Leading The Way

Dr. Michael Youssef: You were watching it on the news night after night, the rise of Islamization and Islam is taking places of leadership both in the United States and in Europe, Australia and elsewhere. I sought to write a book to explain to you the unholy alliance between the left and the Islamization, how they invited the Islamic invasion. This book is a must if you want to understand what's going on in the world today.

Guest (Male): Welcome to Leading the Way with international Bible teacher and the author of more than 50 books, including the provocative and timely an unholy alliance, Dr. Michael Youssef. This book provides a vital insight into many of the elections that are going on right now. So give us a call 866-626-4356. Speak with a ministry representative to place your order or visit us online ltw.org. Again, the phone number 866-626-4356 or ltw.org. Now up next, the familiar story of the rebellious son who destroyed his family, but ultimately experienced a heart of repentance. You know this story best as the prodigal son.

But as you'll hear from Dr. Michael Youssef, this is not only about the exploits of a rebellious son. This is about the loving heart of the heavenly Father offering redemption. And do remember that Leading the Way is a listener supported media ministry. Won't you consider a generous gift to extend the gospel reach into your neighborhood and neighborhoods just like yours in remote villages worldwide. Become a frontline mission partner. Details and other ways to give at ltw.org. Listen now as Dr. Michael Youssef continues his series called Enduring Wisdom on Leading the Way.

Dr. Michael Youssef: Luke chapter 15 beginning at verse 11 where our Lord Jesus Christ tells us what our heavenly Father is like. So many preachers when they preach from this story, they focus on the prodigal. And they stay on the prodigal. Everything is about the prodigal, but it is not. The prodigal is only a an actor. He's only part of the story. And that is why we will not leave him out, but he's only part of the story. We'll look at both sons as a matter of fact. The story primarily is about the father of those two boys.

The story is about our heavenly Father. The story is about the heart of our heavenly Father. The story is about the unique love of our heavenly Father. The story is about the character of our heavenly Father. Jesus, who's God the Son, who coexisted with God the Father since before eternity. He reveals to us the real heart of God the Father, tells us what is like, what he's like. So he begins the story in verse 11 of Luke 15 by saying there was a father of two sons. Now if you want to know the focus of any church, any church, any church, any church.

Did you get that? Any church. Find out where they begin. Do they begin with God or they begin with man? Do they begin where Jesus always began with God the Father or they begin with man and their needs? Jesus always began with the Father and then applied it to their needs. Sadly, the majority of modern preachers focus primarily on me and my needs, me and my life, me and my relationships, me and my feelings. Now listen to me. Nothing wrong with these things, but when God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, the triune God is at the center, all these things will fall in place.

Listen to me. To know the indescribable love of the Father is to be truly contented. To know the extravagant love of the Father is to be truly fulfilled. To experience the amazing grace of God that leads you to a life of obedience. And that is why the psalmist could say the Lord is my shepherd, therefore I need nothing. That's a rough translation, but that's really what he meant to say. And that is why we need to comprehend the depths of the love of the Father toward these two boys. And I'm going to explain more about this in the coming messages.

We need to examine closely the heart of the Father in these two situations here. One was outwardly rebellious. And the other was inwardly rebellious. He kept it on the inside. One flaunted his rebellion. The other held it in. One took pride in his rebellion. The other took pride in hiding his resentment toward his father. One lived wishing his father was dead. The other lived believing that his father is just not fair. And the father loved them both. While they were still sinners. The father humiliated himself for the redemption of both boys. While they were still sinners.

No wonder the Bible said while we were still sinners, Christ what? Died for us. One was openly rebellious and the other went through the religious rituals. He went to church, sang in the choir, did all the right stuff. But his heart was not right with God. Turn with me if you haven't already to Luke 15. It's such a rich rich chapter, Luke 15. We saw two parables and then this two story. The two parables, one was the lost sheep and the other one was the lost coin. And I explained that in the last message. Here's what I don't want you to miss.

Don't miss this. When the sheep wandered off in ignorance. Did you get that? Ignorance. He's a dumb sheep, right? He wandered off in ignorance. He wandered off in ignorance. The shepherd went after him. He went after him. He would not rest until he found him. When the woman lost her engagement coin, she did not rest until she found it. That why I want you to listen carefully cuz this is important. Ah. But when the younger son deliberately, willfully rebuilt against his father, what did the father do? He stayed home. He stayed home. You say well why is that?

Why is that? Why didn't the father do this? Well, first of all, let me tell you how it happened. The younger rebellious son woke up one day and walked up to his father and he said father give me my inheritance now. I'll say a whole lot more about that next message. But to begin to comprehend this how terrible, how awful. I cannot describe it in words. Just trust me, okay? This request is beyond description to request his inheritance while the father still I love this is the younger son too. You have to understand the Middle East mindset, okay?

You have to be from the Middle East to really comprehend the offer ness of this request. The boy is basically saying father I wish you were dead. Father, hurry up and die. I just wanted to imagine the hurtful the deep hurt that the father is feeling. And while you're at it think about how many people and churches and whole denominations are living and behaving as God is dead or wishing he's dead by denying his perfect, infallible word. By their action, by rejecting his infallible word of God. How many are behaving as if God is dead?

How many have rejected God's ordained marriages and family plan? How many have rejected God's will for fidelity in marriage? They're doing the same thing as this boy. So before you start condemning him, think about what's going around us right now. There's some of God's children. If you look at their calendar look at their resources and how they use their resources. It's not reflecting any love for God the heavenly Father. When Jesus was describing this kind of a father to the Pharisees, I mean they were sitting there looking at him incredulously. These Pharisees were listening and they're not believing their ears.

I have absolutely no doubt, no doubt, they were in a state of shock. I mean they could be electrocuted and wouldn't feel as bad. Now let me explain this. If a son back then, who'd even now I spent their first 18 years of my life with there, right? So I'm telling you, trust me. If a younger son back then or even now would ask his father for his inheritance the father still living about the only thing that son is going to get the back of the hand of the father. Trust me on this one. And I'm absolutely certain that these Pharisees, I mean their jaws what?

What you talking about? I mean the eyes are popping out their heads and bigger saucers and and they said the father did what? Are you kidding us? Are you for real? Is this father for real? But it gets more hilarious. Just calm down. See, according to the Old Testament law of inheritance, Old Testament, not the New Testament, Old Testament. Deuteronomy 21 verse 17 the division of the inheritance goes this way. Two-thirds of the estate goes to the older son. I 'm going to explain that in a minute. Then the other third will go to the younger or even the rest.

Why two-thirds to the older boy? Because and this is after the father dies, not before because the older boy supposed to take care of his widowed mother and the old affairs of the household. He has to be responsible for the rest of the family. And this is as I said after the death of the father, not before. And that's why what Jesus is saying here who was absolutely designed to shock them, is designed to shock them of how incomprehensible, how awesome, how unbelievable, how indescribable, how patient, how inexhaustible, how long suffering, how generous the love of the Father is.

While the father going through the pain over his son's rebellion, while the father going through the crucible of rejection, while the father is going through that inward suffering. And yet he lets the son go with the money. Question. Why would the father let him get away with that? Because the father knows, listen carefully, because the father knows that love only has what love lets go off. I will repeat this because the father knows that love only has what love lets go off. Did you get that? I know. It's easy to hear hard to practice. I know that.

There may be someone here watching around the world on Kingdom Sat all the platforms and tens of platforms around the world who have for years taking all of God's blessings for granted. For years I've been living in the far country. For years have been oblivious to the longing heart of the heavenly Father. I want to invite you today. Come home to the Father. Come home to the Father. Come home to the Father. I want to invite you. Come back home to your longing father. Or maybe there's someone here who might have experienced betrayal by a loved one.

Just like that father. Listen carefully. Your pain is real. Your pain is very real. Your anguish is absolutely true. Your agony is a fact. But as painful as that is let them go. Give them to your heavenly Father. Hand them over to the only one who can bring them back. Surrender them to the only one who can lead them to repentance. Why? Because sometimes it is only in the far country that those who are blinded with selfishness will be able to come to themselves. Will be able to come to their senses. Let me ask you this.

What is your far country? What is your far country? Is it an unwholesome relationship? What is your far country? Is it a misplaced priority? What is your far country? Is it a constant continuing fear, worry, anxiety? Is it an inability to trust God, to trust God with your future, to trust God with the future of your family, to trust God with the future of your business? Well the father may let you go and let you keep going to your heart's content. But he's waiting. I know he let me go for 18 months. The worst 18 months of my life.

And don't ever forget that your heavenly Father is hurting as he's longing for you to come home. Many years ago, I think we're back in my seminary years someone asked me this question. And I really did not know how to answer it at the time. But I still remember it. Why didn't the father try to stop the son from leaving? A great question. I'm sure he could have or he could have sent a private detective to follow him but didn't, obviously. Could have sent one of his servants to shadow him. But he didn't. The father stayed home until the son came to his senses.

Beloved, please listen to me. Deliberate willful rebellion can only be waited out. I want to repeat that. Deliberate willful rebellion can only be waited out. I know that it's not easy. I know that. And there may be someone at the sound of my voice right now who is where the father was in this story. There's someone in your life who is breaking your heart in two. Someone in your life who's causing you to live in your own private Gethsemane. Someone in your life who's causing you to stain your pillow with tears every night. Someone in your life who is causing you so much hurt that you can't hurt anymore.

Please please please listen to the voice of your heavenly Father. And he's saying I know what you're going through. I have experienced that pain when one of my children is living in disobedience. I have experienced that pain when one of my children is unfaithful to me. I know that pain. I experienced that pain when one of my children denies me before others. But let me run very quickly into focusing on the father's reaction to his wayward child when he came home. You know that is my favorite part. I got to confess to you that is absolutely my favorite part.

I always hurry through to get to that part. The father said to him you stupid and foolish boy. You caused me all sorts of sorrow and pain. You show up now when you become desperate. You thought that you can live as a big shot living it up on my money. You have disgraced my name, disgraced the family name. You have to earn my forgiveness. You have to work for the rest of your life to pay me back. You have to grovel in front of the village elders. No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no.

In fact, Jesus wanted his hearers who would have done exactly that. They would have done exactly that. He wanted his hearers who would have exactly any respected Jewish man at that time would have done exactly that. That is the custom of the day. That is the usual thing. The boy after he comes home, he would have him sit outside the house for a week until all the passers by come and make fun of him. Hey hey hey look at him. And then eventually the village elders were come in and intercede and they said look he's suffered enough, let him in.

Only after that the father will let him in. But thank God. Thank God. Thank God. Thank God. Thank God that did not happen. And it did not happen to you or me when we came to Jesus. The father runs. I want you to say that with me. The

Guest (Male): father runs.

Dr. Michael Youssef: Cuz this is some of you might know this, some of you might not. This is a huge part of the story. It's huge. It is huge. I know some of you you know the father ran and got the boy. No no no no you don't understand. The father was not sitting in church in Nike and then he said oh yeah I'll run after. No no no no no in the Middle East to this day, not just by to this day. A dignified man never runs. Only boys servants slaves and criminals. They're the only ones who run.

Not the dignified man. The father did what? Yeah, he ran. See father running is a big part of the story. Can you see the cross here? Can you see the cross? God in his son humiliated himself, hung on a cross and died to reconcile us and redeem us. Question. What does the triune God in heaven does when a sinner confesses and repents? Rejoices. Several times says rejoices. Embraces which is a sign of acceptance. Kisses with the sign of reconciliation. Washes and cleanses which is assurance of forgiveness. He puts on his robe which is an imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ on a sinner.

For make no mistake about it. None of us none of us had our own right standing with God. None of us. You see God's eye is purer than to look upon sin, my sin, your sin. So Jesus had to impute his robe of righteousness on us so that the father can look upon us and through the prism of the righteousness of Jesus. Let me ask you are you in your own far country? Only you can answer that. Are you far from the security of your heavenly father's home? You can come home today. I'm going to elaborate on that in the next message.

The boy didn't finish his speech. He just says father. No, father said I heard enough. He knew what's in his heart. He knew what's coming. I heard enough. Didn't finish the speech and the father embraced him, forgave him. And the father will forgive you if you truly repent and ask for his Holy Spirit to dwell in you, give you the strength so that the spirit may win against the flesh. We all have that war going on. And as you feed the spirit daily he'll give you victory over the flesh.

Guest (Male): An inspirational reminder from Dr. Michael Youssef that our heavenly Father understands the pain of parents who have a rebellious child and offers his open arms to all who come to him. Maybe today's message on Leading the Way hit close to home and maybe a conversation with a pastor or a counselor would help your situation. Just visit this special website ltw.org/jesus and fill out a contact form. Leading the Way is a listener supported broadcast and discipleship ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Michael Youssef passionately proclaiming uncompromising truth across six continents in 28 of the world's most spoken and most understood languages.

Won't you stand with Dr. Youssef and Leading the Way? Give us a call 866-626-4356. This program is brought to you by Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef. Connect further with audio and video content at ltw.org or through your favorite social media platform.