Jesus: Know Him and Live, Part 2

Listen with me as Dr. Michael Youssef begins this episode of Leading the Way Audio. Today on Leading the Way, we will go deep into the story of the prodigal son with Dr. Youssef. You'll appreciate Dr. Michael Youssef's unique biblical insights into this well-known teaching of Jesus.

It's part of his life-changing series called Jesus, Know Him and Live. Reach out to Leading the Way for any reason. Just give us a call.

866-626-4356. And online, we're at ltw.org. Right now, join me in listening as Dr. Michael Youssef begins this episode of Leading the Way Audio. The story of the prodigal is the summary of the entire Christian faith. It is the Christian faith in a story.

It is Christianity in a capsule. You see, the prodigal story is the story of every one of us. Every one of us who sought to live for self, and we did, only to discover the painful consequences of that living for self is nothing but a mirage.

No fulfillment. It's the story of every one of us who pursued the mirage of the world's attraction, only to discover it's a dust. It's the story of every one of us who have searched for fulfillment in life and come to realize that fulfillment is only found in the one who made us and created us and redeemed us. But, believe it or not, the story of the prodigal is not primarily about the prodigal. Now, a lot of people misunderstand that.

It's primarily not about either the younger son or the older son. The story of the prodigal is primarily about God. Before Jesus came from heaven, God, Yahweh, Elohim appeared in the person of Jesus before incarnation to Abraham, to Jacob, and to Daniel, and to different people for a period of time, just a short time, for a specific purpose.

And all we know is through their eyes. But God wanted us to know him fully. God wanted to reveal himself fully. God wanted us to know what it's like. And so God the Son came from heaven to reveal to us what God the Father is all about.

When God the Son revealed God the Father, he revealed him throughout his own virgin birth, life, death, on a cross, resurrection. But he also revealed him by telling us some stories to illustrate what God the Father is like. And so he tells the story of the prodigal. Jesus, in the story, attempts to reveal the heart of the Father. In fact, that's really what the story is all about. Luke chapter 15, in verse 11, literally, here are the words of Jesus.

There was a Father. And there's one thing that you need to know when you're reading the Bible, in the Semitic language, which I grew up in, the point of the story, or the point of the parable, is the opening sentence. That tells you what's really the purpose of the whole story. And the opening sentence, Jesus said, there was a Father.

That is really the focal point. Do you want to know the one true God, the creator of the universe, the sustainer of the universe, who soon will be the judge of the universe? Listen to what his eternal Son said. Are you searching for the truth about the one true God?

Listen to what his only begotten Son said about him. Are you tired of these false gods that cannot satisfy your deepest longing? Come to know the only one, the only one true God who can satisfy your soul. Are you seeking rest for your weary soul? Come to the only one who loved you and redeemed you and paid the price and the wages for your sins.

Come to the only one who can truly help you. His Son, who revealed him. Verse 11, there was a Father.

Underline it. This is the focus of the story. This is the heartbeat of the story. This is the longing of Jesus in order to communicate to us.

Listen, I know and you know. Earthly Fathers can be good or bad. Earthly Fathers can be cruel or kind. Earthly Fathers can be adoring or abusive. But what Jesus is saying is this, listen carefully. Especially those of you who have suffered under harsh Fathers.

Listen to me. He is saying don't confuse my Father with Earthly Fathers. Ideal Earthly Fathers would like to model the Heavenly Father but that you know it's not always the case. You see, to our self-focused generation, to our undisciplined and careless generation. To our dissatisfied and discontented generation. Jesus is saying come to me.

Come to me. And then and only then you would know the heart of my Father. To know me is to know my Father.

To know me is to be assured of eternity with him. The word Abba in Hebrew, I'm sure many of you know this. But the word Abba, you can't really translate it in English. You can't say Daddy. There's just no word in English that honestly I can use that will identify the depth of the meaning of that Hebrew and Aramaic word. It is so rich, it's so powerful, it's so comprehensive. The word Abba is so filled with deep emotions and intimacy.

It cannot be translated properly. And that is why Jesus reveals to us the heart of his Father. And here he shows us how the Father feels when one of his children willfully and deliberately chooses to go his or her way. Jesus wants us to see how the heart of the Father breaks in two when his children live their lives as if he doesn't exist. How the Heavenly Father feels when one of his children get all of his blessings in life and then live for self. How the Heavenly Fathers feel when one of his children live their life of being indifferent toward the Heavenly Father. You see when the younger boy says to his father, give me my inheritance. He basically was saying, Father, I wish you were dead.

I just wish you were dead. But the Father never ceased to love him. He never ceased to love him. When the older boy stayed at home, went to church, and went through the religious motions without intimacy with the Father, the Father still loved him. In fact, whether a person is in the far country living for self or lost inside the church walls, the Father loves you. The Father loves you. And God's word for you is this, not only that I love you, but I long for you to know me personally.

I long for you to put your whole trust in me. Did you know that the two sons, they basically represent all of humanity? They really do. They represent all of humanity.

There are only two types of people in the world. One is lost away, running away from God. There are others who are lost inside the church. Either way, the Father's heart is broken in two.

Longs for them to come home. We all, at some point, have rebelled against the Holy God. Whether we rebelled in our hearts or rebelled publicly, only you know that and only I know that. Our rebellion may differ, but the results, the same alienation from God, our struggle against God may take different forms, but it's a struggle with God nonetheless.

Every one of us, when we came to the heart of Abba, the one and only true God, we were drawn by His unbelievable loving heart. Someone may say, well Michael, I just don't think God loves me. I don't believe that God really cares for me. God is angry with me.

God will never forgive me. Let me tell you, on the authority of God's own word, not me, what Jesus said about the Father is absolutely true. And it's a testimony of millions of people around the world. Let me tell it to you from a Middle Eastern perspective.

You have to understand, you have to transport yourself right there and put yourself in that place and put yourself in that culture. Here's what you need to understand. When the parodical came to his father, and if a son would come to his father today in the Middle East or even back then, and he says, you know, could you give me my part of the estate now before you die?

Because I need it now. I can tell you about the only thing that son would get from the father is the back of his hand. Trust me, trust me, trust me.

That's all he's going to get. The people who were sitting there listening to Jesus speaking, they were incredulous. They would think it's a joke. What planet does this parodical come from? What planet does that son come from?

To make such a horrible request. See, the Old Testament law is very clear, and they all knew it, that when the father dies, two-thirds of his estate goes to the oldest boy, because the oldest boy is responsible for the rest of the family. So two-thirds of the estate go to the oldest boy, then the other third goes to the rest of the family. But that's after the father dies, not before.

Not before. And Jesus was telling them this unbelievable story, and I hope you understand the depth of how unbelievable this is, to impress upon them how incredible God's love is, how awesome God's love is, how indescribable God's love is, how persevering that love of God is, how inexhaustible the grace of God is. And while the father's in agony over his son's rebellion, he lets him go with all the money.

Why? Because Jesus is telling us that love only has what love lets go of. Did you get that? Love only has what love lets go of. Someone here, you're enjoying all of God's blessings? Are there blessings of health? Some enjoying God's blessing materially? You might be enjoying God's blessing intellectually? You might be enjoying God's blessing relationally? And yet, you are giving God hardly a thought.

Know this. God's love is persevering and is letting go. God's love is waiting for you to return. God's love is longing for you to return. God's love is watching over you. I don't know about your far country.

I know what my far country was. Whatever is causing you to wonder from the love of the father, is it an unwholesome relationship? Is it a misplaced priority? Is it selfish ambition? Is it anxiety and worry and fear? Is it the inability to trust God? The Heavenly Father is waiting for you. He cares for you. He will never cease to invite you to come to him. The Heavenly Father never cease longing for you to return. You see, that is the heart of the father. And that's why Jesus said there was a what?

But there's something else very important I don't want you to miss here. The father in this parodical story, he could have stopped his son from leaving home. He has every right to do it. He could have refused to give him his blessing. He could have punished him publicly.

And would have every right to do that. He could have done all sorts of things. But he didn't. He didn't.

That's the thing that tears me up. He waited until the boy came to his senses. Until he came to his senses. And he's waiting for you. And he's waiting for you.

And he's waiting for you to come to your senses. And understand the incredible love of the father. In verse 16 of Luke 15, it says the boy, the younger boy hit rock bottom.

Now for a Jewish boy to spend his days with pigs, that's really few steps below the bottom. Ah, but his pride kept him back. His pride kept him back. Pride always keeps people from coming to the loving heavenly father.

They convinced themselves that they can be good without Jesus. That's pride. But his son came to his senses. And he began to prepare a speech. When I got to my father, I'm going to say this and this and this.

No, no, no, no, no. You know what I'm talking about. When you're preparing something important.

And you go through your head and you go over it. Now maybe I should say this. Or maybe no, no, no, no. I think I should say this. Because I really want to get on my father's good side. Maybe I'll say sorry I wasted the money. Or maybe I'll say sorry I wasted my life. Or maybe I'll say sorry my plans didn't work out. Or sorry that my friends let me down.

Or sorry that I brought shame to the family. Now I'm willing to be a servant, not a son. I don't deserve to be a son. I'm happy to have a servant-master relationship, not a father-son relationship.

Here's what happened. See when the son left home, he said give me. But when he came to his senses he said make me. When the son left home, he left as a son. But when he came back, he was very glad to be a servant or slave. When he left home, he called it independence. But then when he came to his senses, he called it for what it is, sin.

But you know I really like to rush and get to my favorite part of the story. The father's reaction to us when we come back home to him in repentance. That's the father's reaction.

That's the heavenly father's reaction. The father saw the boy from a distance and he did something is unthinkable in those days. It's unthinkable in that culture. He did the most humiliating thing for any Middle Eastern man to do. There is no self-respecting Middle Eastern man over 30 that would run.

It's only reserved for slaves and prisoners. But not a dignified father. But listen to me beloved friends. What the almighty, all powerful, creator God did the unthinkable. He came and he died on a cross in order to redeem everyone that would come to him in repentance and in faith. And that's what Jesus was pressing upon their minds and upon our minds. He did the unthinkable.

One of the saddest things people all over the world would say, no, no, no. Allah is so powerful. He may be merciful, but he's ready to whack you. He cannot die on a cross. It defies logic. Just as the story defies logic to its hearers at the time. How can this dignified man run? How can God's sinless pure holy die for sinners? It defies logic. But here's the great news.

Here's the thing that literally tears me up from the inside out every time I read it. The father did not say to the boy what everybody expected. Everybody within that culture would have expected him to say some things, but he did not. They would have expected him to rebuke the foolishness of the boy. He did not.

They would have expected him to scold him for wasting his money, but he did not. No condemnation. No, you disgraced your family. Wait outside until everybody knows how broken you are. No, go and do some penance or recite 20 Hail Marys.

No. Or you have to earn my forgiveness. I'm not going to give it to you.

You have to earn it. That is not our Heavenly Father. And if that does not tear you up, I don't know what will. You see, that's what Jesus' hearers were expecting to hear, but they were disappointed because that's what they did. This is how they treated sinners.

They got them to crawl. They got them to earn, but instead the father runs to his son. The father kisses his son.

The father welcomes his son. That's what our father does. He washed and cleansed his son. The father forgave his son unconditionally. The father placed his own robe on his son because the son does not have a right standing with the father, does not have his own robe, and neither of us ever have a robe of righteousness.

That's why the righteousness of Jesus Christ is imputed on us. And so the father sees us forgiven, cleansed, healed, and restored because he sees us through the prism of Jesus. The father forgave his repentant son.

Why? Because that is the heart of the father. Now, when the boy comes back and he begins, so he rehearsed that speech in his head so many times obviously and memorized it. And so he comes and he sees this father running which probably flabbergasted him and then he begins to recite the speech that he memorized.

And he says, Father, I have sinned against you in heaven. And the father would not wait for the rest of the speech. I've heard enough. That's all I needed to hear.

That's all I'm waiting for. But father, what about that part that I rehearsed so many times that I'm not worthy to be called your son and make me a servant, one of your slaves? Father says, I don't have slaves. My heavenly father does not have slaves. He has father-son and father-daughter relationship.

Did you know that? What about you? What about you? Are you ready to come to the father? Are you ready to come to the father? Are you ready to say, Forgive me. Cleanse me. Restore me. Father, heal me.

Today you can do that. Do you have questions about the Christian faith? Do you wonder about life after death? What it means to be saved? Or what happens to your life if you choose to follow Jesus? Are you worried that you are too far gone for Jesus to save you?

You are not alone. All of these are important questions, and we would love to help you answer them. If you have questions, need prayer, or want to talk to someone about your decision to receive God's gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, our trained pastors and counselors are equipped to help you answer these tough questions. At ltw.org slash Jesus, you will find the path to true peace through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Visit and see a clear explanation of God's plan for salvation. Find answers to common questions and resources to help you grow in your new faith or receive prayer and encouragement for any situation.

Our counselors are standing by. Visit ltw.org slash Jesus and start your journey to find true peace in Christ today. Thank you for listening to Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Yusef, author of more than 50 books, each one guiding you toward experiencing a deeper walk with Jesus and engaging spiritually with those around you.

In fact, earlier this month, Dr. Yusef released a brand-new book. It's called My Refuge, My Strength. This is a timely devotional book offering strength and hope as you navigate these times in which we live. And since we're quickly moving into the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, I need to mention that My Refuge, My Strength would be a perfect gift for family and friends. It's a hardback book and it invites readers to experience God at a deeper level, abiding in Christ, rooting in God's word, and drawing strength from the Holy One. Right now, Dr. Yusef is offering to send you a complimentary copy of My Refuge, My Strength when you give a gift to Leading the Way of any amount.

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