I'm Coming Home: The Prodigal Son

There is a recurring theme of a banquet with rejoicing in the parables of the Kingdom of God. These parables specifically reveal to us the love of the Father and His desire for His creation to receive the offer of His invitation. In one instance, the banquet focuses on the marriage of the King’s Son to His bride and that multitudes are being invited to join the cerebration, and in the other case, the focus is the Father’s joy, because a son that was lost has finally come home and now the celebration can commence.

The parable of the prodigal son focuses on that very thought, the joy of the Father in response to the return of His lost son. The whole chapter of Luke 15 centers on this and contains 3 parables emphasizing the rejoicing that occurs in the spirit realm when what was lost is found:

1. The parable of the 99 sheep. When the one is found, the shepherd puts that sheep on His shoulders and all heaven rejoices when those that are lost are found.

2. The parable of the woman that had 10 coins and one was lost, but she swept and diligently searched, and when she found the one, she invited friends to rejoice with her. And so it is in heaven— the angels of God rejoice over 1 sinner that repents.

Finally, we come to the parable of the prodigal— meaning- extravagant, wasteful.

                                                                Spiritual

The KJV states v 13 that he wasted his inheritance—wasted- to winnow

And this created the context for the story— 2 sons, the older who undoubtedly represents the Pharisees, who said in the beginning of the chapter, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

Yes, He does. He’s Jesus, and to receive means to take one by the hand and receive them into the family, but you have a comparison and contrast between the Pharisees and the sinners. The Pharisees represent the older brother, whose motives of envy and jealousy are revealed at the very end and the prodigal, who represents the sinners that Jesus came to seek and save.

Revealing the importance of the one lost sheep and the value of the one lost coin. Jesus is committed to His mission, and if you by some chance find your heart with envy or jealousy when someone is restored to the Lord, or if you have ought in your heart when the Lord promotes one of His servants, you need to lower yourself under the hand of God and check your heart, because you may be operating in the older brother syndrome.

So if the older brother represents old covenant Law, then the younger brother represents new covenant grace. The grace released by the Holy Spirit is offered to people like the prodigal. The older brother, in his mind, cannot rejoice with his brother. He cannot rejoice in grace and restoration, because he has never been a recipient of grace and restoration, because, in his mind, he has no need; for he has always done what was right.

V 12 the younger asked for his inheritance, so that he could go his own way. This is free will in action. God never demands that His children stay under His blessings and protection. But we need to understand that once we step outside of God’s will that we are embracing a spirit of rebellion. This excites the sinful nature, and the further we go, the stronger it grows. In the rebellious decisions that we make, we partner with evil and are squandering the eternal inheritance prepared for us by God.

13… journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

Luke 15:14

And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

Hustereo- to come behind, be destitute and be left behind.

On the surface, it looks so bad. The power of sin has stolen all of his blessings. Now, to make matters worse, uncontrollable circumstances have resulted in a famine only worsening the hopelessness and despair. With every choice that he makes, he takes one step deeper into despair.

Yet, I can’t help but think about that Father back home. In the physical, he is a praying father, and in the spiritual, He is a Father that is orchestrating circumstances to turn the heart of a son back to where he belongs.

There are times when we face challenges with our loved ones. Spouses, children, family and friends. Sometimes we see things in their lives spiraling down so fast, it seems hopeless. But these are the times when our faith in God should be emboldened. We should believe that He is orchestrating circumstances to get His son back home where he belongs.

The turning point

In his sinful state of mind and desperate circumstance, he made a decision that he would not have normally made. He joined himself to a citizen of a foreign country who raised hogs for a living.

This is why the Lord repeatedly instructs His children not to connect themselves to people of the world, because the people of the world live outside of a Kingdom of God perspective. Their lives are surrounded by unclean things, their business dealings are unclean. It’s all they know, because they don’t know God.

Luke 15:16

And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

In his mind, he has lost his “sonship”, his inheritance is gone; furthermore, he has lost all self esteem. Satan’s plan for his life appears to be in full throttle.

Satan

“If I can just get him to lower his face into the slop and eat with the hogs, it will be the final nail in the coffin. He won’t make it back from that, the remorse and guilt will destroy his self esteem, and he will never recover out of my web of slavery.

Instead, a spiritual shift takes place. The Holy Spirit speaks to his spirit. Come on church…this is a son in the story, right? The whole story is about “sonship” and new covenant grace, and in the new covenant, the Holy Spirit is one with your spirit, and I don’t know how far you have to go to make Him leave, but he hadn’t left yet in this story, because, the Spirit wants to speak to our spirit, to get our spirit to tell the truth to our soul, but so many times we convince ourselves of something that isn’t true based on the way we feel rather than the truth of God’s word. The heart— the thoughts of the mind along with the feelings of the heart. In his case his feelings must be apathy and despair.

Anyway, God is moving on his heart and convincing him to move towards home. He says to himself, “what are you doing? You could go to your Father. I mean you can’t be a son anymore— lie, but we will get to that, you can’t be a son, but He will at least take you back as a servant…”

3 thoughts related to the prodigal’s turning point:

I. The Joseph factor

Genesis 50:20

But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

1. What evil plans for bad in your life, God will turn it around for good

2. Once, he turns it around for you, He will use your testimony to save others.

II. Trails of tragedy pave the way to wisdom

Once he makes it home, he will not be the same man he was when he left. This is what you call experiential wisdom. The pain of the past can serve God’s children as a reminder that the open door of sin promises fun and excitement in the beginning but ends in heartache and despair.

Proverbs 2:6-16

Proverbs 2:10-11

10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; 11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

Having acute, mental discernment. I have said this before, but let me say it again,”The Lord does work through the soulish part of the man. However, the soul (specifically the mind/ will parts) are to be subservient to the spirit of the man.

• The spirit of the disciple has learned that as a son, he is a new creation in Christ. The old creation died with Jesus on the cross, was buried with Jesus in the tomb and has been resurrected with Jesus through the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit. Death has no hold on him, sin is not his master because he is no longer under the dominion of law but he is under the covenant of grace. The object of His faith is Christ. He trusts in Jesus. He clings to the healing garment of his robe and holds on with unwavering faith that Jesus and His sacrifice keeps him dead to sin and alive to righteousness through Jesus’ victory over sin.” This is his power source, and now faced with this new trial that crosses his path, the Spirit of God communes with his spirit and the experiential knowledge along with the word of God floods in, and his spirit speaks to his soul and says,

‘remember the slop, remember the pain, remember the cross, don’t go there again!’”

Bam! That easy. The way of victory… submit yourself to God…trust in the finished work of Jesus, not your will power, not your religious works, not your counselor, not your meds— JESUS!

III. What Satan is saying and what the Father are thinking are not the same thing.

One of the biggest lies of Satan is guilt and condemnation. He is persistent in piling on the painful memories and the failures of the past, but what the prodigal is thinking while he is in the pig pen, is not what the father is thinking back home.

Luke 15:20

And he arose, and came to his father. But 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.

I can’t prove it, but it’s almost like the father was looking in that direction and just waiting to see the first hint of movement towards home, and once He sees it, the goodness of God moves and like the scripture says, “the goodness of God brings him to repentance”

Luke 15:21

And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

And the Lord will say, “I accept the repentance, but all this lose your sonship stuff and now only a slave, I won’t have any of that. Get the robe and the ring, put some shoes on his feet and kill the fatted calf. My son has come home and it’s time for heaven to rejoice.”

I would like to linger on his words in that verse for just a moment though. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son. I don’t care what anyone tells you, but that is the right posture of a repentant heart. It’s about man’s posture and God’s promise. Man’s posture must be repentance and God’s promise is restoration!

He left full of pride but when he returns home his heart is humble

Isaiah 66:2 …to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

Zechariah and Satan’s accusations

1. Robe— Gal 3:27 the text doesn’t tell us what his garment looked like when he showed up at His Father’s house en route from the pig pen, but we are told that his Father commanded that he be clothed with a robe. Two robes immediately come to mind: a). Zechariah 3:1-3 tells us that Joshua the high priest was standing before the Lord and was spiritually clothed in a filthy garment and Satan was standing at his R hand ready to accuse him, and the Lord did unto Satan, “The Lord rebuke the Satan.” Then the Lord took away the filthy garments and clothed him with a change of raiment. b). The Matthew account of the parable of the wedding banquet, there was a man that had tried to enter but he didn’t have the wedding garment, so he was expelled.

• Both of these refer to identity. The robe says that you’re not who you used to be. If you have placed faith in the Lord and His sacrifice, then you are cleansed, clothed in His righteousness and accepted as a son. The Father accepts you and you need to know that. Anything else is a lie.

• The ring signifies the authority you have as a son by using the name. Rings were used as signets and seals. The son was given the authority to conduct business in the name of His Father. We have been given authority to conduct the Father’s business on earth by using the name of Jesus.

Don't Let Anything Stunt Your Growth

Ephesians 1:13

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Ephesians 1:14

Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 1:18

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Ephesians 4:3

Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:4

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

Ephesians 4:5

One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Ephesians 4:6

One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Ephesians 4:7

But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Ephesians 4:11

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

Ephesians 4:12

For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Ephesians 4:13

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Ephesians 4:13 ESV

until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

Galatians 4:1

Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;

Galatians 4:19

My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,

Ephesians 4:14

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

1 John 3:6

Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

1 John 3:7

Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

1 John 3:8

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

1 John 3:9

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

1 John 3:10

In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

1 John 3:11

For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

1 John 3:12

Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

Luke 10:38

Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

Luke 10:39

And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.

Luke 10:40

But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

Luke 10:41

And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

Luke 10:42

But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Matthew 9:20

And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:

Matthew 9:21

For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.

Matthew 9:22

But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

Seed Time and Harvest

There are numerous references to harvest in the Bible. Oftentimes harvest surrounds fields of grain, but the reader must also remember that Israel was also full of vineyards and revelation 14:14-20 describes two personages each having a sickle, representing two harvests. One reaps because the harvest of the earth is ripe— rapture [15]. The other reaps the vine of the earth and that harvest is placed in the winepress of the wrath of god—judgment [19].

Matt 3:12 says: His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” The idea is that there is a separation coming. He will separate goats from sheep, good fish from bad fish and here, grain from chaff. Jesus said that during this part of the kingdom age, the tares and the wheat will grow together, but there comes a day….

Matthew 13:30

Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Luke 10:2

Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

John 4:34-37

34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, One sows and another reaps.’

Luke 12:16-21

16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

the candle

In the OT, Leviticus 23 speaks of firstfruits/ Pentecost. these feasts were harvest feasts: 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

The book of Ruth takes place in Bethlehem during harvest time

Bethlehem—house of bread

The book of Ruth takes place during the barley harvest. Where after a famine in Bethlehem, which means house of bread, there is a great barley harvest and Ruth, a gentile becomes the bride of Boaz, a Jewish man, whom the Bible calls a kinsman redeemer. Hebrews 2:14 states that he [Jesus] became flesh and blood, because we were flesh and blood. In Hebrews 2:17, it is stated that he is our brother. A kinsman is a blood relative. He became like us, so he could die for us, so that we could be part of the harvest of God.

Jesus is seed planted by God, that seed went into the ground and died and rose and the truth of that seed is the seed of the gospel. The seed of the gospel is sown and is producing a harvest for God. There is a harvest coming. This harvest is the fruit of the seed sown by Christ.

John 12:23-26

23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

For him to be glorified, that means he must die. Then he will receive his glorified body. He was God in spirit who became flesh. He died as a man and was raised as the glorified god/man.

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

In order to reap a harvest of glorified humans that will inherit eternal life, he is planted as seed, which will produce a harvest of human souls.

25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself

26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. He didn’t say my Father will honor the one who loves me. He said, “My Father will honor the one who serves me.

Serve/Servant— διακονέω/διάκονος this is where we get the English word deacon. Serving is what you do and a servant is who you are. The first deacons, Phillip, Stephen… were table servers, waiters. One of the sentences in the definition in Strong’s Greek dictionary was…to supply food and drink. Imagine that…supplying food to the hungry and drink to the thirsty. Jesus said that he was the bread of life and that he was living water. People are dying of starvation but not just physically. People are dying without Jesus.

Mark 4:1-29

Parable of the sower

1 And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. 2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, 3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: 4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. 5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: story of the Venezuelan watermelon. Two miles wide and two inches deep. 6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. 9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. 11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any

Isaiah 6:8-10

time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? 14 The sower soweth the word. 15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

Taketh away-Take up or away, sail away “I will be taking that- thank you!” Is what Satan says. You can’t have that seed. That seed will mess up my plan for your life.

This part of the parable is very reminiscent of Genesis 15:3-14, where god made covenant w/ Abraham. In that story fowls attempted to eat the carcasses of the covenant. Within that covenant was the promise of the seed, which ultimately was Jesus. And the seed of the parable of the sower is the gospel or good news about Jesus. Satan never stops what he does. He will always try to steal the promise of the seed. Just like Abraham shooed away the fowls off the carcasses, you better learn to shoo away Satan off this word. Get off my word you lying devil! You can’t have this seed! God gave it to me and I’m going to cling to it like a treasure.

Well, how do I do that preacher? Listen, write, study, pray, worship, engage yourself in everything god and do your best to reject everything that is the world.

16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

They receive it w/ joy but don’t want to give it a good environment to grow.

17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.

Watermelon story

A seed needs earth for root. Without root there is no stability, because it’s like a foundation. People put roots in the world. They go to school and get better jobs. Invest in friendships. They will even find themselves a church that is good for their social life, but Isaiah talked about a root of Jesse and the book of revelation talks about the root of David and both those passages are talking about Jesus, and they won’t really put that root in their heart. Isaiah says that the spirit of the lord anointed him to bring good news to the meek, bind up broken hearted, set at liberty those that are captive, beauty of ashes, oil of joy for mourning. the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. ______________________________________________

18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

Choke— strangle and cut off the flow. in Jiu Jitsu prevents blood flow to the brain, resulting in an inability to think properly before you finally pass out. When these other things take root on the side of the gospel and start to choke the blade of grain that is the word, God’s word in us is choked and it begins to affect the way we see and think spiritually, ultimately, with time if allowed to continue, it will choke the life of the gospel out of us.

The world is hostile to God’s seed, but God created it to receive seed

The sower did his part. The seed does what it’s supposed to do. It’s the earth that we live on and the way that we allow it to affect us that’s the problem: fowl, stones and thorns they are the problems. The earth, in its current condition, is hostile to God’s seed.

20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

It is extremely important for believers to understand that they must treat the seed of God’s word with special care in their hearts. The Holy Spirit will reveal to us the things that are hostile to God’s word in our lives: addictions, relationships, entertainment… once revealed, they must be removed by the power of the Holy Spirit. We cannot afford to allow things to remain in our lives that jeopardize the seed of the gospel.

|James 4:7] Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.|

the candle

Mark 4:21 And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?

|Matthew 5:14-16] Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.|

Sharing the gospel and good works that are done in the name of Jesus are some of the ways that we sow seed for the harvest.

22 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.

The disciples wanted to understand the parable. Locked within this parable is the mystery of the kingdom. Jesus wants people to know God’s truth, but only those that treat truth like a treasure will truly receive.

The light of god reveals gods truth but also exposes darkness:

|John 3:19-2119 This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”|

23 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

There is always a response to the word: do we listen to it? Receive it? Do it? Vs ignore, reject or sit on it?…

                                    Heed- look, turn the eye, beware, perceive

24 And he said unto them, Take heed [care] what ye hear: with what measure ye mete [measure], it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.

1. Mete- measure, the amount you measure to what you hear, is the amount that will be measured back

2. Hear- to give ear to a teaching.

3. The response you give to the word, is the response you get back

25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

1. God rewards those that believe Him and he is His word & takes away from the unbelieving

2. When seed is received, there is evidence. Seed results in fruit. A woman that receives seed will begin to show.

4. Diligence causes the seed to grow; whereas, negligence destroys it

26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;

1. God casted seed into the ground. The evidence is growth.

2. Jeremiah 2:21 Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?

27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.

1. We don’t really always understand exactly how seedtime and harvest operates under God’s heavenly laws. We just simply know that if we will cast/ sow, godly seed, there is great potential, that seed will be received.

2. Gail’s testimony

3. Glen’s testimony

4. I’m starting to realize that I don’t need to understand everything. The way my mind works, I will try. I want to know God and His ways, and the best way for that to happen is for me to understand His word, but sometimes things happen that I don’t understand. In those moments, I’m going to look at the fruit and say, okay, is this God’s DNA springing up from the ground or another DNA? If it’s God’s, then I’m going to learn how to accept it.

28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.

1. If you’re uncertain whether something or someone is of the Lord, sit back and watch it grow. It’s/their fruit will be revealed

2. The NASB uses some words that are more understandable: blade, head vs ear, mature grain in the head vs full corn in the ear

29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.

1. In the end, the farmer may not understand exactly how it all works, but he understands harvest time. God definitely works on the seed principle. God is going to reap a harvest, and He has and is sowing seed in the fields of the world. The seeds that He sows are kingdom seeds. As believer’s we study God’s word and believe that God gave the seedtime and harvest principle to earthlings. Therefore, we must be faithful and diligent to sow seed, water seed and believe with faith that He is the Lord of the harvest.

2. There are multiple types of spiritual seeds:

   a) there are gospel seeds [good news],

   b) seeds of prayer, for deliverance, healing, faith to believe God for miracles, “Faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain.”

   c) there are financial seeds. When we give to the kingdom of God financially, there is a reciprocation from heaven. I am not trying to take your money out of your pocket. Seriously, it’s your money, well, technically, the Lord said that you can keep 90% of it and the 10th belongs to Him, but I will let you work that out between you and God. I just want you to know that there is a spiritual financial principle that works on earth. If you give to the work or God, He will in return bless your finances!

Vision. A single man with a sickle in a grain field where the heads of grain are so full that the stalks are bent over. The wind causes the grain to sway. The farmer grabs an armful of wheat and thrusts in his sickle and then, as though now, seeing through my eyes, I look up and see either 6 or 7 harvesting combines rolling through the field and coming to help.

Proper Attire Required

There are several kingdom of God parables in the book of Matthew. The word parable comes from a compound Greek word paraballo, when the word is separated into its two parts, it’s para, which means side and ballo, where we get our English word for ball, but ballo means to throw— the idea is to throw along side, so two thoughts are placed side by side for comparison. The kingdom of God is God’s heavenly kingdom and is also referenced in the word as the kingdom of heaven; therefore, the words kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven are used interchangeably. The kingdom of God is like…. Each parable contains a hidden measure of truth regarding a specific aspect of God’s kingdom.

These comparisons help our physical minds perceive spiritual truths. The world we live in is temporary. The life we live now is an interview for an eternal position. The temporary kingdoms built on earth by temporary physical lives will one day be abolished and all the industrious efforts of the work that was employed in the physical realm will be judged. The work for eternal purpose will last and be rewarded. Whereas, the work for self gain and pleasure will incinerate and evaporate into a vanished wisp. It takes time for these thoughts to permeate into our spirits, that deep place where we are one with God. Our soulish man is a close neighbor to our renewed spirit that has become one with God. The soul is also a close neighbor to these members that engage the physical realm, and here, in the physical, our self breathes, feels and lives it’s temporary life. Self is connected to this temporary, physical realm as long as he remains in this earthly house.

True believers love God; however, there remains a danger of also loving self. Self can battle against the Spirit of God within us and bring us towards an even greater danger, a love for the world or the things of the world. For, we are told: Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him (1 John 2:15). The love of the Father in the life of the believer will produce the Jesus diet in the child of God— what is the Jesus diet you ask: Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work (John 4:34). A good prayer would be, “Lord please don’t let the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches get in the way of my eternal reward.”

God’s goodness gives us the parables to enlighten the eyes of our understanding on this side of heaven, so we can more properly navigate the journey, so we can make it to the destination and receive a lasting reward when we get there: eye hasn’t seen, ear hasn’t heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man— the things that God has prepared for those that love Him.

The parables like: goats and sheep and tares and wheat and the separation of fish remind us that narrow is the way and few there will be that journey the path towards eternal life. Parables of the treasure and pearl direct the work of our lives, only when we slow down enough to ponder what the king is saying will we perceive the value of eternal life in His words. A merchant sails the seas in a quest for the best of pearls. He is driven as he crosses every ocean and scours every cove for goodly pearls and then one day, he finds the pearl and realizes that every other pearl he ever saw, ever handled, ever thought was beautiful was meaningless in comparison— now that he found this pearl. Oh how he wishes he would have found this pearl sooner. He could have saved so much time, he could have worked so much more efficiently, he could have saved himself so much stress, but what’s important now is that he found the pearl! It is the treasure in a hidden field, and it’s so brilliant, valuable, precious and real, he begins a “going out of business sale. Everything must go!” All else must take a back seat to this pearl, to this treasure that he found. His family will think he’s lost his mind: Father, mother, brother, sister, even spouses may say he’s gone too far, but if they get in the way of this endeavor, it is they who must go, not the pearl, not the treasure. He will cling to the pearl and the treasure like it is his next breath and heart beat that will oxygenate his cells. It is life, it is reality, everything else was a mirage, how could have he been so blind for so long, how could have he wasted so much time, but what is important is that he finally found it and now nothing else, nothing else will do!

And so he immerses himself in this new industry he has found. He partners with a land owner who is also the son of a mighty king. He is offered an opportunity to put his hands to the plow, put a hammer to a nail, engage in an investment opportunity and join in this endeavor. Graciously, he is given a certain value by the landowner with which to start his investment plan. And the landowner goes away on a long journey but will one day return to assess the work that was done. His work will be inspected, it will be scrutinized. Every angle, cut and measurement will be evaluated and that which was handled with great care and excellence for the right purpose, with pure motive of what was best for king and kingdom, will be gloriously rewarded; whereas, all else will vanish like a flitted wisp of an extinguished candle— that portion of the work will be consumed by the fire of God. There will be no residual or evidence that it ever existed. It will not make it into the next life.

In the parable of the wedding feast is the invitation, the opportunity to be able to participate in the joy of the king. The landowner has returned. The goats and sheep, tares and wheat, the fish in the net—it’s all been separated. The work has been assessed, the rewards are ready and they will be distributed at the banquet. Won’t you come and partake of this most joyous occasion of the king? Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye… You are invited to the most glorious banquet ever experienced by the human creation. Join the festivities, no really, YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS!!

P.S. RSVP by faith— proper attire required!

So let’s start there—

1. You’ve been called but you must be dressed for the occasion

V 12, …Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless

Isaiah, come let us reason together though sins be scarlet they can be made white as snow

Speechless- to close the mouth with a muzzle— talk time is over

Connect thoughts of the light w this parable—how did they get there knowing they weren’t saved—then the videos

Talk about those videos that describe people going towards the light and then realizing that once they got to the light, they found out that they were rejected. Imagine that moment, the human spirit rushing through a tunnel towards the light, every second drawing you closer to the light and the closer to the light the greater your heart fills with hope, and then to hear, how did you get here friend? You don’t have the right covering. You clothed yourself with the things the world had to offer. You chose your way and rejected my invitation. I never knew you: cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth— speechless

Only God can judge me

So what is this wedding garment. Its not made by Armani, Perry Ellis or Calvin Klein. It’s the apparel that the Father has been weaving since He found Adam and Eve naked in the garden and hiding within the trees— the skins of an innocent animal, skins representing a sinless sacrifice that would be fulfilled in His sinless Son— Jesus is His name.

Galatians 3:27 KJV For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Galatians 3:27 NIV/NASB …for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Revelation 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

II. The problem is you can’t just try to get in any way you want to

You have to have your name written in the book, you have to have on the right attire, and you have to go through the right door to get in:

John 10:7-11 7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

“But I didn’t know screams a voice out of the throes of Hell,” That’s not true ma’am or sir. You did know. You knew, but you didn’t care. I know you knew because the Spirit has been calling since the beginning. 6 times in this story the word call or bidden was used, each time, it’s the same Greek word in all cases kaleo, where we get our word call. The Spirit is calling, wisdom is calling

Proverbs 8:1-8

In Verse 3 of the parable, the king sent His servants. He’s been sending His servants. He sent Wisdom, you heard the concern in her voice, He sent Enoch, He sent Noah, He sent Abraham, He sent Moses, He sent, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Nehemiah, He sent John the Baptist, He sent Jesus man, He sent Peter, James and John, He sent Paul, Silas, Barnabas, Matthew, Mark and Luke. He sent all them and He’s sending me and He’s sending you. He’s sending people all over the world. The problem isn’t that no one knew, the problem is that they didn’t care   

Matthew 22:5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:

Make light of- to be careless of, to neglect. I don’t really have any regard for that, because it’s not really relevant to me.

One went to his farm and the other to his merchandise. “Okay, it’s not really that I didn’t know, and it’s not exactly that I didn’t care. If I’m really honest, I was just really, really busy and compared to what I had to get done… I mean come on man. Little Jimmy had baseball, Billy Jiu Jitsu and Sally had dance and soccer. Both Tommy and I worked. It was really busy.

I want to spend a little bit of my time on the merchandise word. The Greek is Emporia. Ever heard of Drug Emporium

noun, plural em·po·ri·ums, em·po·ri·a [em-pawr-ee-uh, -pohr-]. /ɛmˈpɔr i ə, -ˈpoʊr-/.

• a large retail store, especially one selling a great variety of articles.
  

• **a place, town, or city of important commerce, especially a principal center of trade: New York is one of the world's great emporiums.

Ezekiel 27:1-3 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 2 Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus; 3 And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty.

Revelation 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen…

Revelation 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

Revelation 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

She’s got people trapped and many of those people are people that say they love the Lord, but they don’t even realize that they are serving self and serving her and it’s a little bit harder to see than what people are willing to admit.