0:00 We thank you so much for the rich word you have already given to us Lord through the time of singing, through children's verses, through our memory verse. Thank you so much for being so generous and so lavish towards us Lord. You love us so much with everlasting love, 0:21 sinners like us. Thank you for the work you have begun in each one of our lives and thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit you have promised to us and the word of God and the fellowship of your saints and so that we can grow and even today as we look unto you Lord for the word give us the word 0:38 we need to we need for this moment and help us not to just be forgetful hearers but be doers of your word. Please help me as I share the word that you have placed on my heart. Help me Lord to do it with your help with your grace. I submit to you in Jesus name I pray. Amen. 0:57 All right. Today we are going to look at a couple of passages. One from Luke 15 and another from 2nd Corinthians chapter 7. So I want to begin with this story, this prodigal son story that we are all 1:19 super familiar with. If you list down all the stories in the Bible, some of them which we are very very familiar, this probably will be in one of the first five I would say. This chapter, Luke chapter 15 is very dear to me because it shows God's love for the sinners. In the beginning of the chapter, Luke chapter 15, 1:46 it talks about now all the tax collectors and the sinners who are coming near to, near Jesus, near him to listen to him. But the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble saying this man receives sinners and eats with them. 2:03 And then he starts with a few parables. First one is the lost sheep and then second one is the lost coin and the third one is prodigal son. Instead of explaining in a great detail about father's love, father's care and how father receives 2:22 repentant sinner and how father goes after this lost sheep and how he searches for this lost coin, he explains it so well. And among all these three, I think prodigal son's story is one of the longest one. And when we read that story, 2:41 we understand father's heart. One of the purpose Jesus came to this world is to reveal our heavenly father to us. Because in the olden days, in the old testament days, they had a different view of God. But now we understand what our heavenly father is like, 3:00 which will ultimately drive us to him. And we see that we'll do a little bit of deep dive into this story first and before we go to the other passage. So this story begins with a man who had two sons. 3:21 And and then we'll go was by verse quickly. And the anger, one of them said the anger, one of them said to his father, father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me. And so he divided his wealth between them. 3:40 We'll go to the story in a bit. But these are the five parts of the story would say we see that in the story as we meditate on. The first one he demands, give me the portion of goods. Give me my inheritance. And and there is a far country. 3:58 He goes to the far country after he gets everything from the father. He gathers all the substance and he and he goes there. And God sends a famine, a mighty famine. That's what it says in the scripture. a severe famine. 4:12 And he turns back to the father and he comes to the father's arms and the father runs to him. These are the key events in the story. As I said, I'm not going to share anything groundbreaking or something new today. But I want to go deeper 4:30 and meditate on this scripture slowly so that we understand father's heart. The first one is the demand is the demand from the son. So the man had two sons. He had enough work for them. They were under his roof in the same home 4:48 under his care and father was taking care of him. But younger one came one day father give me the share of the estate that falls to me. The scripture doesn't give all the details but we can understand a few things by meditating on that. 5:07 He asked for this inheritance very early. Typically the inheritance in that culture would come after the father dies. but it almost says it almost telling like the younger son saying I cannot wait. I cannot wait until you die 5:23 but give me the portion of the estate that falls to me. And he was in hurry he doesn't want to wait and he wants to experience the world outside of his father's house. He wants what the father has but without the father. 5:40 Why? Because if you are under the authority of the father he has to go to the field he has to work he has to be under in submission to his father. Now he is looking at this far country and he wants to go there and he is demanding 5:55 father give me the wealth that falls to me. Immediately in verse 12 it says so he divided his wealth between them. But we have to see in between those two verses the agony and the pain the father would have gone through. 6:10 my son is going to leave me. It's not about giving the wealth but father has a pain. My son doesn't want me but he wants to leave. He would have struggled with that but you know as a good father our father respects the free will 6:25 he doesn't force us so he let him go. He has given him the wealth but we need to understand the pain and the anguish and the suffering the father would have gone through that because of the demand. Give me father give me 6:39 I want to go and in this context I also want to say why did the younger son wanted to go there I think as I thought through this probably he has heard something stories about this far country oh this place maybe some some of his friends 6:58 influenced him so one of the words that came to my mind is 1st Corinthians 1533 it says 1st Corinthians 1533 bad company corrupt good morals you may be in a good shape but you can be shaped or influenced by the world and by the friends 7:15 that you move around I think someone I heard someone say you are the average of the six friends that you have the best friends so be careful in choosing the friends especially children when you go to schools the school year 7:28 has started don't let the bad company corrupt the good morals the things that you are learning in the church the things that your parents are teaching make sure that you are not being corrupted by the world because the world 7:42 is completely opposite to what we experience in the father's presence you know there is a clear warning it says do not love the world nor the things of the world if anyone loves the world the love of the father is not in him 7:59 do not love the world it's a command or the things of the world the world the world system or the things of this world whatever the world has to offer the lust of the eyes lust of the flesh and pride and the pleasures the passing pleasures 8:14 of sin all of that this world is going to offer to us the youngest son got attracted to that I want to go and taste these pleasures this far country is going to offer I am not content to be under the authority of my father 8:29 what is there I have to get up go to the field and do whatever he says and all of that but look at that place I can get this wealth I can go and enjoy have my own life no one under me no one over me no one has any authority 8:44 to tell me no boss over me and that's what that's what was his desire but we have a clear warning do not love the world and then what the youngest son did later in the verse 13 and not many days later so he got the wealth 9:02 the father did not compel him to stay he respected his free will he gave his wealth and not many days later the youngest son gathered everything he did not leave anything like it's almost like one way trip like he purchased 9:18 a ticket you know one way ticket to this far country he's not going to come back he gathered everything that belongs to him and whatever the father has given together and went on a journey into this distant country and what did he do there 9:32 he squandered his estate with loose living or with righteous living he must have got a lot of wealth that this father must have been a rich man as I see he has fields he has servants he gathered everything and he went on this journey 9:51 and he said bye goodbye to his father and his elder brother he went and squandered like this is what we could do God has given us so many resources so many things so many gifts you know 24 hours time we can squander it according to the way 10:11 we want to live in this case the younger son squandered with righteous righteous living we could use our imagination what he could have done drinking or you know gambling or whatever sins of the flesh he squandered in the loose living 10:27 no matter how much we have we may have a million dollars but if he keeps spending if he keeps spending without earning without working hard without saving one day one day the money will disappear you know there is a there is a 10:42 verse which says the riches will fly like an eagle one day he will be without riches these are great warnings for us but the younger son learned it in a hard way he squandered he thought he had infinite amount of riches 10:58 whatever we have is finite our time on this earth is finite the day each day God puts 24 hours in our account and how we squandered it how we waste it away you know that determines the outcome of our lives we can learn a lot of things 11:15 from this from this example from this story whatever resources God has entrusted to us what do we do with that so yeah and he wanted to experience he experienced the passing pleasures of sin Bible is very clear about it doesn't say sin 11:33 Bible clearly says there is a pleasure in sin but it is a passing pleasure and but this younger son wanted to taste that so he went there he gathered he took the journey and he wasted everything and God out of his mercy 11:53 has sent a severe famine after that we see that in verse 14 verse 14 now when he had spent everything so he became his bank balance became zero a severe famine occurred in that country and he began to be impoverished so 12:14 sometimes it is God's mercy God's abundant love and mercy that he sends trials in our way sometimes maybe we have we have taken a wrong path we are going in a wrong path we are drifting away it is the trial that brings us 12:32 back to him and in this case this man spent all of his money his bank balance became zero he would have had a lot of friends in the beginning when he had a lot of money but when the riches disappear the friends disappear 12:45 but our father never leaves us he loves us with an everlasting love he still cares for us he will come after us and he will search for this lost sheep and the lost coin in this case his prodigal son God sent a mighty famine 13:02 across his way and then he had no food he had no job he has no one to receive him he has given everything to the world the world sucked up everything from him but he got nothing back any good thing I mean he got a lot of pleasure 13:19 but nothing good came out of that so no man gave him any job that's a very sad state for him now he has to feed himself we see that finally he got a job but not an exciting job he had a job to so it says 13:39 now he went verse 15 he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country and he sent him into his fields to feed swine so finally he got a job and what the job is to feed the swine if you understand the 13:58 various laws God has given to Israelites pigs swine are unclean animals they are not supposed to have they are not supposed to even rise them in the land of Israel God took me to Israel a couple of times and opened a door 14:16 for me to visit Israel a couple of times on a work trip so we were in a restaurant and one of the Israeli person was telling me they don't I mean nowadays they eat pork and all of that so they invented a workaround for that 14:29 oh they're the pigs they cannot raise the pigs in the field but they built a big platform on top of that they raised the pigs so that they can have this meat but they had very strict law that they cannot even raise these 14:43 pigs in the land of Israel they are considered unclean animals so look from where he fell the youngest son he was with his father eating at his father's table enjoying the fellowship of his father and working with him in the 14:59 field and because of his desires he came down down down to the point where now he is given a job where he has to feed the swine very unclean animals they are supposed to avoid so that is what when we make wrong decisions 15:17 wrong choices where we will end up being and it is pretty sad state where he is right now so our decisions matter so brothers and sisters so let's take this warnings and he would have he became so hungry and 15:37 verse 16 he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pots that the swines were eating you know when we are so hungry it doesn't matter if the food is tasty or not tasty we want to fill ourselves he came to the point 15:52 he came to the end of himself he came to the point where he is ready to eat swine's food because no one was giving anything to him he saw the pigs eating the food at least he felt I wish I can eat that food that's when verse 17 16:12 verse 17 it says he came to his senses so when God sends trials and famines and starvation in our lives don't despise them one of the godly man said I kiss the waves that drive me to the rock of ages some of these afflictions 16:31 will draw us back to God we don't have to be there that's what the good thing that he did is he did not stay there he went there but he did not stay there and then it says in verse 17 when he came to his senses when 16:51 he came to himself and he said he remembered his father's house how many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread but here I am dying with hunger he remembered 17:11 his father's house and all the things that his hired servants are enjoying and he compared his state there is enough bread in my father's house what am I doing here so sometimes we have to come to this end of ourselves like 17:26 Peter had to come to the end of himself trying to do something on his own he had the prodigal son had to come to the end of himself in our lives also we have situations we face we come to the end of ourselves we try to solve 17:38 our problems we try to you know do everything possible to solve our problem without going back to our God our father but now God closed all the doors he came to this point where he remembered his father how did he know he 17:54 was almost I will now verse 18 says I will get up and go to my father and will say to him father I have sinned against heaven and in your sight how does he know that his father would receive him back how does he know he 18:11 remembered his father's love how he treated his own hired servants how he treated him and his brother he knows a bit about his father father's heart having lived with him that love that he saw that compassion and kindness 18:26 that he saw in his father pulled him he said I will get up and go to my father I was stuck with this phrase I will get up and go to my father and will in your sight many of us were here maybe 18:47 we may relate to this experience of being born again okay when I was born again I was like this I was away from my father I was doing everything that I'm not supposed to do and I came back to the father but after being born 19:01 again too there may be occasions where we go outside of God's fellowship or father's fellowship and we may be struggling with self condemnation or valuing in self pity or living in unbelief away 19:22 from father's presence because in the father's presence there is a fullness of joy whenever the joy is gone because we have drifted away from God we have committed sin and not repenting and we are going away from father's 19:35 presence we are again coming back to this kind of symbolically big form there we are away and we are there not in God's presence we have to realize that and we could always say I will get up I will get up and go back to 19:50 my father I don't have this is not my father's will best way I need to be in the presence of God in his presence is the fullness of joy we don't have to we are his sons so we have a great promise go back repent return back 20:05 to the father you know if you read the bible throughout the bible one of the message that resonates again and again is repent and return repent and return and 20:37 he had that confidence in father's love father I have sinned against the heaven and in your sight that was his turning point being at the pig's farm pig's field and trying to almost coming to the point of eating pig's food 20:53 I heard many stories one of the one of the preacher that I follow he had his testimony he was living in college he was drinking and writing and doing all sorts of things he had drunk so much one night and he vomited and 21:08 he slept on his vomit and that was his lowest point that was when he woke up he said this must be the lowest point in my life and he gave his life to Jesus and God used him mightily and he is still using him so we may have 21:23 those lowest points that we cannot go any further down Lord help me I will return to you I have sinned against heaven and before you he is not making any excuses he is taking the blame upon himself and he is running back 21:38 to the father the godly sorrow that kind of sorrow sets his face towards God it's some of the sorrows are like we brood over we do self examination we do all of that that's okay but godly sorrow has to turn our direction 21:54 back to God not to always examine ourselves and stay there but we need to turn our direction that is what the repentance means turning 180 degrees back to God not to the world in the beginning we went towards the world but 22:10 now we turn back to God the world is behind me the cross before me I'm going back I think many repent in English may not give that explanation clearly but I think brother Zach many times used local like common language term 22:26 or even in my own mother tongue there's better term which explains what is that the change of heart change of heart back to God the direction changes we're going in one direction of destruction turn around make and he comes 22:47 back in verse 19 and he says to him before he even went to his father he says verse 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son make me one of your hired men that's what he was planning to say to his father father have 23:04 made lot of wrong decisions I went away from you I got the wealth I wasted it away now don't even deceive me as your son but make me as one of your hired men first he said give me all you know whatever I whatever 23:25 estate falls to my name now he says make me as a servant he humbled himself so much under the mighty hand of God as the circumstances came he humbled himself I am not worthy to be your son anymore make me one of your hired 23:40 men so he got up immediately it is not like a delaying action he got up he thought about it he got up and then so he remembered father's love he resolved and he confessed and he got up now now now let's see what his father 23:55 has done so he got up verse 20 and came to his father and while he was still a long way off his father saw him and felt compassion for him and ran and embraced him and kissed him there are five 24:15 things you notice here he saw the son he had compassion on his son he ran towards his son he fell on his neck and kissed him kissed him it is almost like I was thinking it's like a flood gates of love unleashed on this repentant 24:35 son who is coming back to his father his father must have been every day looking is this the day my son is going to come back notice his father did not compromise he did not go after him in the pig form once he love is like 24:53 that God's love and God's holiness he will not lower the standards of his holiness to meet you at your level even we repent the floodgates of God's love and compassion and mercy he comes towards us it gets unlocked the moment 25:09 we turn our hearts towards him have you seen have interacted our father like that a father who sees us who runs like this towards his repentant son who comes and felt compassion for him and runs towards him embraces him 25:29 and kisses him and the son is telling father I have seen verse 21 I have sinned against heaven and in your sight I am no longer worthy to be called your son this was his testimony father I have sinned against you but verse 25:48 22 he says father is telling to his slaves quickly bring out the best robe and put on him and put a ring on his hand and sandals but before we go there I want to understand I want all of us to have this picture of our father 26:02 running and kissing us and embracing us come under the waterfall of father's love if you see back in India when I was growing up when there's heavy rains they open the dams so that the water cannot the water they were storing 26:19 they cannot store anymore so they let it go and we all go and witness that it's a mighty rush of water that's what I felt when father was following him and kissing him and loving him so much this son who has come back to 26:36 his house again and even though the son is explaining he's not he's not even waiting to hear all of that story he knows he has been waiting for this day 26:56 for this moment to hug him again and kiss him this is our father this is your father this is my father my dear brothers and sisters one who lavishes his love towards a repentant sinner and what does he get this son gets 27:12 his father is telling to his slaves quickly don't delay quickly because he doesn't want to see his son in his shabby clothes with his uncleanness and all of that that is he has repented already now quickly bring out the 27:26 best robe not a ordinary robe there may be a lot of robes but the best robe for my son and put it on him cover him immediately the moment we are repented God covers us with the righteousness of Christ he covers he immediately 27:43 covers he looks at us as if we have never ever sinned he looks at us as he is looking at Jesus because we are now clothed with the righteousness of Christ not only that he gets a ring a ring on his hand it's like a seal 27:57 of the family we are sealed with the Holy Spirit gets no I know son you have repented and then bring the shoes he doesn't have shoe and only hide the son sons in the home have the sandals or the shoe 28:17 but the people may be servants and hired people may be walking barefoot but you are a son now you are no longer a servant to sin you are no longer a hired man you are a son in the house shoes are back at your feet and you 28:33 are wearing the shoes so he got the shoes and now this is the best part he got a feast the father threw a party on someone who squandered half of his wealth who in a righteous living and he comes back and this father says 28:52 let us eat and be merry which tells me that all these days when his father was feeling sad for his son to come back and now he is throwing a party what kind of party verse 23 bring the fattened calf kill it and let us eat 29:12 and celebrate not ordinary dinner it's like the feast feast with fattened calf maybe one of the most expensive one expensive meat and kill it and let us eat and celebrate for the son of mine was dead we were dead in our 29:30 sins trespasses and he has come to life again the spirit quickened him the spirit quickened us we repented and came back to life again he was lost but now he has been found so let us celebrate this this this this is the 29:45 moment of celebration you know the verse that that is very one of the favorite verse I often remember during the time of baptism it says in the same chapter Jesus explains I tell you what's heaven I tell you in that same 29:59 way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner not hundred sinners over one sinner who repents than our 91 righteous persons who need no repentance one sinner who repents there is a joy in heaven in the presence of 30:15 his angels there is joy in the presence of God over one sinner who repents this is the father our father who throws a party there is a celebration because of one sinner who repented someone was dead in his trespasses and 30:30 sins came back to life again our father has thrown such party in of our sins repent repent when we see father's love like this what is stopping us from repenting and coming back to him what is stopping us from going and 30:50 running back to him it's our pride our unbelief I don't know but the sons who should be sitting and having fellowship with the father at his table why are we away from the father and trying to enjoy these passing pleasures 31:06 of sin and looking at the screens that we are watching the content that we are not supposed to watch gossiping and spreading doing whatever we need to do we are doing things that the father hates father dislikes and rather 31:19 than coming back to him and one thing I want to highlight I heard this recently in the same story I want to read this verse again carefully verse 20 let's one thing I want to highlight verse 20 but 31:39 while he was still a long way off his father saw him and felt compassion for him and ran let's just focus on the word ran the reason is I heard recently I never saw it this way but this blessed me so much that's why I want 31:58 to share in Middle Eastern cultures they don't wear pants like we do here so they wear some dress long robe from top to bottom and it's older men they won't run with that it's difficult to run you'll trip away and fall young people 32:17 may run but older dignified men won't run in a village like the village we are seeing they won't run because first of all it's not dignified and they even trip up but but here in the story the father ran he was not like a little 32:33 kid or a young man to run he was an old man but he ran he ran it's almost like pulling his robe like this up and running towards this repentant sinner son who is repentant this is the father this picture blessed me so much 32:53 this is my father who runs to me when I repent and go to him brothers and sisters meditate on that this just this verse verse 20 what all father has done how he lavished his love on this son who came back to him he ran he ran 33:12 towards him he did not care about what others think not about a dignity pulled up his robe and he ran to his son embraced and showered him with kisses this is the father whom we worship this is the father whom we adore this 33:29 is the father whom we love and want to follow him and Jesus Christ revealed that father's love and how he receives sinners like you and me through this story and Jesus could have I think explained that in many passages but 33:48 this one story gives us the glimpse of how our heavenly father is like and in connection to that I want to just quickly focus on what are the markers of the true repentance let's quickly go to 2nd Corinthians chapter 7 so 34:08 those when we get x-ray or when we are sick when we go to the hospital we get x-ray or we get some blood work and the doctor see some markers of good health or some infection if these markers are good maybe there's no problem 34:27 so things like that so what are the markers of true repentance and here Paul explains in one or two verses I just want to focus the remaining time I have this is very important because now nowadays repentance asking forgiveness 34:48 or apology has become so easy now I can even go suppose I have done something wrong to someone I can go and say I am sorry if I do something wrong to someone like say for example for my wife without even depending deeply 35:04 I can say I am sorry if you think I have done something wrong I am sorry right so sometimes we are apologies are like that and we can even suppose you need to write an apology letter to someone we can even ask Chargpt or 35:18 Claude or someone write an apology letter it will write for you you can change the names and send it that is still technically sound good but is it a true repentance no the true repentance is what we have seen just now in 35:31 the prodigal son story he came to the end of himself he remembered father's love he took the blame upon himself he did not blame anyone did not blame his friends or influencers he says I have sinned against heaven and against 35:44 you that's it he took the ownership of his sins and he repented and came back to the father now here in 1st Corinthians Paul writes a very strong letter to Corinthians church because there are so many problems there you 36:00 see that if you meditate on 1st Corinthians entire book there are a lot of problems that he addresses but now let's read verse chapter 7 verse 8 onwards for 36:21 though I caused you sorrow by my letter I do not regret it though I did regret it for I see that the letter caused you sorrow though only for a while so he saw like he understands that his letter caused some sorrow to this 36:38 Corinthians church but Paul is writing I do not regret it because what the letter has accomplished the letter caused you sorrow but only for a season but now I rejoice verse 9 that not that you were made sorrowful not because 36:54 I made you sorrowful but you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance and for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us it is almost like a doctor 37:09 has to cause some pain suppose he is doing something a dentist or some surgeon doing something he has to cause some pain in the beginning for a greater good he has to remove something from a body or he take care of something 37:24 in the body repair it he has to do some painful thing and he knows the outcome of that even regret it he did it because Paul wrote this letter but what did it accomplish it made them sorrowful but 37:44 sorrowful to the point of repentance and sorrowful according to the will of God so that they will not suffer further loss because he explains in verse 10 two sorrows sorrow that is according to the will of God that produces 38:01 repentance leading to salvation without any regret but the sorrow of the world produces death the godly sorrow it grieves the offenses against God but the worldly sorrow it grieves the consequences oh now I am caught there 38:20 is some sorrow but because I am caught now I have to face the consequences but godly sorrow grieves or the offense I have sinned against the heaven against my God against the people and then godly sorrow works repentance 38:36 leading to salvation not just salvation in terms of being born again but salvation from the sin overcoming that sin that made us trip over that caused sorrow to God and where we end up so it is the salvation from that particular 38:52 sin so it leads to true mourning someone was sharing blessed are those who mourn mourn for sin so the godly sorrow mourns over the sin so that we will have a victory over the sin but worldly sorrow goes back to the self 39:06 not towards God and godly sorrow doesn't leave any regret there is no regret as he says without regret and the worldly sorrow leads to death but godly sorrow leads us to salvation we see two examples Peter and Judas many 39:22 times Peter denied the Lord three times but he went back to the fellowship but Judas betrayed the Lord but he grieved and he did a self examination he did all of that he went to the priest and he confessed but he ended up 39:37 hanging himself there is two different outcomes godly sorrow and worldly sorrow now what I want to focus on verse 11 there are seven marks that Paul writes here about this godly sorrow what it has accomplished in 39:58 Corinthians church what are the seven things seven is a complete number let's go one at a time quickly the earnestness the vindication the indignation fear longing zeal avenging of the wrong let me read that 40:18 verse verse 11 for behold what earnestness this very thing what is this very thing the godly sorrow has produced in you what vindication of yourselves what indignation what fear what longing what zeal what avenging of 40:38 wrong in everything in all these things you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in this matter so he lists all these things so if you look at a healthy body there are 40:57 certain markers in the blood likewise in a true repentance there are certain marks and paul has listed all of this let's go one at a time quickly what earnestness what urgency once they were convicted they were casual about 41:14 the sin they even tolerated some immorality in the church but once paul wrote such strong words they took the sin seriously they acted with urgency what earnestness and it is now no longer being casual about it is a matter 41:30 of life and death for me sin is serious it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God and it is only one thing that breaks the fellowship with my God is a sin sin is serious so there is an urgency Paul 41:45 saw in Corinthian church the moment they are convicted and the moment urgency about what God is serious about there are many things that may be wrong maybe in the church in the logistics wise but the most important 42:06 thing that we need to worry about is sin the only thing that is serious in our life is sin and Corinthians with great urgency they have dealt with that with the earnestness the first one is earnestness say with me earnestness 42:20 the second one the vindication the vindication vindication is cleared not by explanation but by action one of the examples is Zacchaeus as soon as he got convicted Jesus did not tell anything to him but he said immediately 42:39 he paid back fourfold that is much more than what the law required right so he's not making it's not about making excuses but it is exactly opposite Egon is to clear themselves by setting things right by making the restitution 42:56 vindication the true repentance does the restitution it goes back pays back and doing what is right and repays what was damaged the false repentance explains oh this is how I thought I did or it builds a case it 43:16 builds a narrative it softens it minimizes the impact and also manages the narrative how this story is told rather than taking full ownership and doing the right thing Zacchaeus could have said oh that time the government 43:32 wanted me to do this I collected the taxes no none of that he took the blame immediately put that into action he started giving back and then Jesus said today salvation has come to this house vindication followed by actions 43:46 proved explanation it about action what do you do after you are truly repented you do the restitution and pays back for what was lost and then so second one is vindication third 44:08 indignation other word is anger the anger aimed at the sin not at the person who exposed the sin in this case Paul exposed the sin in their lives in the church but the anger the Corinthians saw is not at the people who exposed 44:26 the sin but at the anger at the sin itself the anger at what was exposed the sin is the problem not the messenger sometimes we focus someone exposes our focus is on the person who exposed if we are truly repentant our anger 44:43 will be at the sin the sin I see sometimes suppose I am driving someone cuts you off and something comes out are you angry at that person who exposed the sin of anger in your heart or angry at the anger itself or the sin 45:01 of anger so when we are undependent we are exposed we are angry at the person who exposed the sin and not at the sin itself one of the words that describes Jesus is he loved righteousness hated wickedness hated sin that 45:21 is one of his that's how Hebrews chapter 1 verse 9 explains how Jesus lived throughout his life he loved righteousness hated wickedness same thing anger or indignation at the sin not at the person who exposed the sins so 45:36 the third one is indignation earnestness and vindication and indignation the fourth one fear I think as Joshua was explaining one of the things that is lacking in this culture is a lack of fear of God so one of the marks 45:55 of true repentance is a renewed sense of God's holiness a recovered sense of God's holiness I had it I lost it now I became pally pally with God I'm doing whatever I want I'm using the grace of God and whatever I have the blood 46:11 of Jesus Christ is nothing but a tap water I'm loose with sin but now I'm repenting I have a greater sense of God's holiness a renewed reverence towards God and understanding of his holiness there's so many churches which are 46:27 talking about God's love God's love and God loves you few churches are talking about God's holiness we don't want to compromise God's holiness God is holy holy holy that's how he was he's described in Isaiah chapter 6 verse 3 46:43 that's what Isaiah got a vision and the memory was Nathan was saying today 2nd Corinthians 7 1 perfecting holiness in the fear of God a renewed sense of the fear of God and a renewed reverence towards him towards his holiness 47:01 not the punishment it's not about fear of oh God will again punish me it's about fear that I might hurt God this is the father who loves me who embraces me kisses me has done everything he did not spare his own son this is the 47:17 father this is my God I'm going to hurt that is the fear that's the healthy fear not the fear of punishment so a recovered sense of holiness and fear of God that's the fourth one the fifth one is longing longing towards the 47:35 one who confronted confronted us suppose someone has done confronted us exposed us corrected us rebuked us Corinthians church were longing to see Paul again so godly sorrow a true repentance makes us long to the one who 47:52 helped us to see our problem someone took a time to correct me and rebuked me and helped me to see my problem I long now I have the true repentance I run towards them I don't I'm not going to avoid them I want the relationship 48:07 with him to be restored if it is trained now but the counterfeit repentance avoids that person doesn't make an eye contact moves away and even most of the places goes to a different place but the true repentance runs towards 48:24 the person thank you for helping me to see the problem thank you for helping me to see my blind spot thank you so much you write a letter if he is far off like Paul when you meet in person you thank and you run to restore 48:38 the relationship this is what Paul has seen in Corinthians what longing what longing and then sixth one zeal zeal now because of the sin our fire for God has gone cold now it has to be it is reignited with a true repentance 48:57 the true repentance now because we have gone to this world and holy things and fallen into sin we lost appetite for God's word we lost appetite for prayer we don't want to be in the fellowship we miss the meetings we don't 49:12 so that's the state and we don't seek for the filling of the holy spirit now with the true repentance the zeal for the word of God I must read the word this word of God has given to me I must read I have a renewed hunger 49:25 and thirst like the newborn babes desiring the sincere milk of the word of God prayer prayer I neglected prayer now I neglected fellowship of the saints of the brothers and sisters I again 49:45 it has gone cold it is gone but it is now reignited that's what in Jesus when he wrote the letter to the churches revelation 3 19 as many as I love I rebuke and chastain be zealous therefore and repent zeal zeal to come 50:05 back to the Lord and zeal for his word and prayer and fellowship and the last one avenging of the wrong like doing the justice they are willing to bear the cost of putting things right sometimes in many places things can 50:23 be put under the rug and act as if nothing happened with the counterfeit peace and counterfeit unity and what is the matter not talk about it but Corinthian church they wanted to do the justice there was an injustice done 50:36 they will do everything they will accept the discipline and the consequence so that what was broken is actually repaid so this is not a vengeance this is something to justice to protect what refuses to protect what was wronged 50:53 so it is making sure justice is done avenging of the wrong it's not just saying sorry but making sure that justice is done and for that matter it may be willing to bear whatever cost to put the things to make things right 51:08 again avenging of the wrong avenging of the wrong this is the seventh one so we have seen seven can you say it together earnestness vindication indignation fear longing zeal avenging of wrong 51:28 so my dear brothers and sisters I want you to go and meditate on this verse second corinthians seven eleven see when we are repenting lord do I have this can I check do I have this zeal and indignation anger at sin and renewed 51:45 sense of fear of God all of these things that we just saw because the godly sorrow the godly sorrow works repentance to salvation not to be repented of we will not be this is a good thing godly sorrow producing these fruits 51:59 in us but the worldly sorrow works death so so my final encouragement for all of us having known the love of the father and see how much he has lavished his love towards that in the story that we see in prodigal son story 52:17 repent and return to the father don't if we are away from the father for whatever reason we made some bad choices bad decisions whatever it is today is the day repent repent repent you go and search for the word repent in the 52:31 bible you will hit multiple verses the call is repent and return back to our father may the lord help us i appreciate 52:54 what you shared brother and the theme of repentance genuine true repentance brought this prodigal son to the father's home and about the sinner who Paul condemned 53:15 and writes a letter to corinthians church and the result of that letter and the good that brought into this church i just want to share what blessed me this luke chapter 15 in the 53:37 beginning brother read couple of verses jesus this is jesus telling these stories and so called looked down people in the society were carefully listening those were the tax collectors and sinners but were supposed to be 53:58 the good example the teacher biblical teachers and and the law they were grumbling about his teachings and then he told about first the lost sheep this shepherd had hundred sheep and ninety-nine were with him but one lost 54:17 but the shepherd left ninety-nine and ran after that one sheep and then he was poor and go after the one which is lost until he finds it and the second story he shared 54:38 about the lost coin this woman had already ten silver coins nine are good one she lost and what's eight and then she light a lamp and sweep the house and search 54:58 carefully until he finds until she finds it and the last story in this chapter fifteen he told about the lost son this father has only two sons not hundred sheep not ten coins but only two sons Luke 55:19 laid it very strategically the theme what Jesus is trying to teach here he did not run after that son who left left left the father's house left the father's love the 55:39 father in this story didn't run after his son into that far country but a shepherd ran after the lost sheep a woman searches for the lost coin in the house here the son is not a sheep not a coin the unique thing 56:00 what human has is will this lost son has his own will he made choices and no one can be fetching back against his own 56:20 will even the father runs after and drags him home he may run away another day so the father let him go and he let his loving son go through the famine and 56:41 lose his friends lost his money and he was grieving but yet he want that hard teaching that hard teaching may lean to his repentance but 57:03 Luke tells us that while the son was still a long way off the father saw him what 17 we read when he came to his senses and 57:24 he remembered that how even the hired men have a good life at his father's place here I am dying I am dying here with hunger I will get up and go to my father and will say to him father 57:45 I have sinned against heaven and in your sight the true repentance this hunger and brought a true repentance father was waiting when it happened the father saw 58:05 him which means he was watching every day long before there was anything to see the door was never shut it was not an accident the robe he has given to him and 58:25 the ring were ready were ready before even the son even turned around that shows father's heart briefly I want to touch from 1 Corinthians chapter 5 we read it multiple times here Paul condemns 58:46 the sinner in the church 5 5 and then I have decided to deliver such one to Satan how this father let his son to go and starve and eat the pig's food man 59:09 of God have decided to be sinner in the church to Satan for the destruction of his flesh so that his spirit may be saved in in the day of the Lord Jesus but I touched the fruit which brought of 59:29 that decision not human love God's love divine love brought a good fruit I would like to read few verses from the living Bible 2nd Corinthians chapter 7 59:51 for God chapter 7 verse 10 for God sometimes uses sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek eternal life brothers and sisters many of us are here we have gone through some 1:00:11 sort of sorrow in our life our loved one is suffering our losses God uses those sorrows in our lives to help us to turn away from sin and to seek the true God who gives the eternal life we should never regret it he 1:00:32 is sending it we should never regret the Lord using those sorrows sending in our lives the loving father like the loving father who prepared a ring who prepared a robe the guy who took his hard earned money and spoiled it 1:00:50 but yet the Lord has to the father kept a ring and a robe before even he comes down back to home the sorrow of the man who is not a Christian is not the sorrow of the true repentance and does not prevent eternal death verse 1:01:09 11 just see how much good this grief from the Lord did for you you no longer shrugged your shoulders but became earnest and sincere and very anxious to get rid of the sin that I wrote you about you became frightened about 1:01:29 what had happened and longed for me to come and help you went right to work on the problem and cleared it up punishing the man who sinned you have done everything you could to make it right Paul is appreciating the church 1:01:46 you took it seriously what I have written and then you cleaned it you have done everything you could do it even you are misunderstood I told you I told him about it would be told 1:02:07 him before he left me of my pride in you and you didn't disappoint me may the Lord tell us when we meet him in face to face dear brothers and sisters in Austin CFC you did not disappoint me you did it exactly what I have 1:02:24 told you to do this is what we want to do it here what the father has done with the divine love we are not going to chase and we can't make this choice for anyone we 1:02:45 can't make this choice whether people leave or whether people want to repent and come back we can't make this choice for them repentance can't be done for someone father cannot repent for his own son son 1:03:05 has to repent and come back father did not chase after him and we are watching the door stays open and nothing that's been offered is being withdrawn may the lord help us let's close in prayer heavenly 1:03:27 father we thank you and we praise you for your word you sent your word and healed lord thank you for the word you have given to us and we all may come into our senses like how the prodigal son has come into the senses father 1:03:50 thank you for loving us and thank you for the examples you have kept even in the early churches father help us to take sin seriously among us help us to be pleasers of you as we heard in the beginning lord help us to fear 1:04:09 you more than any human being help us to seek your opinion your interests about our own personal interests and our family members interests lord help us to please you throughout this week in Jesus precious name we pray amen 1:04:24 thank you brothers and sisters for joining with us I believe you have a wonderful fellowship after this
