7/27/2014 Come Home 1

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1 "Come Home" Are you one of millions who ve stopped attending worship at church? Hello, I m Phil Sanders, and this is a Bible study In Search of the Lord s Way. Our message today is to encourage you to come home to God. Stay tuned. Welcome to In Search of the Lord s Way! We re here to search the Scriptures for God s holy will. We know God s ways are best. Righteousness is better than wickedness. Love is better than hate. Kindness is better than apathy. And faith is better than doubt. A clear conscience is better than guilt and regret. Truth is better than falsehood, and hope is better than despair. God gives us all these blessings in His teaching. That s why we shouldn t let a day pass without a study of God s word. Thanks for taking time with us today. We want to be part of your life each week. Many Americans used to take their faith seriously, worshiping at church, but no longer attend. For some reason they ve stopped following Jesus Christ and started pursuing life on their own terms. Onefifth of the U.S. public and a third of adults under 30 say that they re religiously unaffiliated today. This number has been growing steadily for the last twenty years. While some were never affiliated with any religion, many have rejected organized religion altogether. They ve come to believe in nothing but themselves. Others who still claim to be church members haven t worshiped at church in years. The world claims it has something better than God s way. It offers you temporary pleasures, but at the cost of your soul. 1 John 2 verses 15 to 17 says, Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that s in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. We offer today s study free. And if you d like a printed copy or a CD of our study and you live in the United States, mail your request to In Search of the Lord s Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK or send an to searchtv@searchtv.org. Or you can call our toll-free telephone number. That number is Now if you live outside the United States, we offer our materials free online at The Edmond church will now worship in song, we ll read from Luke 15 verses 17 to 24, and we ll see our need to come home. Our scripture reading today comes from the words of Jesus found in the book of Luke, chapter 15, verses 17 to 24. But when he came to his senses, he said, How many of my father s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men. So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his slaves, Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found. And they began to celebrate. That s a wonderful reading from God s holy word. Let s pray together. Father, we re thankful for Your grace and Your mercy. And how You have loved us even when we have erred and strayed. And we re thankful Father that we can come home to You. In Jesus name, Amen! 7/27/2014 Come Home 1

2 From the start, the Lord Jesus knew some who became Christians would fail to remain faithful. You remember that Jesus spoke of Those on the rocky soil (and how they) are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away (Luke 8 and verse 13). Many of today s churches have little spiritual substance. Some focus on entertainment and feel good religion that speaks much about grace but never asks people to deny themselves or to take up a cross. Such religions never have a firm root in truth or in commitment to Christ. And so when temptation comes to follow the lusts of the flesh or to follow the crowd, they have little ability to remain faithful to Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus also spoke of The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity (Luke 8 and verse 14). People certainly have many distractions in riches and pleasures that choke out time and desire for God. Others get so concerned with their struggles in life they lose sight of God. They forget all the good God has done for them. They forget the high moral standards God expects of His people. These standards bless everyone, and people settle for something far less than pure. Think with me: when we forsake the way of the Lord and settle for a way without God, we re inviting misery and chaos into our lives, into our homes and into our society. We re courting trouble and calamity. Our society believes freedom to sin is more valuable than freedom from sin, and of course sin hurts everyone. Some say, you can t legislate morality, meaning that you can t make people to be moral. No, we can t make people follow God. But if you ignore Gods His given morality and you legalize more and more sin, you open up the floodgates to a wicked and miserable world. People believe you when you say sin is okay, if you have that kind of world. You can t sow sin and expect a moral society. You can t desert God s teaching and expect a more righteous world. You can t approve of sin and not expect the sin to increase! Legalizing something that is evil doesn t make it good or beneficial. Just because our governments stop calling some behavior a crime doesn t mean God approves of it. God said in Isaiah 5 verses 20 to 21, Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And clever in their own sight! People who think they can redefine evil as good are fooling themselves. Evil will ultimately reveal itself as evil; and while we tolerate evil behavior, when we tolerate that, the innocent suffer from it. People regularly complain to Christians, Who are you to judge? Well, Christians don t claim that they re judges; they understand that Jesus is the judge. That Jesus Christ will one day judge all people for their thoughts, their words and their behavior. 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 10 says, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Now we cannot escape the judgment seat of Christ. Christ will judge all people everywhere with the same standards of morality and truth you find in Scripture. Changes in culture and popular thinking will have no influence. What some label as judging really isn t really judging at all! If someone quotes what God says in Scripture about a behavior or an attitude, he isn t judging. He s simply proclaiming what God has spoken on the matter. Unfortunately, some ignore Scripture and would rather hear a lie than hear the truth. They would rather be comforted today with a deception than to face the hard truth. They think if they can bury the truth deep enough, that it won t matter. The truth, however, about right and wrong will not stay buried. God doesn t forget. 7/27/2014 Come Home 2

3 You can t sin against God and not be affected. Proverbs 6 verses 27 to 29 asks, Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned? Or can a man walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched? So is the one who goes in to his neighbor s wife; Whoever touches her will not go unpunished. Now what is true of this sin, adultery, is really true of all sin. When you play with any kind of sin, you re going to get hurt. Galatians 6 verses 7 to 8 says, Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Now when ancient Israel forsook God and they turned to idols, God said in Hosea 8 and verse 7, For they sow the wind and they reap the whirlwind. What they got for their disobedience was far worse than they figured. Don t be fooled. One can t continue to sin and it not bring misery. The prodigal son thought if he could take his inheritance to a far country, he could live out his days the way he wanted and not worry about anything. He squandered his property in reckless living. Now reckless living means to live without thinking, without being concerned about anything. He probably squandered his estate with immoral behavior like drunkenness, women, and gambling. And his money didn t last; he spent it all. He didn t count on a severe famine. He was in need, and no body was willing to help him. The only work he could find was feeding pigs, a disgraceful life for a Jewish boy. He was so hungry he wished he could eat the pig s food. Well the prodigal son in desperation finally came to his senses. He said in Luke 15 verses 17 to 19, How many of my father s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I ll say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men. The prodigal son arose and he came home. He left home so he could live like he wanted, but he found living in sin doesn t last. It ends in heartache and misery for him. So he decided to come home. Now he didn t feel worthy to be his father s son, and he hoped his father would make him a hired servant. Sin causes a man to feel worthless in his own eyes. Luke 15 and verse 20 says, But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. The father heard him confess his sins, but you know he just stopped him before he finished. In Luke 15 verses 22 to 24 says, But the father said to his slaves, Quickly bring out the best robe, put it on him, put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found. And they began to celebrate. The prodigal son came home to his father, and my friend, you too can come home to your Father in heaven. Perhaps you ve seen, in your own life, how forsaking God has messed up your life. You ve learned living in sin doesn t work and false ways will deceive you. You ve learned that selfishness brings nothing but misery. You ve learned that lust and sin fail to satisfy the soul. You ve seen how love is better than hate and compassion is better than apathy. You ve found holding an angry grudge will corrupt the heart and condemn the soul. That the way of the Lord is right and good. And the way of the world only leads to suffering. Psalm 19 verses 7 to 11 says that, The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; And in keeping them there is great reward. The God who 7/27/2014 Come Home 3

4 made us, gave us His teaching so that we might have the best life possible on earth and eternal life in heaven. Nothing can compare or improve on what the Bible teaches. God provides the way, so take hold of it! Now God s teaching blesses us with a peaceful and wise way of life. Jesus promised to give us an abundant life in John 10 and verse 10, and those who have walked with Him realize that God keeps His word. God s wisdom is ours, if we re willing to study and follow it. The Bible has the most valuable message in the world. It s message is more desirable than much fine gold. Psalm 119 verse 2 says, How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, Who seek Him with all their heart. God s word strengthens the weak, comforts the hurting, encourages the fainthearted, rebukes the sinner, corrects the misinformed, and trains us in every good work. It keeps the foot from slipping, the eye from coveting, and the heart from hardening. God s word speaks to every person, whatever their past, whatever their place, whatever their culture. And what it says stands and does not change with the times. Psalm 119 verse 89 says, Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. I tell you, you can disagree with God, but it won t change His mind. You can hate what God says, but you can t change what He says. God s Word is still the standard by which everyone will be judged. The Lord Jesus said in John 12 verse 48, that He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. Now you may feel you can judge God, you might even decide you can judge the church, but on that day the Lord Jesus will judge how you have treated Him, how you ve treated His words, and how you ve treated the church. The Bible depicts Judgment Day in Revelation 20 and verse 12, and there John says And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and the books were opened; (what books are those? well, this Bible) and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. You ll be judged by what is written in the books, not by your feelings, not by what your friends say, not by popular beliefs. For this reason my friend, study the Bible. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 11 verses 28 to 30, Come to Me, all who are weary and heavyladen, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Christianity is livable. The Lord s yoke is easy not rough, and His burden is light not heavy. You can live the Christian life, you can go to heaven. It s easy and light, because it lifts us up above the misery and the enslavement of sin to a life of peace and joy. My friend, come home! Come home to Jesus Christ! Let s pray together. Father, we pray that everyone who has ever named the name of Jesus, will begin to think about the commitment that they once made. And if they re be those who ve fallen away, that they ll come back to You, and to serve You with all their heart. In Jesus name we pray, Amen! When the prodigal son returned home, his older brother wasn t kind to him. It s sad but true that some church members aren t as kind as they should be. The son came home anyway, and the father embraced and kissed him. And when the Father in heaven forgives, brothers and sisters, we too should forgive. When the Father in heaven welcomes a penitent sinner home, we too should welcome him. The father of the prodigal son told the older brother, But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found. God rejoices over every sinner who repents, and so should we! Have you stopped worshiping at church? Have you pulled away from God? Have you let sin into your life? Friend, come home. Come back to God. He still loves you and is waiting for you to leave 7/27/2014 Come Home 4

5 that far country that only wants to exploit you. Sin doesn t give life; it only brings death. Come back to God. At church you ll find a family that loves you and wants to help you stay on the strait and narrow road. Jesus shed His blood to purchase the church. And if it means that much to Jesus, shouldn t it be that important to you? To become a Christian, believe in Jesus Christ with all your heart, turn away from anything sinful, confess Him before others, and be baptized just as the Scriptures teach in Acts 2:38 and Romans 6 verses 3 to 7. You see, baptism is an immersion in water in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And when you obey the gospel of Christ, God forgives your sins and adds you to his family, the church. Stay faithful to the Lord. Don t let anything come between you and God. Come home to God, and my friend, do it today! We hope that today s study about coming home to God has stirred you to consider your soul. Think about what God says. If you live in the United States and want a free printed copy or CD of this message, mail your request to, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK or send an to searchtv@searchtv.org. Or you can call the Search office toll-free at Now if you live outside the United States our materials are free at our website: Now during August, we re offering a free booklet on what will happen at death and at the end of time. This material will help you understand what will happen in the future. Now if you contact us, we ll be happy to send you this material free. Please get involved with a church of Christ. They love you and they support our ministry, for which we re grateful. And if you re looking for a healthy, Biblical church home, we ll be happy to help you find one. Now we ll be back next week, Lord willing. With a program from God s Word. So we ask that you keep searching God s Word, search the Bible with us, and tell a friend about the program. Let them know that you are watching, and it would be a blessing to them to watch. Well, God bless you and we love you from all of us at In Search of the Lord s Way. 7/27/2014 Come Home 5

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