(Slide 1) God Wants You Back!

1 (Slide 1) God Wants You Back! Last week we looked at the topic of lost-ness. Many people are lost. They have followed bad directions, taken the wrong road in life, and now they are lost. (Slide 2). There are three stages of lost. 1. Lost, but you don t know it. It s possible to be going the wrong direction in life and not even realize it. Have you ever done that? 2. Know you re lost, but pride won t let you admit it. You may look at your situation and realize that you re lost, but your pride keeps you from owning up to your lostness. 3. Come clean and admit you re lost. This is a critical step. You must take this step in order to take the exit from the lane of lost-ness to the road of righteousness. What is righteousness? It s living the way God wants you to live. It s living right in God s eyes. It s following God s driving directions for life. There are two forms of lost. Many people in this room are lost in one of these two ways. 1. Lost in a spiritual sense. Someone here may be lost in a spiritual sense, meaning that you have never connected with God. (Show coat rack and t-shirt.) Your spiritual cell phone has no signal. You're connected to the world on many levels, but you're not connected to God. Because you're not connected to God, you're not on the road to heaven. You've followed faulty directions, and you've gone the wrong way. You re lost spiritually. You need to get connected to God. 2. Lost in life. Others of you are lost in life. You have connected to God, but you have wandered away from Him in the wrong direction. At one time, you traveled life's highway with God, but at some point, you decided to go your own way. You left God in the dust. Now, you re lost in life. Most of the world falls in the first category. Most people on our planet are lost in a spiritual sense. They have never connected with God. They're on their own, headed in

2 the wrong direction, traveling toward eternity in hell. Like most of the world, someone here may be lost in a spiritual sense. People are lost because Satan has blinded them to the realities of heaven and hell. Satan covers up the facts about heaven and hell and spins his own false story. Here s the lie he tells about life in the lane of lost-ness that leads to hell. Choose this lifestyle. It s more fun and way less restrictive. You ll have all the freedom you want, with none of that discipline stuff. It s a treasure chest full of awesome. You ll be amazed how great life can be. This is how he falsely describes life on the road of righteousness, which leads to heaven. Don t choose this lifestyle. It s stuffy and has a ton of rules to follow. You ll never have any fun, and there s no way you can ever be your own person. Man, it s a bag full of drag. Because Satan creates a spin zone, people are convinced that the hellish life is the attractive one. By believing that, they are lost. There is an exit from the lane of lost-ness. His name is Jesus. He died for your sins, the sins that cause you to be lost from God. (Slide 3) It s as easy as ABC. Admit your sin. Believe that Jesus is the forgiver of sin. Commit to take the onramp to travel with God. It's possible to accept Jesus and leave spiritual lostness forever. Last week, we spent most of our time talking about spiritual lost-ness. This week I want to focus on the second form of lost-ness, lost-ness in life. Maybe you have connected with God, ending your spiritual lost-ness. Maybe you traveled with God for a time, going in the direction God wanted for you. Then inch by inch, you wandered away from God. That s what I want us to look at today, being lost in life, wandering through trails where we shouldn t go; walking dark, dangerous alleys where we don t belong; and tip toeing on rocky paths beside deadly cliffs. It's treacherous to wander away from God and be lost in life. Please turn in your Bible to Luke 15. (Slide 4)

3 Luke 15:11-24 Read Luke 15:11-24 from my Bible. My Bible titles this section of Scripture, The Parable of the Lost Son. This is a story of lost-ness. There were two sons. Most of us are like one of the two. One son stayed close to his father. He appreciated his father s care and was a faithful servant. I hope most of us are like that. I hope we stay close to our Father, God, and serve faithfully as part of his family. That s the right choice. When we follow the directions of the Bible, God s navigation system, we won t get lost in life. The first son stayed. The second son strayed. The second son took all the blessings his father could give and wandered from home. He went places he shouldn t go and did things he shouldn t do. He turned off the navigation system and made up his own directions. He squandered his father s blessings. His quality of life went down hill fast away from his father. He was lost in life. This wandering son is often called the prodigal son. "Prodigal" means extravagant. This wayward son lived extravagantly. He used his father s assets to live high on the hog. When he blew his blessings, he lived low with the hogs. Being lost in life takes a person, from the penthouse to the pig trough. He had everything when he was with his father. He had nothing when he wandered into lost-ness. Have you run from God; looking for what you think is freedom? The freeway to false freedom is inviting and promising. There may be an initial rush as God disappears in your rearview mirror, but dangerous miles lay ahead. There may be a sense of exhilaration as you enjoy being on your own, away from all restrictions. The sobering reality is that without God to navigate, you ll take wrong turns. The road signs of life will lie to you and then laugh at you as you follow their advice. Once you re off road, it s easy to become stuck in the mire. It s easy to break down. It's easy to be stranded by the side of life s road. That s what happened to the lost son in the parable we just read. He wanted freedom from rules. He wanted to call life s shots. He wanted to be in control. He lusted for life without his father s guidance. He revved his motor, spun his tires, and watched his father disappear in the rearview mirror.

4 As his father became a spec in the distance and then vanished, he shouted, Yes! I m free! He should have moaned, Oh, no. I m lost. Wandering from the father makes us lost in life. Moses had a dream to save his people from Egyptian oppression. Moses wandered from God, messed up, and killed a man. Moses ran for his life and spent 40 years in the dessert. Moses was lost in life. King David was a man of deep devotion to God. He wandered into being the husband of hundreds of wives and concubines. Then, he desired a woman who was someone else's wife. He took the woman, and she became pregnant. To hide his sin, David had her husband killed, so he could marry her. David was lost in life. Even the best people can become lost in life. Are you lost in life? Like Moses and David, have you wandered from the calling God has for your life? If you've wandered into lost-ness, there is good news. It's harder to mess up your calling than you think. God is merciful. He wants to help you to get back on track. God got Moses back on track. God got David back on track. God can get you back on track. When I was a kid, I had a slot car that ran around a groove in an electric racetrack. Sometimes I would make the car go too fast or take a wrong turn, and the car would come off the track. No sweat; it was all good. I could pick up the car, put it back on the track, and resume the race. Has your life come out of the groove? Have you lived in the fast lane? Have you taken a wrong turn? Are you off track? God wants to pick up your life and put it back on track. God doesn't focus on your mistakes. He wants you to succeed in life. Like the lost son, you may have blown your blessings, but there's hope. God has a plan for your life. A car's navigation system constantly makes adjustments to get the passengers to a desired location. I don't have a navigation system, but I traveled by car to Tallahassee with a coworker who does. On the way home, we decided we were going to mess with the navigation system. Within the city of Tallahassee, we intentionally took turns that were opposite of the directions from the system. We tried to fool the system and get as lost as we could.

5 Each time we went the wrong way, the system issued a warning and then altered the directions to get us back on path. The system always knew where we were and what it took to get back on the road that led to home. God is like that. When we go the wrong way, he gives us directions to get us home to him, the desired location for our lives. We wants us to leave lost-ness behind and return to him. Let's return to the parable of the lost son. (Slide 4) Luke 15:17-20a. (17) When he came to his senses he said, How many of my father s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death. (18) I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. (19) I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men. (20) So, he got up and went to his father. The lost son came to his senses and returned to his father. That s what you need to do, if you ve wandered from God and become lost in life. Come to your senses. Realize what a mistake it is to wander from God. Take the first step toward the father. Even if you re living like the lost son, God will take you back. Even if you re wallowing in the slop of life, God will take you back. Do you think that your mistakes and sins are too much for God s forgiveness? No way! God s mercy is greater than any mistake. God s grace is greater than any sin. Only you can block your return to God. Only you can keep God s plan for your life from becoming a reality. Come to your senses. Take a step toward God. Tell God, I ve messed up, but I know your grace is greater than my sin. Are you worried about God s response to your plea for him to take you back? Are you concerned that he will reject your attempt to come home? Let s go back to the parable again. (Slides 5 and 6) Luke 15:20b-24.

6 (20) But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. (21) The son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. (22) But the father said to his servants, Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. (23) Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let s have a feast and celebrate. (24) For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. So, they began to celebrate. Wow! This part of the parable is amazing. The father was out at the road where the son had left. The father was looking down the road, hoping the son would return. The father saw the lost son and spit in the dirt in disgust. No! The father saw the lost son and sent servants to block his return home. No! The father saw the son returning, and his heart overflowed with compassion. That s a picture of what God is like. This parable is a story about the relationship between a father and a son, but its real meaning is about God and you, if you have wandered away into lost-ness. As we look at the rest of the story, don t just see a father and son, see you and God. God s waiting for you. He s on the look out for you. When he sees your first step toward home, compassion rises in his heart. He s ecstatic about your return. The father ran to the son. According to Jewish customs, it was undignified for a man to run. The father didn t see Jewish customs. The father didn t see the perception of being undignified. The father only saw the returning son. His son had come home. He ran to his son. Take one step toward God, and God will run to you. What are you waiting for? It s bogus to be lost in life. Take the first step. God will throw his arms around you and welcome you home. The robe and the ring are symbolic of God returning his blessings to you and reinstating your family privileges. The fattened calf stands for the celebration that will go on in heaven if you ll return to God. God won t scold you. God will say what the father in the story said. My child is home. Hey, have you seen my child; he s home! Let s have a party. Let s celebrate!

7 Have you wandered from God? Have you wandered in your church attendance? Have you wandered in your prayer time? Have you wandered into selfishness or laziness? Have you wandered into critical or unloving attitudes? Have you wandered into sin? Are you lost in life? It s ugly away from God. It s empty away from God. It s dangerous away from God. Do you miss the comfort of the father? God wants you back. God is looking down the road of your life, searching for you in the distance. He s ready to run to you and welcome you back to the family. He s ready to celebrate your return. Conclusion: The only thing that can keep you from coming back to God is you. Nothing you have done is too great to forgive. Nothing is outside the reach of God's mercy. God's grace is greater than your sin. Let s pray. God can take your test and turn it into your testimony. God can take your mess and turn it into your message. God can transform your lifestyle from sin to sensational. What are you waiting for? I ll tell you what God is waiting for. He s waiting for you. As the music plays, come to the altar, and come back to God. God wants you back! (Slides 7, 8, etc.) I ll Lead You Home Michael W. Smith Wandering the road of desperate life Aimlessly beneath a barren sky So afraid that you will not be found It won't be long before your sun goes down Just leave it to me - I'll lead you home Hear me calling - Hear me calling Just leave it to me - I'll lead you home A troubled mind and a doubter's heart You wonder how you ever got this far Just leave it to me - I'll lead you home Vultures of darkness ate the crumbs you left You got no way to retrace your steps Just leave it to me - I'll lead you home

8 Hear me calling - Hear me calling You're lost and alone Hear me calling - Hear me calling You're lost and alone So let it go and turn it over to The one who chose to give his life for you So let it go and turn it over to The one who chose to give his life for you Just leave it to me - I'll lead you home.. Hear me calling - Hear me calling You're lost and alone