EMBRACED GRACE - Lk. 15:11-32 vs. 19-21
Like the father running towards the prodigal son. We see Grace of God is coming towards you and it is not you coming to God. God took the first step. You see the son struggled his way back and the father saw him when he was far away. All our efforts are in vain but God is the initiator - He saw – He cares – He loves and forgives and He provides and He restores us back.
The world would say “I deserve this” because he is my father, but God’s Kingdom says, “I don’t deserve all this.” The Father saw him when he is far away. Then he ran to him. Jesus is trying to communicate to us what we called “crazy love” - How much God loves you! You know the whole Christian faith is a “response” to God grace. We can’t do anything to achieve anything. Our faith in God is to response to him. The efforts of man, our ability and efforts are all useless unless its God. Grace means the absolute goodness of God and only His goodness coming my way! Never God’s judgement, never divine frustrations, never divine disapproval.
1) Grace is Running Towards you and me today. But we will say “I don’t deserve it, I am worthless, problems) but who cares – only Jesus cares. God is not bother of how bad we are or how good we are. His love for us is perfect and he overlooks our mistakes and sins, all our shortcomings, all our failures. V.19 “I have sinned against you and I am no longer be called your son” his confession of his unworthiness.
Maybe the prodigal son was guilty and full of condemnation – but instead the father did not condemn him and he gave him the “kisses” first. (We are taught - mistakes – Confession first!) Notice there are 5 kinds of actions from the father and 5 kinds of blessings he gave speaks GRACE
2) THE FATHER FELL ON HIS NECK AND KISS HIS BOY V.20
“My son was dead but have come alive” But what about all those things “I did” You did nothing I forgive you said the father. We are taught that everything there is a cause and an effect. What we sow we reap! In Grace - we received the effects of his love and not the cause . Why – Jesus took the cause of sin in our lives.
Jesus received all the bad so that we can received all the good He has for us. The Cross message is that he took all our sins (bad) and release all the blessings to us. "Under the old covenant we had to chase after God; under the new covenant grace God chases after us." Under the Law the sheep dies for the Shepherd but under grace the Shepherd dies for the sheep.
Law says the Ten commandments must be kept, grace says Jesus kept them so you could be blessed. Law say “try to obey” all the commandments but grace says “I give you the power to obey” as Jesus has obeyed the Father.
The law says that by no means I will forget your sins, Grace says that by no means I will remember your sins anymore.
The law says “ take your shoes from off your feet, the ground you stand upon is holy”; grace says ”bring to me the robe of righteousness, the ring, the fatted calf and shoes for my sons feet because my son who was lost is found, he has come home again”. Religion says “condemn him” but grace says “Love him and bless him instead” because he has come back to be my son.
Law is looking for slaves, grace is looking for sons. Slaves served him but sons fellowship with the Father. Grace is looking for relationships but Law is looking for works. Be Sons mentality!
Are you a son of God or are you a slave of God? Read - John 1:12
3) WE SEE THE GOODNESS OF GOD LEADS US TO REPENTANCE
What is repentance? It is not confession of sins – one part; it is a change of mindset. It is not dealing with sorrow and shame. Changing our mind towards God believing that He is a good God not an angry God when we sinned. Don’t let faith get in front of grace. Grace comes first then our faith in the grace. The prodigal son has no choice but to hug his father (grace) Embrace Grace!
Rom. 2:4 “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness…, not knowing that the goodness of the Lord leads you to repentance.”
Many people say, unless you preached repentance preaching God’s law and His judgment people will not repent? I tell you that God’s heart is never to condemn. We want judgment but God wants mercy. The bible says that “the goodness of God leads you to repentance”.
