes apparent. In fact, my mom found this out about me.

 When I was in elementary school and even junior high school, I was a fairly compliant child. When I got into high school things started to change a little, and I was less compliant at home and much grumpier. One day, after I had sparked several arguments with both my sister and my mom, she said, “Otis! What happened to you? You used to be such a good boy!”   

In hindsight, I could give her a few answers to that question:

a.    Puberty
b.    Adolescence
c.    Testosterone
d.    Human sin nature
e.    All of the above

I think “all of the above,” is probably the correct answer.

 The truth is, all of us have sinned, and no child has ever been perfect, except one. As we finish our look at families in the Bible today, let’s look together at that unique, perfect, Son. Let’s begin by reading Hebrews 1:1-4.

Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son. God has appointed Him heir of all things and made the universe through Him. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. So He became higher in rank than the angels, just as the name He inherited is superior to theirs.

Jesus is the Perfect Son because of Who He Is:

In our modern, democracy-oriented world, who a person is should not be important. Officially we believe that it is what a person knows or what they can do that should count. We know this is not always true, but it should be. God’s economy is different, however.

Our God reigns over an eternal and holy kingdom. No one can vote God into or out of His office. He is Sovereign over all things, and He reigns with ultimate authority. What He says, goes, and what He does, stands. He is King, not president!

Likewise, royal lines are not established by the popular vote, but through heredity. We have recently seen such a plan of succession take effect. As soon as Queen Elizabeth II breathed her last, Prince Charles became King Charles, not necessarily because of any ability on his part, but because he was the first son of the Queen.

In a kingdom, people in leadership positions exercise delegated authority.  The kings of Israel were appointed and anointed by God. They reigned in His name for as long as they lived (if they were not overthrown by a foreign nation because of their sin). Likewise, Roman procreators were appointed by Caesar, and they ruled in his name until he promoted them, or he disposed of them. In God’s Kingdom, the one whom He has appointed and anointed to exercise His authority is His Son, Jesus.

Jesus has the rights of a king, and not only does He claim them, He also exercises them! The Bible tells us in Matthew 28:18, that Jesus has all authority. In Matthew 25:31-32, we read that Jesus will judge all the nations. In 2 Timothy 4:8, Paul said that on the Day of the Lord, Jesus will bestow honors upon His faithful subjects. These are all things that kings and emperors do, and Jesus will do these things because He is the Son of the King!

Jesus is the perfect Son because of who He is, but also because of what He is.

Jesus is the Perfect Son because of What He Is:

Jesus is perfect because He is the Son of the Perfect God of the Universe. He is omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, and omnipresent. Psalm 139:7-12 tells us,

Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. If I live at the eastern horizon or settle at the western limits, even there Your hand will lead me; Your right hand will hold on to me. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light around me will be night”—even the darkness is not dark to You. The night shines like the day; darkness and light are alike to You.

We have come to expect a family resemblance among the children of a family. A child might favor one parent or another, but almost always elements of both parents can be found in their children. In the case of Jesus, however, we see more than just a resemblance, but we see God Himself, because,

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, 

If we want to see God, we must look at Jesus. If we want to know what God thinks, we must look at Jesus. If we want to know what God does, we must look at Jesus. If we want to know how God loves, we must look at Jesus, for when we look at Jesus, we look at God!

Humanly, I am glad to live in a democracy where we can hold our leaders accountable. I have no desire to serve any human king, because human hearts are weak, and wicked. On the other hand, I am happy to serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is perfect in righteousness and holiness, and He is loving and just, and Jesus is the Heir to His throne!

Jesus was the perfect Son because of what He is, the radiance of God’s glory! Jesus was also the perfect Son because of what He does

Jesus is the Perfect Son because of What He Does:

Occupying a position is different than actually working in a job. As more than one lazy person has said, “I don’t want a job, I want a position.” Having a relationship, or an appointment, or delegated authority is useless unless you actually engage in the relationship, fulfill the requirements of the appointment, or exercise your authority.

Not many years ago, former Alabama Secretary of State Nancy Worley was criticized during her tenure for excessive absenteeism from her office. She was detached from day-to-day operations and unresponsive to both her constituents and her staff in one of the most important constitutional offices of the state. The fact that she was away from her duties so much caused her to be defeated for reelection.  Who you are, and what you are is not important if you don’t do what is required of you, if you don’t do what is necessary.

Jesus is the perfect Son, because He did everything that the Father asked Him to do. In John 17:4, Jesus prayed to God and reported that,

I have glorified You on the earth by completing the work You gave Me to do.

Later in that prayer Jesus revealed some of the tasks He had completed.

I have revealed Your name to the men You gave Me from the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they know that all things You have given to Me are from You, because the words that You gave Me, I have given them. They have received them and have known for certain that I came from You. They have believed that You sent Me. John 17:6-8

Jesus went on to report that, 

While I was with them, I was protecting them by Your name that You have given Me. I guarded them and not one of them is lost, except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture may be fulfilled. John 17:12 

Jesus also noted,

I have given them the glory You have given Me. May they be one as We are one. John 17:22 

In addition, Jesus said that,

 I made Your name known to them and will make it known, so the love You have loved Me with may be in them and I may be in them. John 17:26

Later, on the Cross Jesus told the world that He had completed His assignment.

When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” Then bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. John 19:30

Hebrews Chapter 1 proclaims Jesus as the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer of our world. Again, this demonstrates His perfection, because this passage describes a complete work.

Some believe in a Creator who made the world but left it to spin on its own. This is not enough, however. A spinning top that is set in motion will eventually slow and fall unless its momentum is sustained, as would the Creation in which we live. Jesus, however, is also our Sustainer, present in the world and engaged with it and with us. He didn’t start up the world and leave it to its own devices. No! As the Creator, He owns everything, and He takes responsibility for it. Hebrews 1:10-12 tells us,

In the beginning, Lord, You established the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands; they will perish, but You remain. They will all wear out like clothing; You will roll them up like a cloak, and they will be changed like a robe. But You are the same, and Your years will never end.

Even sustaining this world is not enough, because human sin has spoiled it. God’s perfection cannot abide with an imperfect world, and so it must be redeemed. The only one capable of restoring a broken world to perfection is the perfect Son, and He has done so by offering Himself up to redeem it, and to send the Holy Spirit to transform it.

Jesus is the Perfect Son because of what He does: He does a complete job of all His Father asks Him to do. He is also perfect because of where He is.

Jesus is the Perfect Son because of Where He Is:

At this moment, as we consider Hebrews 1, Jesus has sat down at the right hand of the Father. This is a place of power and righteousness, befitting the perfect Son of God.

The fact that Jesus is at the right hand of God means that He is in the place of honor, the place of preferred treatment. It is also a sign and symbol that Jesus is righteous and strong and also that He acts with God’s authority.

The fact that He is with the Father is important too, because this shows the unity of the Godhead. We have seen many instances in the Word in which family members have been in conflict with one another. We have recently seen two instances of sons refusing to obey their father, but this is not the case here. In fact, Jesus said that “I and the Father are One.” There is no distance and no conflict between God the Father and God the Son.

Because Jesus sits at the right hand of God, He has access to God the Father. This is vital to us, because Jesus is our High Priest, and through Him and only through Him do we have access to the Father.

We also must note that Jesus is sitting. When a king holds court, it would be rare that anyone else would be sitting, and when we see Jesus sitting, it shows us the special place of honor given to Him. Sitting is also the posture that Jewish Rabbis would take when teaching the Word, and so we see that Jesus continues to disciple His people, even as He sits at rest during His sabbath between His First Coming and His Second, which is yet to be.

We also must recognize that Jesus is not just sitting next to His Father. Hebrews 1:13 says,

Now to which of the angels has He ever said: Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool?

Jesus is sitting above, over, and on top of His enemies in a way that no one else has. Who but the Perfect Son could be worthy of that.

Jesus is the Perfect Son because of How He has Blessed Us:

Finally, Jesus is the perfect Son because of how He blesses us. He is exactly who and what we need. First, Jesus is perfect for us, because He has provided a way to be forgiven of our sins. Only Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for us, and only Jesus was willing to die in our place.

I have had the experience of needing help with a project or an issue, and I have reached out to others for help. I have also had the frustrating experience of finding someone with the right expertise who was unwilling to help or who was unavailable to help. Conversely, I have had people willingly offer help, but they could not do what was needed. These two polar opposites can, and do, happen in our spiritual lives as well. Jesus is perfect for us because He can help us, and He is also willing to help us. Not only that, but also He has also helped us with our most critical need without cost to us. Jesus is our perfect antidote for sin.

Jesus is also the perfect Son, because He helps us in our daily lives. He is the Word of God that we can access to find guidance, warning, and encouragement to know how to walk closely with God. More than that, Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit to interpret the Word, and to live in our lives and empower us to overcome troubles while growing closer and closer each day to God. In addition to these things, Jesus has also sent us leaders in the church to help us as well. Ephesian 4:11-15 says,

And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head—Christ.

Jesus is the perfect Son for our past by offering forgiveness of our sin. He is the perfect Son for our present, by equipping us and edifying us as we walk with God here on earth. He is also the perfect Son for our future, because, though He is by his Father’s side today, soon He will be coming back for us, His joint-heirs with God, to take us to be with Him in our heavenly home.

In 1^st Corinthians 13, Paul explained to us that in our present world, “For now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully as I am known." Jesus is the perfect Son that will make it possible to see our Father face to face.

Jesus is the perfect Son Who blesses us perfectly and with perfect timing also!

Conclusion:

From the very beginning, as we learned from when Mary and Joseph made the trip with Jesus to the Temple, Jesus has been about His Father’s business. The really good news for us is that we are the Father’s business, and Jesus is the perfect Son to handle His affairs with us. We are blessed beyond measure by what they have done for us, and what they continue to do for us, and the love that they pour down on us, perfectly, together!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about a Prodigal Family

 

As we continue in our series “Family Business,” today, I want us to consider the well-known parable we know as the Parable of the Prodigal Son. 

There is more to this story than just a son who makes many mistakes, however.  Let’s begin by reading Luke 15:11-19.

He also said: “A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.’ So he distributed the assets to them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living. After he had spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he had nothing. Then he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. He longed to eat his fill from the carob pods the pigs were eating, but no one would give him any. When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger I’ll get up, go to my father, and say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired hands.’

 The term “prodigal has come to mean wayward, or one who has been lost and who now has been found. This of course comes from our passage for  today, but that particular term is actually not found in the Biblical text. In truth the word prodigal comes from the word prodigious, and it means abundant or profuse or lavish. And in fact, our scriptures for today discuss a family and the word prodigal or prodigious could be used to describe each member of this family and their situation.

First, Let’s Consider the Prodigal Son:

We begin as we read in verses 11 through 19 with the prodigal son. What we can see from the prodigal son was that he had a prodigious need. Why do people act the way they do? They act out of a need in their lives. When there is an ache in their hearts it is like a hunger that must be satisfied.

What kind of needs do people have? People have many different needs, from self-esteem to love and acceptance, and including fulfillment and the need to be productive. Most of all, people have a need that they often do not recognize. Everyone has a God-shaped hole in their hearts that only He can fill. Sadly, many people try to fill that hole with other things, and this is the situation of the prodigal son.

The prodigal son was not only prodigious in need, but he was also prodigious in the wrong response to his need. Look at all the things he tried: Travel, riches and greed, freedom from family, wild riotous living. So, what was the result?  He wound up broke and hungry and feeding pigs. Anyone knowing anything about Old Testament Judaism would know how horrifying that result was.

The prodigal son reminds me of the song with the line that says that we often look “for love in all the wrong places.” And so, he did also.

Fortunately, the story of the prodigal son has a happy ending. Not only was he prodigious in need and prodigious in making bad decisions, but in the end, he was prodigious in the ultimate wisdom that he exercised.

He saw clearly that his former response to his need was sinful. Let me be clear, the sin was not in the need, but the sin was in the response. The answer to his need was found in his ultimate response, which was to confess his sin and to return home to confess that sin to his father. His sin had broken him, and he was returning to where he knew he could find love.

Next in this story we see the prodigal father as we read verses 20 through 24:

So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.’  “But the father told his slaves, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let’s celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate.

Next, Let’s Consider the Prodigal Father:

Although his youngest son was prodigious in his rebellion, the prodigal father was prodigious in his loyalty. It did not matter what his son did; he still claimed him. He allowed his son to make his own decisions, but he was always ready to receive him back when he repented of his prodigious mistakes.

Please note that this father did not help his son to continue his destructive ways, but note that, after his son came to his senses, the father was willing to help him find new and less destructive responses.

When the son repented, we find that his father was prodigious in acceptance. He hugged and kissed him even though he probably still smelled like pigs.  He also gave him a robe of honor, and a calf fattened on wheat. He gave him a welcome home party, and he let the whole world know that his son was home. He did not hold his son's mistakes over his head.

From his actions, we see that the father was prodigious in forgiveness. He did not make his son a servant, but instead he recognized his son as what he was: his son.

What we see here is an example of God's love in our own lives. After we repent of our sin but while we still stink of it, our God receives us into his family. As Paul told the Romans, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us! How prodigious is the love of God!

We also need to see the prodigal brother as depicted by Jesus in verses 25 through 32:

“Now his older son was in the field; as he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he summoned one of the servants and asked what these things meant. ‘Your brother is here,’ he told him, ‘and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ “Then he became angry and didn’t want to go in. So his father came out and pleaded with him.  But he replied to his father, ‘Look, I have been slaving many years for you, and I have never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.  But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your assets[m] with prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’  “‘Son,’ he said to him, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Now, Let’s Consider the Prodigal Brother:

The prodigal brother was prodigious in his lack of understanding. He may have said to himself, “If I can handle life, why can't my brother?” He did not understand his brother's needs, nor did he understand his father's love.

His lack of understanding resulted in him being prodigious in resentment. He asked, “What about me?” His pride in his own work for his father overcame any love he had for his brother. And it was clear that he only cared for himself.

The prodigal brother was prodigious in his resentment, which is arrogance, but he was also prodigious in his judgment. He was like the person I knew once, at a previous church.

This person was a leader in that church, and we had need to discuss a situation in which one of our church members had found themselves.  This person had lived a rough life but had come to Christ. This new Christian was growing, but he had recently experienced a bit of trouble in his life. As the church leader and I were considering that situation, he revealed the attitude of his heart by saying, “Well, you know people never really change, do they?” I was so stunned that I failed to correct that mistaken idea.

To be honest, that church leader’s statement was half right. We cannot do right, and we cannot change our lives, by way of our own means and efforts. When we repent and turn to God, however, our lives can be transformed, and in fact they will be transformed! So, as the saying goes, a half-truth is the worst form of a lie, and this is where the prodigal brother was, when his brother returned home. 

Of all the people in this parable, the one we don’t want to be is the prodigal brother!

Finally, I would like us to consider Galatians 5:1-6:

Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery. Take note! I, Paul, tell you that if you get yourselves circumcised, Christ will not benefit you at all. Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to keep the entire law. You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love.

Finally, Let’s Consider the Prodigals in the Pew:

In this message so far, we have been considering what I call the Prodigal Family. In doing so we have seen a sad tale, but in the end, when the son came home, he was forgiven and blessed. But is this just an interesting story of family drama?  Or does it have a personal meaning and application to our lives today?

We need to consider God’s message to the prodigals in our pews, the real-life people with whom we interact in our churches and in our community and in our families. They may be our friends, our family, our coworkers, our enemies, or even ourselves. What would God want us to know today?

First, Prodigals need Jesus! Prodigals are either helpless, or they think they are helpless. How often have we heard someone say, “That’s just the way I am . . .” or “I have tried everything I know, but nothing works . . .”?  Here’s the truth, nothing we try before we find Jesus can cause God to forgive our sins. Also, nothing we try after we meet Jesus, but have strayed away from Him can bring us back close to God except Jesus.

Only Jesus can make a difference in our lives. Only He can move us from slavery to sin to freedom in our spiritual lives. Only He can move us from burden to rest, and from works to grace. Only He can move us from fear to love, and from helplessness to helpfulness.

Next, let’s read Galatians 5:16-26:

I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I tell you about these things in advance—as I told you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit. We must not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Next, prodigals need the Fruit of the Spirit,

 True life requires growth. This is true physically as well as spiritually. For we prodigals in the pew, this means we must walk in the Holy Spirit. How do we do that? First, Paul would tell us to forsake sin.  This means to turn our backs on our destructive ways. In other words, we decide to stop doing dumb things! The first step to getting out of a hole you have dug for yourself is to stop digging!

 Forsaking sin is not enough, because that leaves a vacuum in our lives. Jesus told the parable of the man who had an evil spirit cast out of him. Sadly, he did not replace that evil spirit with the Holy Spirit, and when the evil spirit discovered his life was empty of God, he came back into the man along with seven others.  Just saying “no” is not enough. We must say “yes” to the filling of the Holy Spirit who will produce His fruit in us.

 So often we ignore the Holy Spirit, or we live in ways that prevent Him from working in our lives. We also can try to produce the fruit of the Spirit in ourselves, but that’s a fool’s errand. We can’t do it. When we walk with the Lord, however, the Holy Spirit will fill the emptiness in our lives and produce His fruit in us.

 Prodigals also need fellowship. Let’s read Galatian 6:1-2:

Brothers, if someone is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual should restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so you also won’t be tempted. Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

The challenges of this fallen world are great, and we should not face them alone, but we don’t have to! Not only has God sent us the Holy Spirit, He also has established the church. Just as a burning ember will cool when it is removed from the body of flames, so can we cool when we remove ourselves from the body of Christ.

Remember, when Christ sent out the disciples to minister, he sent them out in teams. Being spiritually isolated is dangerous. As Proverbs 27:17 tells us, “As iron sharpens iron, so does one person sharpen another.”

Finally, Galatians 6:3-5 tells us, prodigals need to take responsibility for themselves. This passage says,

For if anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But each person should examine his own work, and then he will have a reason for boasting in himself alone, and not in respect to someone else. For each person will have to carry his own load.

God has no grandchildren, and no one can get to heaven on their parents’ faith. Each of us, on our own, must make our own decision for or against God, and for or against walking daily with Him.

God expects us to own up to our own frailties and take responsibility for our own needs. He has provided us all of the power and resources we need to grow and to be blessed. He expects us to use them.

Conclusion:

In conclusion today I hope what we see is our prodigal God. Remember that the word prodigal means extravagant or lavish. And when I mention our prodigal God, I am referring to His prodigious love for us and His prodigious care for us.

We are obviously the prodigal son, but at the same time we might also be the prodigal brother. We have great needs, and we often look to satisfy them in the wrong places. We can only really find the help that we need, however, in our prodigal God.

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about Lip Service

Today, I want us to consider the cost of providing lip service to our Heavenly Father.  Let’s begin by reading Matthew 21:23-32.

When He entered the temple complex, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to Him as He was teaching and said, “By what authority are You doing these things? Who gave You this authority?” Jesus answered them, “I will also ask you one question, and if you answer it for Me, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Where did John’s baptism come from? From heaven or from men?” They began to argue among themselves, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’  But if we say, ‘From men,’ we’re afraid of the crowd, because everyone thought John was a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.  But what do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘My son, go, work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I don’t want to!’ Yet later he changed his mind and went. Then the man went to the other and said the same thing. ‘I will, sir,’ he answered. But he didn’t go. “Which of the two did his father’s will?” “The first,” they said. Jesus said to them, “I assure you: Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you! For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you didn’t believe him. Tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him, but you, when you saw it, didn’t even change your minds then and believe him.

This parable of Jesus reminds me of a story I heard that dates back to the days of the British Empire in India. Three very proper, stiff-upper-lip British Army officers stationed there had hired a local man to take care of their quarters and cook their meals. They were very hard to please and they constantly corrected him, but he'd just smile and bow and carry on. They told him off every day, yet he'd just smile and nod. They finally got tired of him and let him go. "We won't be telling you off anymore," they said.  He replied, "And I will not be spitting in your soup anymore either." 

\o we smile at God, and yet spit in His soup?  Jesus told a parable about such behavior in Mattew 21.  Let us look at it today.

First, Let's See Lip Service:

The parable Jesus told involved a man asking his sons to go work in their vineyard. It was a common request, and a reasonable one. Farmers always need more hands to work their fields, and they often assign chores to their children. This is why agrarian societies have large birthrate to have workers.

One son said, “Yes, I’ll go.” But he didn’t go. He lied and he reneged, and he was in rebellion.  He could not be honest with his father, so he deceived him. Maybe he had decided it was “easier to ask forgiveness than it is to ask permission.”

esus said that the Jewish religious leaders of that day were like this son. They gave lip service, but no real service. They were more interested in their own will than God's. In other places in the Scriptures, Jesus compares them to whitewashed graves: They looked good outwardly, but they were corrupt inwardly. 

They hid their nature from others, but that did nothing to change it, like the son who was punished with a time-out because of his behavior who said, “I'm sitting down, but I'm standing up inside.” Or, like the ex-hippie who had become a business executive wearing a suit and tie who said, “I'm still wearing leather sandals and long hair on the inside.”

Jesus condemned these religious leaders for their lip service to God.

Next, Let's See Reluctant Service:

The other son’s words and actions were 180 degrees out of phase with his brother’s. When he was asked to go work in the vineyard, he was honest with this father, and told him, “No!” He didn’t mince his words, he didn’t hem and haw, he didn’t beat around the bush. He just said, “I’m not gonna do it.”

There is something to be said for the honest sinner. They know that they are doing wrong, and they own up to it. Their honesty doesn’t save them from punishment, however. 

Gary Plauche’ was the father of a son who had been kidnapped and abused by Jeffery Doucet. Police officers arrested Doucet in California and flew with him back to Baton Rouge. LA to stand trial, but that never happened. At 9:30pm on March 16, 1984, Gary was at the airport pretending to use a payphone, but as the Doucet and his police escort passed behind him, he turned and shot Doucet in the head, killing him. Plauche’ replaced the telephone receiver as the police subdued him, asking him, "Gary, why? Why, Gary?" Gary was charged with second-degree murder but agreed to a plea-bargain for a lesser sentence. At age 67, Plauché gave an interview where he stated that he did not regret killing Doucet and would do so again.

What saves the honest sinner is what saves us all: repentance. The son initially defied his father, but then he repented and obeyed him. This meant that he ultimately fulfilled his father’s wishes, unlike his brother who only gave lip service to their father.

Jesus said the tax collectors and harlots who had actually listened to John were the true servants of the father. This was both a bold and an accusatory statement because the tax collectors and harlots were outcasts of society. The tax collectors were traitors and thieves. The harlots were sexually defiled in what was officially a very prudish society (though they had to get their customers from somewhere didn’t they?). The key was that when they repented, they did the will of God more than the hypocritical religious leaders of Israel.

Jesus commended these outcasts of society for their repentant service to God. For a better model of servanthood, let’s read Luke 17:5-10.

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,” the Lord said, “you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. “Which one of you having a slave tending sheep or plowing will say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? Instead, will he not tell him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, get ready and serve me while I eat and drink; later you can eat and drink’ Does he thank that slave because he did what was commanded? In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, ‘We are good-for-nothing slaves; we’ve only done our duty.’”

Now, Let's See Full Service:

For most of us, a full-service gas station is a distant, or probably non-existent memory. Except for New Jersey, in every other state of the union, people pump their own gas, unless they physically can’t. If that is the case they can ask for help, but there once was a time when a motorist would drive over a pneumatic hose as they approached the gas pumps. This would ring a bell, and an attendant would come out to your car. Attendants would not only fill your gas tank as you sat in the car, but they usually would also check the oil and clean the windshield as well. Many gas stations would replace worn-out windshield wipers and perform other minor repairs as well. 

The days of full-service gas stations are long gone, but if Jesus had come to earth in the mid-20th Century, he might have used them as the illustration of how we should serve God. Instead, He used the case of a man who had a slave, which was common in those days. It was not right or just, but it was common. What was uncommon in this situation was that this slave was expected to work in the field as well as in the home. Usually, those tasks were separate and done by different individuals, but in this case, this man needed a full-service slave; one who did what his master wanted, when and where his master wanted.

What Jesus wanted to emphasize here is that, when you serve someone, you don’t get to pick and choose when and what and where and how you serve them. That is their prerogative, not yours. In fact, Jesus even complimented a Roman centurion who understood this principle far better than the Jewish religious leaders did. Matthew 8:5-13 says,

When He entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible agony!” “I will come and heal him,” He told him.  “Lord,” the centurion replied, “I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But only say the word, and my servant will be cured. For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following Him, “I assure you: I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith! I tell you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Then Jesus told the centurion, “Go. As you have believed, let it be done for you.” And his servant was cured that very moment.

Jesus commended the Centurion for his faith but also for the fact that he knew he was a man under authority. What about us?

 Finally, Let's See Our Service:

The best thing about our country is our concept of individual liberty. This provides us the kinds of freedom that the people in most other countries of the world only dream about. At the same time, our concept of individual liberty is also one of our most troublesome aspects. Some people forget that just because they can do something doesn’t mean that they should do it. We all like to believe that we are our own master and that we are beholden to no one else. Our Lord would beg to differ.

The parable that Jesus taught about the full-service slave, and the way He responded to the faith of the Centurion demonstrates that Jesus recognized that we all serve some master or another. We might serve the master of debt, or the master of our stomachs, or the master of our lusts, or the master of our leisure. God forbid, but some people are serving the master of evil, and they are working hard at it.

We all have a master, but there is only one benevolent master who blesses us with an abundant life in the here and now and in the hereafter. This is what Paul said about that situation in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20,

Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.

We also should remember what Paul taught the church at Rome about this in Romans 12:1-3, 

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.

Finally, let’s remember how important obedience is to God. Early in King Saul’s reign, he began to do things his way instead of God’s way, and he was confronted in his sin by the prophet Samuel in 1 Samuel 15:22-23:

Then Samuel said: Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifice as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king.

And we must not forget what Jesus said in John 14:15-18:

If you love Me, you will keep My commands. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive Him because it doesn’t see Him or know Him. But you do know Him, because He remains with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.

You see, our God is a Full-Service God. Not only does He save us from our sin and adopt us as His children, but He also even helps us to do the right thing. In fact, Romans 8 :26 tells us that even when we don’t k now how to pray, the Holy Spirit prays for us! The key to accessing that help, from Jesus’s own mouth, however, is an attitude of obedience.

A good illustration of this took place at the auto repair shop that I used for the twelve years we lived in Covington County, AL. When I began trading with this shop, I dealt with the father of the family. Then, about six or seven years later, his son-in-law began managing the store. The father was still there in the back office, but he only came out to shake hands and chat. The son-in-law was in charge of the day-to-day operations. He was not as affable as his father-in-law, but he was honest and efficient, he got me back on the road, and he always treated me right. It was just recently announced that the father had officially transferred the business to his daughter and son-in-law. The son-in-law had worked diligently for six or seven years, and now he was the owner. We will never own the Kingdom of God, but if we diligently serve Him, we will share in His glory!

Jesus commends us to the Holy Spirit, who helps us be the servants of God in ways we cannot be in our own strength.

 Conclusion:

As the adopted children of God, He expects us to obey Him. He has called for us to go out into the fields which are white unto harvest and bring in a crop of disciples into His household. He is serious about this task, and He requires that we are obedient to Him.

Let me also remind us, that while God expects our obedience, He also cherishes us. He went more than the extra mile, and He paid the highest possible price, to adopt us as His children. He would never abuse us or ask us to do something that He would not help us do.

Finally, as His children we are His heirs. We are not hired hands being paid a wage. No! We will benefit from benefit from every increase in Kingdom of God our Father. Again, as Paul told the church at Rome,

The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

Let us determine today to give more, and much, much more, than lip service to God our Father. He deserves it, and we need to do it!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt