Come As You Are (Lynne Macias, 09/17/22)

Okay, so maybe one or two people want to say some things that they do when visitors are

coming.

Yes, go ahead, Elena.

Clean the house, yes, that's my number one, always clean the house.

What else?

Anything else you do?

Grocery shop, make sure you got food in the fridge, yes.

Maybe made, but at least in the fridge, right?

Anybody else?

Yes, sorry.

Jan.

Oh, okay.

Well, you got the good attitude, Jan, because that's where I was going actually.

I often, oh yeah, go ahead.

Cook, okay, that's another thing we often do.

That's right, have the food ready.

And usually it's true for visitors, at least a lot of times I remember thinking, well,

it's a good thing the visitors are coming because that's the way my house gets clean.

Because we tend to, we want to fix it up a little bit.

I want you to think about this.

What about Jesus?

When you invite Jesus, do you feel like you have to clean up?

Do you feel like you have to have things all perfect before he comes in, before you let

him come?

Let's go ahead.

Let's explore today actually, come as you are.

What it means to come to Jesus without doing anything first.

So let's bow our heads for another quick prayer.

Heavenly Father, I just want to pray that you empty me totally of myself today.

I want to be a conduit for you to speak to your people today.

Lord, may every single person here have some encouragement today, have something today

that they can grasp onto and they can go home and meditate on and just see how beautiful

you are.

And I pray this in Jesus' name, amen.

I want you to turn to Matthew 11.

And by the way, I do need someone who's going to have a roving mic because I do want, as

you know, I like it a little bit more interactive, just a sermon.

So I would like you guys to help me reading and doing other things, answering questions

and so forth.

So we're going to look at Matthew 11, 28 to 30.

And I would like, is there a person who would mind carrying, I don't know if Caleb wants

to do that.

Take the, he's our great helper.

Yeah, that would be great.

If anybody would like to read that.

And when you read, I want you to read nice and loud with expressions so that people really

get the text in case they don't have a Bible with them.

Okay?

So it's Matthew 11, 28 to 30.

Anybody willing to read that?

Okay, for him over here.

And put your hand up nice and high so Caleb can see it.

He knows, he knows you.

Yeah, he's bringing a mic.

There we go.

Okay.

Nice and loud.

Okay.

It says, come unto me, all ye that labor in our heaven laden, and I will give you rest.

Okay.

Yeah, it was to, it's fine.

Stop there.

Okay, when we come to Jesus, what does he promise us?

The one word.

He promises rest.

You can continue reading.

Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall

find rest into your souls.

Okay, thank you.

When do you come to Jesus, does he say?

It's right there in the first verse as well.

When you're what?

Tired?

Heavy laden?

I'm going to repeat only for the sake of Zoom, so, or the video so they know what you're

saying.

Yeah, when you're, okay, does it say, come, when you've got it all together, come to me.

Does he say that?

No.

He says when you're weary or weak or heavy laden, there are many different versions, but

basically you've got to be having a problem, right?

There's a problem.

You're heavy laden, you're weary, you're tired, okay?

But does it say we don't work at all?

There's nothing we do.

We just come.

Resting means inactivity.

Is that what it's saying?

What's the one word there that tells us there is some activity going on?

There's something going on.

There's work.

Yoke, okay?

Everybody knows what a yoke is, right?

Or two ox, and I like this image because it gives me the idea that, you know, God's the

papa ox, right?

He's carrying the heavy load, but we still have to keep in step with him, right?

We're still under the yoke.

We may not be carrying the heavy burden of the yoke, he may be, but we're still under

the yoke.

So, we come to him because we have an issue, right?

Let's look at Mark 2.17, and somebody can put up their hand right now so Caleb can come

to you and read that.

Mark 2.17.

Elena has her hand up right here.

By the way, I think you guys should all take turns sitting up here when the kids have children's

story.

It's such a delight to see them here.

This is how I want you today to contribute like they did today.

Okay, Mark 2.17.

Go ahead.

When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them that they that are holy have no need of the...

This isn't...

But they that are sick.

I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repent.

So he says, you come to him when you need what?

When you need help, when you're sick, right?

When you need a visit.

You don't go to a doctor when you're well and say, oh, I'm doing great.

Okay, how much do you charge me just to let me know?

Yes, I'm really great.

No, you go to the doctor because you're sick, and it's the same thing here with Jesus.

So when the enemy tells you...

Wait, you can't come to Jesus.

You got to clean yourself up a little bit.

What do you tell him?

Get thee behind me, right?

Because the very thing that the enemy is telling you that's holding you back, he's telling

you to clean up is actually what qualifies you to go to Jesus.

Jesus says, I don't want you to come if you have it all together.

Those are those self-sufficient, proud people who, I don't need Jesus, right?

I don't need a physician, but the ones who realize I'm sick, he says, come to me.

And so it's your sin that qualifies you or recommends you to Jesus, and that's a beautiful

thing to think about.

I want you to look at Psalm 23.

There's a picture there.

I love that picture because you see as they're letting the man down, and this is one of the

few times that Jesus did what before healing?

Before healing this man, what did he do?

He forgave his sins.

And this man is kind of looking over the edge.

I just like the picture because he's kind of looking to see, is he going to accept me?

Because obviously the Pharisees didn't, nobody did, but he's wondering if Jesus will accept

him and he does.

Psalm 23, one and two, who would like to read that?

Paul.

The Lord is my shepherd.

I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside the still waters.

Okay.

He restores my soul, I guess.

Was that three?

Sorry.

Should have put it to three.

He restores my soul as well.

So I want to look at that.

This is a very famous Psalm.

We often go to this, and I love the progression in that Psalm because it does go through and

it talks about being in the valley of the shadow of death.

It does talk about being under the rod and the staff, right?

Which insinuates that there's a little bit of discipline going on there, or there's some

kind of crucible.

We've been talking about crucibles.

But when you come to Jesus, the first thing, what does he do?

What is the first thing that's listed here?

By still waters, or is it green pastures?

He has you lie down in green pastures.

He leads you by still, not just not bubbling brooks, right?

He's leading you by still waters.

He's restoring your soul.

And Jesus is saying, come to me because this is, I just want you to rest.

And often we talk about going for Jesus, right?

Going going, I'm going to be disciples.

And yes, but if you don't come to Jesus, you can't go for Jesus.

If Jesus says come, he doesn't just say go.

He says, come to me and then I will send you out.

But you need rest and you need healing.

And this is, by the way, not a one time thing, right?

It's a daily thing.

Every day, every morning, we need that come to Jesus time so we can go, right?

Go out and shine for Jesus.

So I'm just going to read a few things here.

You come to Jesus when you're weak and heavy laden, when you're exhausted and you don't

feel like caring about anybody or anything.

When you sinned against God or maybe his people and you're too ashamed to approach God, come

to him anyway.

When you're sick and you wonder why he didn't intervene.

When you're discouraged and you feel alone.

When darkness presses around you and you feel overwhelmed with maybe even depression.

When you're angry that he did not show up for you or for one of your loved ones.

Just come to Jesus in every circumstance, in all circumstances.

The little piece of paper you just got, I want you to write, it's going to be yes or

no.

And I want you to write on that paper, yes or no, depending on, okay, this is the question.

If you were to die tonight or whatever, do you have assurance of salvation?

If you were to go tonight, do you have assurance of salvation?

All you do is write yes or no.

And then Caleb, I guess, or somebody, maybe Elena, would you mind, because Caleb has

a mic, would you mind picking them up?

You can just turn it upside down there or fold it if you'd like.

And Elena will come by.

This is just between you.

It's totally anonymous.

We're going to take a count to see more or less where we are, you know, if people have

that assurance.

So I don't know, both of you girls, maybe, would you both like to go one?

If you can take one side, one, you can take the other.

So get up and you can go ahead and pick them up.

Who?

I need two people who would like to count those for me.

Okay, I got one, another person.

Got to keep Carla accountable.

We need two people.

Anybody else want to help count the yeses and nos?

Okay, Sarah.

Okay, the two of you can go to the back and quickly do it as quickly as you can.

Oh, you can also.

Yeah.

Elena, do you want to pick them up on that side?

Okay, we're going to do that as quickly as possible.

And while we're doing that, I want you again to get with your neighbour.

Everybody get those as quickly as possible so that they can count them.

Did everybody get a piece of paper?

Does everybody have one?

I just want to make sure.

All right.

Do you guys have the other papers at the back?

Did you give the papers to them?

Go and give the papers to them.

To Sarah and to Carlisle.

Okay.

So quickly count out the yeses and nos.

And okay, while we're doing that, I want you with the person next to you to say what is

the one thing you are absolutely sure of?

Or you can be absolutely sure of.

Okay?

The one thing you can absolutely be sure of.

Okay?

Thirty seconds each.

Go ahead and...

I hear that infamous one that keeps coming up.

All right, so what are some of the things you can absolutely be sure of?

At least you can be absolutely sure of.

The love of God.

That's a beautiful thing if you're assured of that.

Somebody else?

I heard over there what you guys were saying.

You want to say it out loud?

Eternal life?

No, I was not looking for spiritual things at all.

I mean, if you have...

Go ahead.

Yeah, taxes, right?

My father would say death and taxes is the only two things you can be sure of.

And now we don't even know if death, right?

We don't know when Jesus is coming.

But yeah, normally, under normal conditions, it would be death and taxes.

Yes?

Your bread and water be sure.

Your bread and water be sure.

That's a beautiful thing.

That's right.

Okay, our necessities.

Okay, anybody else want to contribute?

God's faithfulness.

Okay.

Do you guys have something back there yet?

His presence?

Say it again.

His faithfulness.

Truthfulness?

Oh, you guys are just loaded with great things we can be sure of.

His mercy.

Seeing if they...

Before I move on, I'd like to have an idea of what the answers were.

Okay, so what did you come up with?

Here comes the paper.

Okay, that's fine.

Okay, so 18 people said yes.

That's beautiful.

Three people said no.

One said I don't know and there was a blank.

So maybe it was, I'm not sure as well.

And so that's a beautiful thing that 18 of you are assured of your salvation.

And it's...

I'm speaking mainly to the three, but I'm speaking to everyone because there are always

moments in our lives where we wonder, right?

We wonder.

And also in speaking with somebody else, how to encourage them.

But I'm hoping that today when we come out that 18...

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, 23 people, just like Psalm 23, it's going

to be 23 people going out of here that are all assured of their salvation.

We're going to look at the first verse in Romans 8, 38 and 39.

Romans 8, 38 and 39.

Who would like to read this?

Put your hand up high.

Okay, Kevin.

Caleb, you can go over to Kevin there.

Okay, you can go ahead, stand up.

Or you can just sit down there and read it.

That's fine too.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the

present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all

creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our

Lord.

So what is, according to this verse, what is the one thing we can be sure of?

Nothing can separate us from what?

Not from God, but from his love, right?

From his love.

Unfortunately, there are things that can separate us from God, but nothing can separate us from

his love.

And it's interesting that Darren is the one who, that's the first thing he said.

God's love, that's a sure thing.

So the first thing I want you to know is that there is nothing that can separate you from

his love.

And now often we confuse, I think, God's love with salvation.

Salvation is totally self-determined.

In the end, every person will decide whether they're saved or lost.

It's our decision.

But God's love, he will love you for, I mean, even when you're gone, right?

Eternity.

He'll love you for eternity.

He loves Lucifer.

It was his first child, right?

He went astray.

But children make choices, right?

And he will respect, because he loves them, he will respect their choices, their choice

not to be saved.

But God's love is, he, nothing can separate you from his love.

So I want you to remember that wherever you are at, he loves you.

As deep, as dark as your experience is, he loves you and you can always turn around and

come back to him.

I had your hand up.

It's okay.

I don't mind entertaining a question.

I didn't condemn you.

I didn't condemn you.

Exactly.

Beautiful.

Thank you for sharing that.

That's right.

He wants to.

He has true love for you.

Okay.

Lucifer's Romans 323 and just the first part of 623.

Who would like to read that?

Hands up.

Oh, Sarah's going to read it.

Okay.

So 323 and 623, just the first part.

For all of sin and fall short of the glory of God, for the wages of sin is death.

Okay.

So what problem do we all have?

Sin.

Sin.

Okay.

So we can be sure that we are sinners and we're in need of God's help.

Now why is this important to even admit or to know?

I mean, why is this important to know that we're sinners?

God can't help us if we...

Yeah, if we're perfect or if we think we are.

You know, right?

He can't help us if we don't see a need for a solution.

And so this is so important for us to realize.

And it's a daily thing.

I mean, I can tell you daily when I do confession and I ask the Lord, He does bring up things

in my experience and things sometimes that shock me lately.

I've been reading through Joshua, I read through Achan and I'm reading a little bit smugly

about how dumb can Achan be to take all that stuff?

And then God told me, oh, but you have covetousness in your heart.

Not like Achan, you're not going to stealing stuff, but you have a desire, same desires

as Achan.

And so He is constantly telling us, and He's the only solution, right?

We learned, right?

If we're sinners, we come to Jesus.

There's no one else who has a cure for us.

Okay, so let's read the last part.

This is good news here.

The last part of 623 and then Ephesians 2, 8 and 9.

Anybody want to read that?

Maybe, do you still have 623?

I guess not, I was going to say.

You could read the, okay, you know, you know it.

Well, as you do the last part, who wants to read Ephesians 2, 8 and 9?

Okay, way at the back there, Grace wants to.

But the gift of God is eternal life.

Amen.

So we can run back there to Grace and she's going to read Ephesians 2.

For by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not your own doing, it is the

gift of God.

Amen.

Not a result of works so that no one may boast.

Amen.

It's nice that it has your name in it too.

Okay, so what free gift does God offer us?

Emphasis on free.

That's right, eternal life.

You can be sure that God offers you the free gift of salvation and eternal life.

It's hard.

It's hard to take a gift.

I can tell you that often since I, you know, semi-retired, I quit my job and it's very

hard to receive, you know, for someone to say here, you know, help me out.

And it's much easier to be on the giving end, to be the one who they owe me but I don't

owe them, right?

So we're, but it'd be ridiculous if you think it's your birthday and I know today's Bella's

birthday.

If I were to come up and say, here I have a little gift for you, Bella, and then she

says, oh, and she pulls out her wallet and wants to pay me for it, right?

It's kind of like, it's almost a slap in the face.

But yeah, that's, God is the same.

He says, no, you can't.

It's totally free.

It's totally free.

You can't pay for it at all.

John 3.16, we all know it by heart and let's say it, for God so world that he gave his

only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting

life.

And when we say that, it rolls off our tongue, but did you get, how do we get this gift?

What is the word in there?

We believe.

Okay?

Believe, that's a loaded word, okay?

It's a loaded word.

It's not just mental assent.

You know, when you really believe in something and you get passionate about it, like you

practically sell your soul for it, right?

You're just into your passion.

And God says, I gave.

I gave everything I had.

I poured out all of heaven for you and I want you to believe in the same way.

I want you to buy in totally to this.

So to believe that Jesus is your savior, be sure that Jesus is ready to, be sure to believe

in Jesus as your savior.

Okay, Revelation 3.20.

I'll go ahead and read this one.

So what is our answer to Jesus' request?

Revelation 3.20 says, behold, I stand at the door and knock.

If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and

he with me.

So what is our answer to Jesus?

And he says, here, here's the gift.

We have a choice, right?

Like here, he's knocking on the door.

He has the gift.

And what do we have to do?

We have to open, right?

He comes into our heart by faith.

The door, it's the door to our heart, of course.

And he comes in there by faith.

And he comes in with his righteousness and his purity and his perfection.

And that's right.

And actually, I don't know if it's actually the probably isn't, but in the picture.

But yes, there is no knob on the outside of that door because he will never force himself

in.

He doesn't try door knobs.

He just knocks, right?

So you can be sure that Jesus is ready to live in your heart.

Okay, this is all about what God wants to do for you.

All right.

Who did Jesus die for?

Everyone.

Will everyone accept?

Unfortunately not.

But he did die for anyone.

And like Jan said, there's no door knob on the outside.

He does not force.

So let's look up the last verse here, 1 John 1, 9.

Very beautiful.

Oh, sorry.

This is not the last verse, second last verse.

Okay.

And when you invite Jesus in, what does he immediately do?

Let's look at 1 John 1, 9.

Who would like to read that?

You might.

Okay, Paul right here.

Thank you.

If you confess your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us from our sins and to cleanse

us from all unrighteousness.

So what does he do when we invite him in?

He forgives and he cleanses.

And this is kind of the two-part process.

It isn't, you know, it's a lifetime process, right?

He's forgiving and cleansing every day.

And cleansing is the great news that he doesn't just want to forgive us of our sins, but he

wants to take away our sins to the point that they become odious to us, like hateful to

us.

We don't want to do them anymore.

And I know he's done that for me.

When I look back at some things that were very pleasurable and enjoyable for me, and

now I look and I say, oh, I can't even, you know.

But he's still working on me because there's still things he's revealing to me that I

still kind of like and I want to hold onto, you know?

And so this is a process of the forgiving and the cleansing because he's living in my

heart.

And now for the last good news one here.

Be sure Jesus completely cleans our hearts, 1 John 5.13.

And this is a, this I want you really to hold onto.

You put a little bookmark there.

Read this at home.

Read this verse again.

1 John 5.13.

Who would like to read that nice and loud?

Okay.

Angelina's going to say it for me, read it for me.

1 John 5.13.

Thank you.

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that

ye may know that ye have eternal life and that ye may believe on the same, I'm sorry,

that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.

So what does this verse tell us that we can know for sure?

What did she say?

You can know that you have what?

Eternal life.

It actually says that right there.

You can know.

You can be assured that you have eternal life.

And with assurance of salvation there comes that peace, that rest, right?

The joy in Jesus.

You can be assured of your salvation.

Okay.

So you can be sure, be sure.

When you leave this place you can know if you follow these steps you can be sure of

your salvation if you come to Jesus.

I want to give you a short testimony before I end here.

I don't know, short testimony, short relative, but anyway.

I've had a few addictions in my life in the past and I didn't grow up really in a Christian

home or as an Adventist or anything like that.

But when I became a Christian I guess I had the idea that as soon as I walked out of the

baptismal tank all those things would just melt away.

And there were things that did fall away, you know, but it isn't like everything.

And there's one in particular, one addiction I had that did not disappear, did not fall

to the wayside.

It was very hard for me to resist.

And it came to the point where I threw in the towel at some point in my life even though

I loved God, I spent my little time with him in the morning.

Sometimes I prayed, maybe falling asleep at night, but I loved God but at the same time

I felt like I had no recourse, like this is just something that was going to stay with

me and I told Lord, well, you have to take it away or I'll just die and maybe not make

it or you're going to have to save me this.

I didn't know.

I just basically, like I said, I just kind of gave up.

So I had a very good friend who lived with me for a time and she told me, because we

got really close, she had a very similar experience and she told me how she got over her addiction.

And basically she said spend more time with Jesus.

And in fact when she got over this addiction she didn't want anything to do with Jesus.

But her father said just spend time with Jesus and she said I don't want anything to do with

Jesus and he said that's okay, spend time with Jesus and then when you're over the addiction

you can let Jesus go.

But you need Jesus to get over the addiction.

Very smart father.

He was probably praying on the way, you know, praying like mad for her and she said she

spent five minutes and you know, but eventually she did get over this and so it was giving

me hope.

At the same time I went through kind of a tragedy in my life and I felt like I didn't

have anywhere to turn.

So there were several things that were, I think God put in my life totally, that caused

me to really start spending serious time with him.

And God was never my friend.

Even though I loved him, he was never, I couldn't call him like my best buddy or my friend because

I felt always this thing, like I'm talking at the beginning where I had to clean up my

act and almost shame to talk to him.

So I did my little thing but I was always kind of distant from God, not realizing, not

realizing that my very condition was what was recommending me to him.

Anyway, so as I was reading and praying and spending more time with God and I was, his

desire for him was increasing, I also realized that my role was surrender.

I realized that I was going about it the wrong way.

I was always trying to get over this and I was focusing so much on this addiction that

that's all I was doing.

I wasn't focusing on the Lord.

I kept saying, okay, I gotta stop.

I gotta stop thinking about it.

I gotta stop doing it.

I was just always like, gotta change my circumstances.

I gotta have this in the house and not this in the, I was trying to change so many things

and I realized, no, I can't do it.

I need God to do it.

I need to just surrender this to Jesus and that's what I did.

And every time, every time it would happen, I just said, okay, God, I surrender it to

you.

Please forgive me.

Please.

I would surrender.

And I was claiming verses like, I think my favorite verse during that whole time was

1 Thessalonians 524 and it says, he who has called you is faithful and he will do it.

And I kept saying, God, you said you're gonna do it.

You're faithful, you're gonna do it and I just kept on actually at the same time, God

gave me another person who was struggling with something very similar and we were kind

of going through it together so we could text and encourage each other.

Anyway, so this day, and I can tell you another thing that I did is, you know that beautiful

text that says that with every temptation comes a way of escape.

And so I would ask God, sometimes I could feel like the temptation was coming and then

I literally, and I would say it out loud if I was alone, usually in the car or someplace

like that where I knew, oh, I don't wanna go somewhere or do this or whatever, I just

say, a way of escape, God, I need a way of escape.

And he always gave it every single time.

I had a choice, didn't have to take the way of escape, but I usually took the way of

escape because I saw it, I recognized that he gave me a way of escape.

Anyway, so there's a lot of details and a lot of things that go up to it, but I'm just

gonna tell you that he took it away completely and it was literally getting up and saying,

wow, yesterday I didn't indulge in that and thinking, wow, that's crazy, God, I didn't

even go through the day like trying to resist, it just didn't happen.

And I realized that my desire for God was outweighing my desire for that thing.

And in fact, I hated that thing.

But one day I woke up and it was gone and I'm telling you, it's gone.

It was just so totally gone and I didn't do it, but I had to constantly surrender.

Can I go back to it?

Yes, because God gives you that freedom, but will I go back?

No.

Never again.

But I wanna encourage you, I don't know what your situation is, you just may be very...

It's very difficult for you to give up your independence and your desire to do it your

way, whatever that may be, but just keep surrendering it to God.

Keep coming to Jesus.

Don't distance yourself from him.

He is very close to you, right?

He says, yeah, come close to God and he will draw an eye to you, right?

Draw an eye to God and he will draw an eye to you.

I wanted to read one quote from the Spirit of Prophecy that actually just yesterday somebody

shared it with me and I said, this is perfect.

Perfect, it goes exactly with my sermon.

It says, the tempted one needs to understand the true force of the will.

Should say the will, I think.

I don't know what I did there.

This is, okay, this is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision,

of choice.

Everything depends on the right action of the will.

Desires for goodness and purity are right as far as they go, but if we stop there, they

avail nothing.

Many go down to ruin while hoping and desiring to overcome their evil propensities.

And that was describing me basically.

That's where I was.

Thank goodness God didn't, you know, he worked with me until I got to the place.

They do not yield to the will of God.

They do not choose to serve him.

God has given us the power of choice.

It is ours to exercise.

We cannot change our hearts.

We cannot control our thoughts, our impulses, our affections.

We cannot make ourselves pure or fit for God's service, but we can choose to serve God.

Then we can give him our will.

Then he will work in us to will and to do his good pleasure.

Thus, our whole nature will be brought under the control of Christ.

You know the story of the, this is my favorite parable, the prodigal son.

And it should be called the good father, I think.

But the prodigal son who goes out and he spends his fortune.

And once I spoke with a Muslim man, a Christian, but he was Muslim and he said, people on the

West don't really understand this parable, but he says this would be when Jesus was talking

to the Palestinian and he was explaining that this boy wanted his inheritance.

He was basically saying, dad, I want you dead because that's the only time you got your

inheritance.

Your dad didn't divide out his inheritance until he died and then his inheritance.

And so a lot of times if this happened, when the boy got away, they would have a bounty

on this boy's head and he would be murdered because he went in the front to say that to

his father.

And so this is quite, it raised a lot of eyebrows, I can imagine, when Jesus was telling the

story.

But the father gave him the inheritance.

And he went out and spent it all, ended up in a pig's die and he came to his senses,

the scripture says, he came to his senses and he said, servants in my dad's house do

better than this.

And he must have had a little inkling of something of the goodness of his father to go back,

right now, in that culture, to actually go back.

And this is the picture that I love so much.

I found it on Google there, but it's so beautiful because this is exactly the picture of the

father.

When he's going back, he's coming and the father, what is the father doing?

Is he sitting at home enjoying himself?

All these, I mean, for years, he goes to the gate every day, right?

And he just looks.

I wonder if today's the day my son will come home.

And when he sees him from afar, he's filthy, he probably looks nothing like his son, you

know, he might even limp now, but he says, I know that's my son and he starts running.

It's just like, it just brings so much emotion to me because I think he's not the father

who says, oh, let him come home and grovel a little bit before I let him in.

He's the father that's running out there to get him.

And then when he runs out there, of course, the son has a speech, right?

There's a little speech, I'll plan, dad, I'm not worthy to be called your son.

I'll just be your son.

And the father doesn't want to hear anything about it.

He hugs and he kisses his filthy neck.

And he says to the servant, bring out the best robe.

And then does he say, go take a shower so I can get all this stuff on you?

No.

And he puts the robe right on his body, his dirty body, and he puts the ring.

What does the ring signify?

Who wears the ring?

The son, because that has the seal on it.

That's saying, you're no servant, you are my son.

And you've come back home, you're always my son.

You were just one astray, but you were always my son.

And then what does he put on his dirty feet?

Sandals.

He doesn't ask him to clean up.

He puts all that beautiful stuff, and then he says, go kill the fatted calf, because

we're gonna have a party.

Because you were gone and now you're back.

Such a beautiful picture of our God.

And that's what the picture I want you to leave with today, to remember that there is

nothing you can do to make God love you more, or want you more, or to fix yourself up so

he will accept you.

He will accept you as you are.

Yes, he wants to change you, he's not gonna leave you there.

He didn't want to leave his son in the filth.

He was gonna get cleaned up.

But when you come to Jesus, you come as you are, and he cleans you up.

That's bow our heads for prayer.

My father, I just love this picture of you running, running, running to meet us, just

wanting to make that one step to turn around to face you.

Lord, you are the giver of the gift of salvation, and we are sinners so much in need of you.

And so we want to all come to you.

We want to confess our sins, Lord.

We want you to live in our hearts.

We thank you for forgiveness.

We thank you, Lord, that you want to live here.

We thank you that you want us to know that we are saved.

That every time we fall, it doesn't mean that we fall out of favor.

But you pick us up and you put us back on the road, and you help us and you continue

to forgive and cleanse.

And Lord, we all want to be on this road together.

Lord, I pray that every single person here will be assured of their salvation when they

leave, that they will know this is really what they want, that they want you.

They want a father like you, dear Lord, who's just gonna take them and surround them and

hold them up and clean them up.

Lord, I pray for each person here as we leave that we go home, dear Lord, that we won't

be the same, that we will want to spend time with this beautiful Jesus who wants to spend

time with us.

And we thank you in Jesus' name, we pray.

Amen.