Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder

Today is all about SEXUAL STUPIDITY.  Before we go any further, is there anyone here who has not been sexually stupid?  Physically?  Mentally?  For a moment?  For a season?  Right.  That is what I thought.  So that should help us approach this story with some zipper humility. 

It is classically known as the prodigal son. 
He engages in RECKLESS LIVING:  senseless, desperate, madness, wasteful.  Past recovery.
As his snarky brother summarizes, "this son of yours has DEVOURED your property with prostitutes."  This means to eat up ravenously like a wild animal would; to consume completely.  The prodigal son devours the father's property while he is being devoured by his sexual stupidity.

Essentially he starts by sexually taking what is not his to take from all these women.  The fact that cash is put on the bedstand does not make this any more permissible.  In fact, it makes it worse.  He runs amuck and is so consumed by this process, that there is nothing left at the end of it.  Listen today and let's perhaps see ourselves as near to this prodigal son.

If the Bible is accurate, then what can happen after the end of this 7 minute podcast is truly remarkable.  Angels in heaven, could be in a JOYFUL state.  How did they get like that?  Because of potentially ONE of the listeners of this podcast.  That's right:  a whole posse of heavenly angels could go JOYFUL because of ONE single human being.

What's the trick?  Two things:  
She has to identify as a sinner.  This is a big deal. 
And then secondly, she has to repent.  This is also a big deal.

Yesterdays podcast about the LOST SHEEP, and today's podcast about the LOST COIN and tomorrows podcast about the LOST SON (prodigal son) are all about repentance and the ripples after repentance.  

Maybe you'd like to give an angel joy today.  Then, be the lost and found coin; get lit up; get found; get pursued; get swept into God's possession; and respond to His attention by agreement and regret.  Listen and get started.  The ripples of what you may do can reach all the way to the angels in heaven.  Wow.  

Here is a typical definition of Christmas:  WE reJOIce that HE's Come.
(We get the Joy)

Here is an atypical definition of Christmas:  HE reJOICES that WE Come..
(He gets the Joy)

Of course I am re-defining Christmas.  We are going to answer the Drummer Boy's (irritating! Sorry...) question:  "What can I bring?"  We are going to imagine Jesus in His pajamas, wiping the sleep out of His eyes as He comes down the stairs on Christmas morning.  What gift under the tree would make HIM the HAPPIEST?  What would bring HIM JOY?  Don't underestimate this question, because mankind has been trying a whole bunch of stupid things in an effort to please God over the centuries.  This Christmas, we get a direct answer.  

"Joy to the world, the Savior's come." Let's change that a little:
"Joy to the LORD, the ____________ _____________ has come".    Listen and be a joy to the Lord today!

Before we really get into the story of the LOST SHEEP,  we need to understand the "Location" of the essence of the story.  I don't mean geographic location in this case.  I mean more this central square of repentance.  

It is a story about repentance.  Sinners that need repentance.
It is told to this group of people that are being drawn to the person of Jesus and and hopefully to the "square" of repentance.  
It is also told to a group of people that are SELF righteous and don't think they need to repent. In fact, they grumble to Jesus about this square, this central element.  In a sense, they are saying, "I DON'T LIKE THE BIBLE".  I don't like this central element of repentance...especially for me.  I don't even like that you are offering it to the tax-collectors and definitively sinners.  

May we have "Ears to hear" either His message of repentance or that we NEED the message of repentance.   I know, you are being DRAWN to Him, just like those in the story.  Listen and keep going!

Apparently, the old puritan writers could write an entire BOOK on a single verse of the Bible.  So, if a 7 minute podcast is about a single verse, you know it is going to be good.

Today is about being stuck on a single verse about HATING MY OWN LIFE of Luke 14:26.  Later the same life is Renounced.

But the only way to "Hate myself", is with the help of God.  Why, because My SELF_LOVE, self-preserving, self-appreciating mechanism is almost infinitely strong because of sin.  The mechanism is sinful.  So, to break through, I will need help. Martin Lloyd-Jones got us started.  (He's my favorite from Episode #77 and less so #68.  Worth a listen!!!!)

What my little verse today does NOT talk about is the other side of the coin.  That is:  The awesomeness of God and His ultimate value.  That is the "pearl of great price" that causes me to re-look at my love for self, my relationships, my plans, my commitments, my ownerships, and the things I think I have control over.  

I suppose the prayer is to "help me HATE MYSELF in light of the awesomeness and ultimate value of the treasure of You God."  This is a first.  Has anyone ever prayed such a prayer? If so, you are a new friend of mine.  

Jesus sets a high bar for following Him.  One might even wonder whether it is worth it.  

It is a bit like going to the moon. "You mean to tell me it is going to be expensive, epic, dangerous, require new priorities and will change everything?  Why would I do that?"  Because you get the moon.

Similarly becoming a disciple of Jesus:

• It is what you were made for (the great adventure of following Him)
• It is Who you were made for (The great relationship of Be With Me)
• It is Who you were made BY (He's been waiting for you)

So yup, there is rattling of every category

• priorities (military campaign)
• possessions (tower costs)
• permanence (Cross commitment)
• people (valuation of relationship connections)

You get ME.  WORTH IT.  Where do I sign up?

Jesus does not lower the bar in our considerations about coming to Him.  In fact, He asks us to consider and probably keep-on-considering the 'costs' of following Him.  Don't get me wrong, it will be worth it.  Yet He asks us to not give this some casual thought.

He gives four examples for us to consider RENOUNCING as we come to Him.  Seriously?  He couldn't give a softer word?  Apparently this is something He wants us to strongly think about.

• Military :  so we'd consider our Campaigns and PRIORITIES in light of Him
• TOWER:  so we'd consider our Costs and OWNERSHIP in light of Him
• CROSS:  so we'd consider our Commitment and CONTROL in light of Him
• HATE:  so we'd consider our Connections and VALUATIONS in light of Him

There is a sense of "then you cannot be my disciple" I think, not to dissuade us about coming, but about making informed, quality, committed, long-term disciples.  Listen and count your costs.

Welcome to the Parable of the Great Banquet.

The Master is having a great banquet.  He invites many.  Some make excuses and devalue and misvalue the invitation.

We see today that the MASTER wants the banquet hall to be full of something:  that is YOU. There is still room!  For what?  Better question is for WHOM?  That is, for YOU.  So ultimately, who are the comers to the banquet?

• the poor of the world's stuff
• the crippled of body
• the blind of sight
• those lamed by history or baggage or injury
• the surprised who got confronted by the highways

The heart of God comes through in this parable.  He wants us to taste His banquet.  He wants the banquet hall to be filled with celebrants that are just like you, and ARE YOU.  It is a rag tag bunch of invitees.  Just like He planned.  Just like He wants.  He WANTS YOU to come!

I've got excuses, and so do you.  The guys in the story today have what I'd call GOOD EXCUSES:  big stuff:

• I just got married!
• I just bought 10 oxen, means of production, huge investment, lots of attention
• I just bought land, means of production, huge investment, lots of work ahead

It is all about PRIORITIES.  These are pretty reasonable excuses IMHO.  That is, unless you compare them of banqueting with God Himself.  If you over-value your excuse, or you under-value your God, you end up doing this wrong.

So how about you today:  

• What ECONOMIC excuse would you, and do you use?
• What RELATIONAL excuse would you, and do you use?
• What HEALTH excuse would you, and do you use?
• What LIFE GOAL excuse would you, and do you use?

Let's call a spade a spade today and identify (perfectly justifiable in my mind) EXCUSES:  "I'd be ON FIRE for God except for..." or "I'll be on FIRE for God when..."

It is better to be Humble rather than be Humiliated.  It is better not to stand in a pathway of opposition from God.  It is better to stand in a place of grace that is promised in humility.

Humility is a good way to live.  How do we know this?  Almost every message from social media, business, any organization I can think of preaches the opposite.  We know this by exposing ourselves to the Word of God.  Every day we place ourselves before what HE says, and then we wrestle about what that might actually mean as I apply it.

I am appreciating you reading this right now.  I'd even say that it requires HUMILITY to listen to this podcaster as he places a snack-sized morsel of Scripture before you each morning.  I think your listening takes courage.  You never know when something will hit painfully close to the target, and yet here you are.  Well done!.  Keep going!  Come back tomorrow.  In doing so, I believe you are OBEYING the charge of today's Word:  Be Humble.