7 4 10 HT AM

Luke 15:11-29 NKJV

The human heart longs for freedom, the challenge for us is not necessarily in our longing to be free but rather our misguided pursuits of what actually makes us free.

For some it’s the persuasion that “Love is all you need” only to be left heart broken by wrong lovers.

For others it’s the belief that “money would change everything” then we watch lottery winners and millionaires filing bankruptcy.

Some have been “seduced by success”, only to find the top office in the building is the loneliest view in the company.

The pursuit of happiness and freedom is wonderfully displayed in the Bible, Luke’s Gospel, in a parable of a man with two sons. Take a look at Luke 15:

Luke 15:11

Then He said: “A certain man had two sons.

Luke 15:12

And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood.

Luke 15:13

And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.

Luke 15:14

But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.

Luke 15:15

Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

Luke 15:16

And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

Luke 15:17

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

Luke 15:18

I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you,

Luke 15:19

and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’

Luke 15:20

“And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.

Luke 15:21

And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

Luke 15:22

“But the father said to his servants, ◙ ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.

Luke 15:23

And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;

Luke 15:24

for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

Luke 15:25

“Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.

Luke 15:26

So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.

Luke 15:27

And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’

Luke 15:28

“But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.

Luke 15:29

So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.

Luke 15:30

But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’ NKJV

False Freedom (two brothers)

1. 1. The younger brother looked at Freedom as a license to do whatever he wanted (selfishness)

Today many are constrained by rules, covenants and commitments.  We see laws as limiting, marriage as confining and expectations as unreasonable.  The idea of any form of accountability financially, socially, relationally or spiritually simply stifles our ability to be free.

Many seek freedom in power, money, fame, name, love or other places that are simply part of our journey yet not the end all be all of our journey.

Like the younger brother you asked for full control of your life, and today you find yourself completely out of control as the bills for your choices have been called in.

Romans 1:22, 24, 25

Professing to be wise, they became fools,

Romans 1:24

Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,

Romans 1:25

who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. NKJV

1. 2. The elder brother looked at freedom as a right to due to their good behavior (self-righteousness)

Galatians 5:1

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. NLT

People here are convinced that something of their own effort is greater than that of God’s grace. Their efforts, their works supersede  His work.

These two brothers share one thing in common – neither one of them loved the father more than themselves.

FREEDOM

Brief overview of a man named Abraham:

• Story found in the book of Genesis
• God called him out to bless him
• God promised that through him all the nations would be blessed
• God gave to Abraham a son of promise in his winter years of life
• God challenged Abraham to give that son back to him in the form of a sacrfice.

1. 1. Real freedom is the result of making God FIRST in your life (Sacrificially – loving nothing more than God!)

Genesis 22:9

When they arrived at the place where God had told Abraham to go, he built an altar and placed the wood in order, ready for the fire, and then tied Isaac and laid him on the altar over the wood.

Genesis 22:10

And Abraham took the knife and lifted it up to plunge it into his son, to slay him.

Genesis 22:11

At that moment the Angel of God shouted to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes, Lord!” he answered.

Genesis 22:12

“Lay down the knife; don’t hurt the lad in any way,” the Angel said, “for I know that God is first in your life—you have not withheld even your beloved son from me.”

Isaac was Abrahams ticket to everything – yet Abraham as willing to yield even this gift back to God.

1. 2. Real freedom is a result of knowing Jesus Christ!

John 8:32

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:36

So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. NLT

Jesus Christ is the truth – and you are only truly free to the degree that you know him!

Three categories of people today in this room – Selfish, Self-righteous and Sacrificial. If God is NOT first today – then you are in one of the other two categories.

1 Peter 3:18

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring ◙ us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, NKJV

6 13 10 HT PM

Jonah 1:1-17 NKJV

We live in a time in which other people in peoples lives are causing massive storms; who do you need to separate out of your life what item in your life is causing the seas to roll?

Jonah 1:1

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

Jonah 1:2

“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”

Jonah 1:3

But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

Jonah 1:4

But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.

Jonah 1:5

Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep.

Jonah 1:6

So the captain came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.”

Jonah 1:7

And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.

Jonah 1:8

Then they said to him, “Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?”

Jonah 1:9

So he said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

Jonah 1:10

Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, “Why have you done this?” For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

Jonah 1:11

Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?”—for the sea was growing more tempestuous.

Jonah 1:12

And he said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.”

Jonah 1:13

Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them.

Jonah 1:14

Therefore they cried out to the Lord and said, “We pray, O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You.”

Jonah 1:15

So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.

Jonah 1:16

Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows.

Jonah 1:17

Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

A look at this story from the sailors point of view – in looking at their life we see a parallel to ours and those who we allow to nearly sink our ship.

When a Jonah sleeps in the bottom of your boat, you will possibly lose your boat.

Define Jonah:

• People, places or even things.  Jonah represents the things in life that make the seas around you  role.

• People of your past, fear of your future or even the management of your current moments.  Example; these sailors had Jonah in the bottom of their boat.

• Things, something that you hold or holds you that causes disturbances in your journey. Example; Achan had the spoils in his tent (Joshua 7)

• Places, an area of challenge, comfort or even discomfort that creates turbulent waters. Example; Israel could not get Egypt out of their mind.

Characteristics of Jonah:

• Running from the presence of God

• Running from the purposes of God

• Running from the plan of God

Discovering Jonah:

• The seas around begin to roll

• Abandonment seems to be the only option

• Disillusionment on deck

Passage Observations:

Notice how Jonah asked to be thrown overboard, why didn’t he just jump?

Notice the sailors tried to continue with him, its NOT easy to move wrong people out of our life!

Notice how the seas stopped and the men were once again saved once they were rid of this hidden determent beneath them.

A study from the life of Joseph shows every single man various insights about the dreams in your life and heart.

The Bible is full of various character studies, the life of Joseph certainly examples for us a mirror to our own lives.

Genesis 37:5
Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more.
Genesis 37:6
So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed:
Genesis 37:7
There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.”
Genesis 37:8
And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
Genesis 37:9
Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”
Genesis 37:10
So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?”
Genesis 37:11
And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind. NKJV

Over the next few weeks we will look at the varios areas of the life of Joseph in an attempt to uncover some things in our own life. In the character study of Joseph we will see promotion and imprisonment; success and failure; betrayal and blessing; temptation and truth; beauty and brokenness; forgotten and faithfulness; dreams and detours.
Today in our first session that we call first down, we will look at the dreamer side of Joseph.
Joseph was a dreamer; he envisioned his life at a higher place in his future than it was in his present.

Dream quotes;
“All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them.” ~Walt Disney
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” ~Oliver Wendell Holmes
“Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. It is courage that counts.” ~Winston Churchill
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” ~Thomas Edison

Three questions about your life today
1. When is the last time you dreamed?
2. What is the dream that lies within your heart?
3. What will it take to jump start the dreamer in you?

Thoughts on dreams

1. Dreams have crossroads –
• Victim or Victor – One thing for certain, when you dream you will face points in which you have to choose the victim road or the victor road.
2. Dreams have challenges –
• Fight or Flight – We were made to fight, ironically we always want it the easy way. Believe it or not we value a victory won higher than a forfeit from the other team. It’s the game, the struggle the chase that creates the quest for us.
3. Dreams have choices –
• Give up or Grind out – I think here of a football team, you have heard the phrase grind it out… coming from the Big Ten conference, I understand “Grind it Out” – this old school method has been quickly left in the dust by the newer run and shoot concepts however it did and does have its purpose.
Gods role in your dreams
1. Dreams are used to lead our lives to Gods place for us.

Genesis 45:4
And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.
Genesis 45:5
But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. NKJV
2. Dreams enable us to see that God is sovereign

• Sovereignty has three basic legs;
o Ownership
o Authority
o Control
Psalm 135:5 For I know that the Lord is great,
And our Lord is above all gods.
Psalm 135:6 Whatever the Lord pleases He does, In heaven and in earth, In the seas and in all deep places. NKJV

Psalm 103:19
The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all. NKJV

3. Dreams allow us to experience God’s providences

Isaiah 25:1 O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. ESV
When you think of the word providence – think of the word PROVISION – where God guides, he provides. God provides for and sustains the things He creates. Like a modern day version of Genesis chapter one, God places things in order of their need and power to sustain – he made the earth and all its content before he made man. So it will go with your, in His providential plan, He is often setting things in motion for latter needs that may not make a whole lot of sense right now.

Take away questions
1. How is God currently working in my life?
2. Am a confident in His Sovereignty and Providence?
3. What past challenges have created present provision in my life?

God often works slowly and even strangely, but He WORKS!