Welcome to the Wilton Baptist Church, where we worship God, walk with others, and win people to the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm Pastor Steve, and our congregation is pleased to share this message with you today, and we pray it'll be a blessing and encouragement to you. Blessings as you listen or watch. Well it's great to meet many of you and great to have you here today. Maybe a friend invited you to come and maybe you just happen to see us on the internet or drive by, however you're here. We have been praying for this day and committing this day to the Lord so that we could talk about Christ here. So if you don't have a Bible, but you want a Bible, just go ahead and let's advance the slide, guys. There's a QR code. You can download this and put it on your device. It's a blue letter Bible is what it is. So go ahead, get your phone out if you want to, and take a picture of that. and you can get a Bible. I use the Blue Letter Bible. Colin Brown, he likes the Blue Letter Bible. He uses that as well. So you could download that if you have that. I have a device. I've read through the Bible at least three times on a device, a digital device, but I still prefer a paper copy. So I have a paper copy. If you have one, that's fine. Go ahead and find the book of Luke in your copy of scripture, the book of Luke, whether it's on a device, an iPad or something like that, or your phone. You can use your phone for more than texting. Just like years ago, we used phones for talking, we use it more for texting. You can actually study the Bible now on your phone. Now, let me introduce this book to you here for just a moment. The Bible is comprised of 66 books. There's an Old Testament and a New Testament. The Old Testament spans a couple thousand years' worth of time, about 4,000 to 5,000 years ago. And it tells us about things that took place 7,000 years ago in history. The New Testament is a new covenant or a new era. Basically, that's how to understand the Old Testament and the New Testament. It just means an era. a way that God was dealing with the people back then. And then the New Testament, however, it's not been discontinued. It replaced or took the place of the Old Testament in a way, fulfilled the Old Testament, and it tells us about things that happen in the future. Both tell us about things in the past and things in the future. The book of Genesis tells us our beginnings, tells us where we come from. And then you have the book of Revelation. It tells us what's going to happen. and what will be happening in the future, and some things that's already taken place. So in the New Testament, we have the first four books of the New Testament, and those are called the Gospels. They are Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and John. The first three, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, they're called Synoptic Gospels. They talk about a lot of the same stories and events of the life and times of Christ. And then John, he had a lot more new material that they didn't have in those other books, he's not considered a synoptic gospel. The others are very similar and you can really correspond. John does some, but not quite as much. But we're gonna look in the book of Luke. And we're gonna find something that's called a parable. Now a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. An earthly story with a heavenly meaning. So let's go ahead and look at this passage here. And before I read this narrative, this story that Christ gives, I'd like to just give you the context in the background. Jesus has gone to lunch or dinner at a Pharisee's house. He was a leading Pharisee. He was well-known in the local synagogue and was a well-known, famous teacher, we would say. And he has lunch with this man. a Pharisee, a very well-known, famous, ultra-pious type fellow. And there's others that are there in that household. And then there are what they would call sinners or publicans, people that are not Pharisees that were kind of looking at this and they were gathering around. They had heard some of the stories about Jesus healing people. They had heard some of his teaching and his teaching really had turned upside down the teaching that the Pharisees had been giving to the people. They were not really following the Old Testament as prescribed. They had added a lot of things. And so his teaching was clarifying the Old Testament and was really revolutionary, some of the things that he was saying. So this large group of people, publicans and sinners, gather around Jesus. And then he starts to teach them as well. He teaches about humility. He gives a parable about a great supper where a lot of people are invited, but they said they had better things to do, so they couldn't come to the feast. And then we have, this lesson continues, he talks about discipleship then. And he talks about the high cost of discipleship. He says, you don't go build something unless you know what the cost is going to be. And he gives some other parables and some other good teachings. That's all in chapter 14. In chapter 15, the scene is the same. He's just finished a meal. He's probably outside of the house where people can see him. There's a lot of people gathered around. They're all listening to him at this point. And he gives a trilogy of back-to-back-to-back parables. And they all have to do with the theme of redemption. being purchased back or bought back, being redeemed. The Pharisees and the scribes, they start to complain. Why is Jesus sitting down and talking to these publicans and sinners? I mean, we just had a meal with them over here, some of these ultra, pious, super spiritual, Superman followers of something. They were not really followers of God, but they were following something very religiously. And they start to complain that Jesus would even sit down with these people. And Jesus talks about the parable of the lost sheep. And he says, here's a guy who has a hundred sheep. One wanders away. What does he do? Well, he leaves the other sheep in someone's care. And he goes and he finds that one lost sheep. And he brings it back and he tells all of his friends. And he, in a way, throws a party. It sounds like he has a gathering. Let's celebrate. We found the one lost sheep. Then he gives the second parable, another one about redemption. Here's a woman with silver coins. She has 10 silver coins, but one is missing. And maybe it dropped and rolled behind a dresser, or maybe there's a crack in the wooden floor. I don't know, but in the parable, she loses one silver coin, and he says, she's going to sweep the whole place. Until she finds that one coin and she's looking and she's looking and she's moving things and she's lifting up stuff and she's looking around and she finds that one coin and I Found it. There's redemption. I found what I was looking for and then he gives the parable that we're about to read It's about redemption as well All of these parables are comparing and contrasting the ultra-religious and the ultra-sinful away from God. And it's a parable that speaks to all of our hearts. here today. Notice, if you would, this parable about the two sons. The day both sons come home. We call it the prodigal son. A lot of times that's how it's titled. But really, I think you could understand it's about two sons, and it's about the father's response to both sons. When it comes to redemption, both of them need some redemption. So let's read here, beginning in verse 11, he said, This is parable number three, a certain man had two sons. And the younger, that word just means novice, novice is a way you could understand that, just novice, he was young. The younger one said to his father, father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. and he divided into him his living. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living." So whatever monetary things he felt he had coming, The father divided it up and gave him his inheritance ahead of time basically. Dividing it up evenly with the older, the elder son. And he goes and wastes it all. He has this riotous living. The word riotous has to do with Disorderly. Disorderly. It was an unordered life. He had no personal discipline. He had no restraint is the idea. Neglectful. He was neglecting things he knew he should be doing and participating in. He was neglecting that. He lived a life of chaos and disorder. That's the younger son. He wasted all of it. Like sometimes you hear people get a bunch of money, they win money, they're given all the money and they waste it all and they go into addictions and things like this. Okay, same idea, same idea. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in the land. And he began to be in want. There's an economic downturn. And if you've been around long enough, you've experienced economic downturns at times in your life, not just nationally or state or local, but just personally perhaps. But here it was a national thing and this parable of famine affected that entire land. So an economic downturn and a lack of food, things to eat. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine." Anyone ever work on a pig farm? Okay. And this is kind of a bizarre thing. Assumingly he's talking to a Jewish audience. He's working with pigs that don't really go together real well. because of the Old Testament law that many of them would have adhered to. But here he is, he's working with this swine. And finally, notice if you would, he joined himself and he sent him to the fields to feed swine, verse 16, and he would have feigned and filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat and no man gave to him. When you suck corn, you eat the corn, you leave the husk, but animals like that. And this guy is gnawing on corn husks perhaps, he's just eating pig feed to survive. But notice, no one gave anything to him. No one had any compassion for him. Verse 17, when he came to himself, he came to his senses. He finally woke up one day after all the riotous living. It was like a terrible nightmare, but it was a real event that took place in his life. As this parable goes, he came to himself and said, how many hired servants of my fathers have bread enough to spare. They don't only have just what they need, they have food to spare, and yet I perish with hunger. I'm dying over here, I'm so hungry. Eating the pig slop. I will arise and go to my father. Best decision of his life. Best decision of his life. I will arise and go to my father. He decided, but listen, a lot of times you make a decision, but you don't follow through. He actually got up and went. Sometimes we make a good decision and you'll be confronted with a decision at the end of the service today. It's good to make a decision, but go ahead and follow through with it. He gets up and he goes. I will arise and go to my father and say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hired servants. So he has this message. This is what I want to convey to my father so that maybe he'll let me come back. I mean, these servants, they work and they're fed a lot better than I am. Maybe he'll let me back as just one of the hired. That'd be a lot better than the condition I'm in right now. He arose, 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. What a reception this younger, sinful, wasteful, gluttonous son receives. and his son said unto him, you could just imagine as they're embracing, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight. I've sinned against God, is what he's saying. I've sinned against you and against our family, and I am no more worthy to be called thy son. He demonstrates. great humility before the Lord. But the father said to his servants, bring forth the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. Bring hither the fatted calf and kill it and let us eat and be merry for this, my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found. And they began to be merry. And then the elder son, the word is presbyteros, elders, the older brother, was in the field. He should have been more mature about this whole thing, but he wasn't because he felt confidence and assurance in a list of rules and in practicing what we could convey as religion. The elder son was in the field and as he came and drew nigh the house, he heard music, dancing. This is a party going on. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, thy brother is come. Thy father hath killed the fatted calf because he hath received him safe and sound. And he, the older brother, was angry and would not go in. He would not go into the house. But notice what happens. Therefore came his father out and entreated him. If you want to underline any word today, underline or circle that word, I'll tell you what it means here in just a moment. He entreated him. And he answered and said unto his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee. Neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment. And yet, thou never gavest me a kid that I might make merry with my friends. You never threw a party celebrating me, dad. I've been here working. I've been slave labor for you, dad. I've done all the checklists that you've given to me. I've obeyed the rules in this household, dad. You never celebrated me. He never gave me a party. You can maybe feel what he's saying, but he's angry about this. He has lost self-righteousness. As he continues, but as soon as this thy son was come, he didn't even call him by his name or say my brother. He said, your son came back, which hath devoured thy living with harlots. Thou has killed for him the fatted calf. And he said to him, son, thou art ever with me and all that I have is thine. It was meat, it was proper that we should make merry and be glad for this, thy brother was dead and is alive again and was lost. But now he is found. Here's the parable of two sons and a father, the prodigal son story. Both sons were lost. One just was living at home. Both sons were lost. And God, in this case, when you make the analogy, brings them both back in. I want to challenge everybody here this morning, all whoever would listen later on, to come back home to God. come back home to God, and we come through the person of Jesus Christ. Here's three observations from this parable. The first one is this, both sons were unworthy. Both sons were unworthy. Both were sinners. One was religious, but he was still lost. He obeyed the rules, he did the checklist, he fulfilled all the things that he believed his father wanted, but he did not have a relationship with his father. He wasn't close to his father. It was mechanical. It was, I have stuff to do, but it was not a close relationship. We know the sin of this son, the first one, the younger one, says, I'm no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of the hired servants. He recognized his worth as, because of what I've done, I'm not worth it. While the other brother is saying, look at all I've done, I'm worth it. It's on the opposite end of the spectrum. But both of them were away from the Father. One physically away and the other was by application spiritually away. Relationally he was away from his Father even though he lived at home. The other was religious we would say. Now the first brother was wasteful. Carnality, immorality was the younger brother's sins. He was like the sinners, the publicans that the Pharisees were condemning while Jesus was having this food, while he was talking to them. Okay, this is the same scene. This is the last of these parables with this setting. And so he's addressing, here's the senators and the publicans, and here's the ones who think they're not senators, the ultra-pious and the righteous, that believe they're righteous, self-righteousness that they have. The older brother's that. He's self-righteous. He's arrogant. He's jealous. Why would father give them attention when I've been doing all this work over here for him? and he was coveting. That was all the elder brother's sins. He was like the Pharisees. So when Jesus gives parables, I mean, he really lays it right out where everybody in that audience would know, okay, this younger brother, that's me. I'm one of those sinners. And the Pharisees, they would be like, oh man, that arrogant fool, older son at home, that's me. He's talking about me. They got really angry about it. They would always get angry about it. because they could very well tell what Jesus was addressing. The younger brother ran away from home, but the older brother chose to stay home, but his heart was far from home because of his choices. Now friends, think about this. We are unworthy of our perfect and holy Father in heaven. All of us, the best of us. And I say that lightheartedly because none of us are good really. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We're not all just like picture perfect. A lot of times we come into church and people think, oh, you know, well, that person dresses up nice, they're polished, they have their hair done nice, they have their shoes shined, they must be like super Christian. They don't have any problems. You can look good and still have a lot of problems. A lot of times when we mask or cover up our problems on the outside, the Pharisees were really good at that. They didn't have a relationship with the God of the Old Testament. They had a lot of rules and religion that they fulfilled, but their heart was far from the Lord. People in general, Christian people in particular, tend to divide sins into two categories, their sins and ours. That's how we kind of think about it sometimes, kind of like this older brother. Of course, there's no such distinction in the Bible. Sin is sin is falling short of the glory of God. Sin is the transgression of the Lord. Does anyone here have a religious background? You don't have to raise your hand, but do you have a religious background? If you have a religious background, think about this with me. Some theology that has been taught in religious circles distinguished between mortal sins and venial sins. A mortal sin, they would say, removes your justification, and if you die with unconfessed mortal sin on your soul, you'll be sent to hell. Venial sins do not destroy your justification and only reduce your rewards or add to your time in purgatory. The Reformation rejected this system because of its works-based orientation. And the Bible doesn't talk about purgatory, and it doesn't talk about levels of sin, like some will condemn you to hell and others to not. All sin is equal, and all sin was paid for at the cross. No matter how, in our human estimation, we tend to categorize, like, oh, it's more big, yeah. Okay, that's Pharisaical thinking. That's Pharisaical thinking. We should be like the younger brother. I am unworthy. I am absolutely unworthy, but Dad, would you let me back? We should be that humble. My sin doesn't have a category to it. It all nailed Jesus to the cross. He carried all of it there, no matter how big or small. Well, I've been religious, you know, I've done some good things. I've cared for people. I've tried to love my neighbor more than I love myself. Okay, well, pat yourself on the back. It doesn't make you a Christian. It doesn't do it. we have to come through Jesus to Christ. All have sin and come short of the glory of God. Romans 6.23 says the wages of sin, that's what we earn. You earn a wage for your work, for something that you do. What we earn for our sin, and again, there's no category to it, the wages of sin is death. And I love this conjunction here, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. In 1 John 1, 7, if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another. And the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanses us from all sin. It doesn't say that, well, this younger brother, you know, he can't be saved because he has so much sin. And it doesn't say this guy is so good that he doesn't need to be saved because he's a Pharisee. No, the older brother needed salvation just as much as his younger brother, but he had a harder time seeing it. Both needed redemption. So both sons were unworthy. Number two then, both sons were unconditionally loved. Notice in verse 20 how the father responds. He arose and came to his father when he was yet a great way off. You know what that indicates to us? The father must have been looking off his front porch, looking down the road to see if his son would ever come home. He'd been gone a long time. So I just imagine he was looking every day for his son to come back. He was looking for his son to return. And so when he was a great way off, his father saw him, had compassion, ran, fell on his neck, and kissed him. In verse 28, we'll come back to that in just a moment, but think about this compassion here. Compassion means to be moved as to one's bowels. It's the innermost part of somebody. So he had just this, oh, wow, my son's come back. If you have ever had like a sensational feeling when something that you did not expect to happen or that you were hoping for happened and it did happen and it's like an emotion that rushes over you physically, okay? An emotion that rushes over you physically and you feel it. There's three parts to you, body, soul, and spirit. So it's all connected. At certain times, you can really feel that. That's what he felt. If you've ever had that, here's an emotion, and it just overwhelms my whole body. He felt something over his whole body. He had compassion. He's moved within him. And he gets up and he makes haste. He runs to him to where his son is, and he fell on him. That didn't mean he tripped along the way. He fell on him, meaning he embraced his neck. That's what the word means. He embraced his neck. He hugs him! He shows a common greeting even today of acceptance. When I'm hugging somebody, I accept you. I value you. You are important to me. He was loved unconditionally. And when he said, Father, forgive me, I've sinned against heaven and I've sinned against you. Let me be one of your hired servants. The father doesn't have any of that. He says, no, I already accept you unconditionally. You're not having to work around here. You don't have to do a checklist of things for me to accept you or to value you or love you or cherish you. I love you. And here's the son. He had repented from his wrong. He comes to the father and his father's arms were all wide open. He was ready for his son. Now, maybe you've been religious. God does not love you for your religion. He doesn't love you more because I do religious things. That's not what the Bible teaches. Notice in verse 28, as he was angry, the older brother was angry, he would not go in. Therefore, his father came out and entreated him. The word entreated, that's the word you underlined or circled earlier. It's the word parakaleo. One of my favorite words in scripture is the word parakaleo, and it means to come alongside, to come alongside, to call to one's side, to summon. That's what the word is. When the Bible speaks about the Holy Spirit being the comforter, it's the word parakaleo, to come alongside. And so the father goes out to the older son who's steaming, he's hot, you never gave me a party, come on dad. And he goes out to where he's at and he doesn't just talk to him, he puts his arm around him too. He puts his arms around his neck if you would. He comes alongside the older brother and he lets him know, I accept you. You've been here and the reason I love you isn't for all the stuff that you've been doing. He's conveying a similar idea to him. You see, God wants to come alongside you and I with a real vital relationship. He goes on to say in verse 31, son, everything I've had, everything I have in this place, it's been yours all this whole time anyway, you just didn't know it. So here's a son who was involved in a checklist, a ritual, but he didn't have a close relationship with his father. What's your relationship with God like? Is there rules that you have to do? Is there a list of do's and don'ts? Like, oh, I've got to do this. I need to make God happy today. He may not love me. I don't know if I'll be saved if I don't do this, this, and this. I don't know about that. Okay, that's not the way that it is. And Jesus, as he conveys this parable, is making that very clear, friends. If you are a Christian, we should have a vital a real, authentic walking and talking with God, just like we're conversing with us here today. He wants to come alongside of you like that. Natural birth ushers a person into the natural world where a supernatural birth is needed for a person to be born again, to be spiritually a son and a daughter of God. Romans 5, 6 tells us, for when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. Okay, that's me. That's the older brother. That's the younger brother. And however we want to categorize it, everybody in between. We're all sinners falling short of God's glory. So he died for us. Romans 5.8, but God commendeth, that means demonstrated or proved, his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, in spite of our sin, Christ died for us. He took your place. He took my place. Those that are just out here, sinful, loving all the things that are wrong in the world, and those who are ultra-pious but still full of sin, conceit, arrogance, pride, all those sins that he was blind to because of his checklist of fulfilling things at home. He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already. Wait a minute, I'm condemned already? Because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Okay, without Christ, you could be a sinner without Christ that's just running after sin, doesn't care about God at all. You could be a person who's ultra-religious and you're doing all these different things, like I'm just a super follower of something over here. They don't really know the Father. But we're condemned already without Christ. He's the mediator. He's the only one. He's the in-between. That's why God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish. That phrase has to do with dying and going to hell. Should not perish, but have everlasting life. I could have everlasting life. No matter how sinful I've been, no matter how much I think I deserve it, it's all pride and arrogance again. It's not true. All of us need Jesus. Every single one of us. Both sons were unworthy. Both sons were unconditionally loved. And that's why Jesus came. That brings us to our last observation. Both sons were accepted by the Father. the younger son, after he gives him that hug and lets him know, I love you, he brings out the best robe in verse 22 and 23, the best set of clothing that he has, a family signet ring suggesting authority, like I'm part of this family household once again, and what's his is mine, that ring suggests all of that. New shoes, maybe it was sandals back then, I don't know, he got new shoes. the fat of the calf prepared. That was only done for special occasions. He lets them know, I accept you wholeheartedly, the older son. He says in verse 31, Everything I have is yours. It already belongs to you. Let's celebrate the newfound freedom and success of your brother. You've been keeping a list, but now let's enjoy fellowship, the fellowship and relationship that you can have with me." Now, both sons needed to repent. In verse 17, when he comes to himself, He came to his senses. When he came to himself, he said, how many hired servants my fathers have brought enough to eat and spare, and I'm here dying of hunger. He repented. He made that decision. I mentioned that at the very beginning. He made a decision to turn around and go back to his father, to go back home, and he did. He made that decision, and then he went. In just a moment, I'm gonna ask you to make a decision to believe the gospel, to accept Jesus Christ as your savior. to express faith in the resurrected Jesus. And that's a decision of your heart. You've got to believe it and act upon it for yourself. Now the other son needed to repent as well. Verse 21, or I'm sorry, verse 32, he needed to repent. Hey, everything that I have is yours. It was meat. It was necessary. It was proper that we should make merry and be glad. For this my brother was dead and is alive again and was lost and is found." Now here's something that Jesus doesn't finish the story. We don't know what happened with the older brother. But did he need to repent? Yes. Did he come back in the house? I hope so. We don't know. He left us there because a lot of times, if we're like the Pharisees, we're the ones who look good and act good and think we're good. And why do I really need to repent? A lot of times. So Jesus kind of leaves us hanging on what happens with the older brother. We need to be like the younger brother. He needed to repent of his pride and arrogance, his condemning attitude, his self-righteousness. I don't know if he did. I don't know. This is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Everyone here is one of these two brothers. Either you already know it, I fall short of God's glory, I can't save myself, I can't do it. Or I've been working really hard for this, I deserve salvation by now. Okay, both are wrong. Both need humility and confession and repentance. Repentance is required. Maybe you've been religious. Maybe you've run away from God. Maybe you've kept a list of rules. Maybe you've rebelled, running after sin. Whichever side of the spectrum you're on, we need to repent. When a person repents, what happens? When a person repents of their sin, they're confessing Christ as their Savior, a new life occurs. When we come alive, when we repent, verse 32, for this thy brother was dead, but he's alive again. Okay, he has a new life. He has a new life. When a person repents, they get a new life. When a person repents, they are found and are no longer lost. In verse 32, your brother was lost, but now he's found. I know where he's at. He's right here with us. When you repent, You're no longer like the lost sheep, or the lost coin, or the lost brother. You're found. Now God knows where you're at the whole time. This is an amazing thing. He knows where we're at the whole time. He knows if we believe in him or not. He knows if our heart is far from him, or if we're just pretending and acting like the Pharisees did, or if we're just all out into sin. He knows all of that. He knows where you're at. You know where you're at. you can trust Christ for yourself. Believe the gospel for yourself. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, thou shalt be saved in thy house. Let's close with this verse. But as many as received him, there's a key word there, to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name. Three key words are found. You see the first two underlined, receive and believe. If you believe Jesus Christ died on the cross, he shed his blood dying in your place. And we've read verses already today that his blood is what cleanses us. It takes care of the sin on our behalf. After being dead for three days, he rose again. And then 40 days later, he ascended into heaven. And it's amazing, He's praying for you, He's offering salvation to you today. He's right here with us, His Spirit's right here with us. But if you receive Jesus Christ, you're believing in the death, burial, and resurrection, you've expressed faith, you want to acknowledge He is my Lord and Savior, then you become. That's how you become a Christian. I believe in Jesus Christ. He's the risen Son of God. And I receive Him. I'm asking Him. I'm expressing faith that He is the risen Son of God. That's how you become a Christian. Hey, it's not taking some bread and juice. It's not practicing or reciting a creed. It's not being baptized. Even in a Baptist church, that doesn't mean anything if you've never trusted Christ, if you've never expressed faith in Jesus alone for salvation. And so today, trust Jesus for yourself. Maybe you say, well, I've not been religious. I've been like the younger brother, or I've been very religious. I've done a lot of good things, and I've been in church, and I know some different things about, quote, Christianity. But if you don't have a relationship with God the Father today, have that spiritual birth take place. Become a Christian today for yourself. One person said there's three homes that every person needs. Three homes. The first home is a physical home. We all benefit from a physical home that we live in. The second one is a church home, and if you don't have a church, we'd love to be your church home where you can worship and serve and grow in your faith and gather as we fellowship. But the third home that everyone needs is a home in heaven. And the only way in is through the person of Jesus Christ. Trust Him today. Here's our response questions. You can see them on the screen. And as we talk through these, answer this for yourself. I am lost like that younger brother, but I want to come home today. I want salvation. The second question is this. I have been religious, but lost. I want a relationship with God the Father today. I want salvation as well. And then third for the Christians here today. Has the rules of religion gotten in the way with your walk with God? Are you fellowshipping with God? Are you really walking with God? Or is it just like, I did this checklist, I got it done. Or do you have a vital, personal, real relationship? Confess that to the Lord today. and renew that walk with the Lord this morning. Let's take some time to respond now. So let's bow our heads for a moment and I'll lead us in prayer. The first question, you already know, I'm lost, but I want to know about salvation today. Whether I've been religious or not, I want to know Jesus Christ is my Savior, that my sins are forgiven, that I have that home in heaven. that you're talking about. Is there anybody like that? No one's looking, just me. We call this a response time. I want to know more about salvation through Christ. Just raise your hand. Anybody at all? And I want to pray with you here. Anybody at all? Just raise your hand very quickly. All right. Thank you. And then Christian, has the rules of religion gotten away with your walk with God? Confess that to the Lord today. Maybe that's you. The Lord spoke to me about this. I haven't been walking with God like I need to, like I really love Him. I've been just doing religion for all this time or for a while now. Lord, please forgive me of that. God spoke to you about this, being religious but not really walking with God. Anybody like that? Just raise your hand. God spoke to you, Christian? All right. Okay, a couple of hands. Thank you. If you've never trusted Christ, let today be the day. Believe the gospel. for yourself. Over 30 years ago, I prayed believing and receiving Jesus Christ as my Savior. Today can be your day to know for certain salvation. Please talk to me following the service. I'd love to show you in the Bible and you can pray and believe the gospel for yourself. Father, we thank you for this parable you gave. We thank you for the younger son coming home. And for this older son, I hope he came back into the house. He needed to repent as well. Thank you that you came alongside him. Thank you that you welcomed with compassion and open arms the younger sinful brother. Lord, help us all to see our lives with humility and see our need for Christ. And if there's a friend here today without Christ, they don't know for certain that they're saved by not works or religion, but saved by the blood of Jesus Christ and choosing him as their Savior. Let them come to that faith here today. Lord, we thank you for everyone that's here this morning, how you've challenged our hearts. Lord, we just worship you, our resurrected Lord. We give you thanks. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.