the heart of the father

Before entering the Word, I leave you this advice: If you came looking for goods, blessing, enlightenment, healing, the warmth of a community of faith, I applaud you and tell you my brothers: if you came looking for those goods, you will find what you are looking for. But if you came looking for the Father's heart, if you came looking for the Father's heart you will find that and much more.

And this parable that we find in the Gospel of Luke chapter 15 beginning with verse 11, a well-known parable, will show us the difference in a very key way. For many of us it is difficult to tell the difference. Pastor: I am here in the House of God, I have legitimate needs, by the way: I am looking for goods from my God; How do you distinguish between that and a search for the heart of the Father? And I believe that this parable, in a very effective way, describes that for us, breaks it down for us.

Let's share a hug my brothers, we come before the Presence of the Lord. Jesus: as we have already sung this morning, I simply ask you to fill this place with Your Glory. But something else: reveal to us this morning the heart of the Father. God I ask that You fill this place with Your Glory and that You bestow on me the anointing, the capacity to reveal the heart of Your Father, in the Name of Jesus.

Beginning with verse 11 my brothers: "He also said: A man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father: father, give me the part of the goods that corresponds to me, and he divided the goods between them. Not many days later Putting it all together, the youngest son went far away, to a remote province, and there he squandered his goods living riotously.

And when he had wasted everything, a great famine came in that province and he began to lack it. And he went and got close to one of the citizens of that land, who sent him to his farm to feed pigs, and he wanted to fill his belly with the locust beans that the pigs ate but no one gave him. And coming to his senses, he said: how many laborers in my father's house have plenty of bread and here I am dying of hunger?

I will get up and go to my father and say: father, I have sinned against heaven and against you, I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of my laborers.

And rising up, he came to his father, and while he was still a long way away his father saw him, and was moved with mercy, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said to him: father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.

But the father said to one of his servants: Take out the best dress and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet, and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate because this dead son of mine was and has revived, was lost and is found; and they began to rejoice.

And his eldest son was in the field. And when he came, and heard the commotion, he came near the house, and the music, and the dance, and calling one of the servants, he asked him what was that? and he said to him: your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf for having received him good and healthy. Then he got angry and did not want to go in, so his father came out and begged him to come in."

My brothers: a father with two children and both are in danger. By the way, maybe your version of this parable is titled: The Prodigal Son, right? it is a title that is not part of the text itself and that alludes to the prodigal younger son, meaning extravagant in the way he invests or spends, or squanders his.

Pastor Tim Keller wrote a book recently called "The Prodigal Father" how many have read it? Still, I haven't read it either (laughs) but I do know, but I've heard Tim Keller, I personally had that privilege and he talked about it. And he affirms that the true prodigal here, the one who gives and gives away, and loves extravagantly here is the father, and I agree with him.

When opening this parable these two brothers live in a home that is distinguished by two things my brothers. First: it is a household with many assets representing income, goods, comfort, servants, livestock and farms. And two, this home is governed, this house is governed and these assets are administered by a father, by his father. There are the goods and there is the father.

Let's talk about assets, because this parable opens with so much emphasis on these assets and the relationship of these children, and the inheritance, and their father. Verse 11 begins: "A man had two sons and the younger of them said to his father: father, give me the part of the goods that corresponds to me, and he divided them" plural "the goods."

First, the word that we here translate goods in the original Greek is a term with legal implications. This word: ton bion literally means: life. The implication here is that these goods literally what they are trying to communicate, in the original Greek is that these goods come from life, from the Father.

As a lawyer this interests me a lot because look, probate law hasn't changed in 2,000 years, that's the way it still is, it's true. It makes perfect sense even today as a legal concept. Goods that we receive through an inheritance are the product of the sweat, the work, the invention and the genius of another, that is, the product of the sap, of the life of another, of the donor; in this case the father.

In other words it was not that we won it. If your Uncle Saturn, doesn't anyone here have an Uncle Saturn besides me? Saturnine (laughs). If your Uncle Saturn passes into eternity and leaves you an inheritance, you did nothing to earn that inheritance other than the fact that your Uncle Saturn loved you and remembered you in his will, but it was his sweat, his labor. of him, his life. That inheritance represents the life of the donor that he transfers to the one who gives it, and so it is with the Heavenly Father.

The Word declares: "Every good gift and every perfect gift descends" from where? "come down from above, from the Father of lights of which there is no change or shadow of evaluation." All goods come from our Father, all our inheritance comes from the Heavenly Father's ton bion.

We have all received an inheritance from the Father. A working brain, the breath of life, the ability to dream and plan, and to others he has given us so much more. Perhaps a family, a job, a house, and if that wasn't enough the Father's ton bion includes gifts. He has given us gifts.

Some of us are very clever. Carpenters, mechanics etc. They were skilled people who created this space that we now dedicate to the Lord. Others more artistic like my sister are musicians or poets; they dance, sing, recite, write. But he has given us all an inheritance, he has given us all goods, from the sap of the Father a ton bion has come to each one of us that makes sense. An inheritance that makes sense in the Presence within the context of our Father's house.

That inheritance only works as it should within the context of Dad's house. And the younger son, we already know the story, asks for his inheritance, his share of the assets, his ton bion that he received from his father while he was alive, another detail of Jewish testamentary law. It was extremely rare in Jewish custom to be asked for an inheritance while the donor was alive.

However, this father at once gives it to him, gives it to him. Distributing both what corresponds to him, a third part of the inheritance, because two thirds corresponds to the eldest son, that is: the double portion. And to both of them, without a word, just by asking, he distributes these gifts.

Verse 13: "Not many days later the younger son went far away" and there he wasted his ton bion. There he squandered his goods living riotously. Interestingly, living madly translates, well as the new international version in English translates it: wild living or as Ricky Martin sang a few years ago: la vida loca. It's literally what the Greek says, Ricky didn't make it up, the Gospel according to Saint Luke made it up; living the crazy life over there wasting the ton bion, his father's assets.

Now my brothers, and the father leaves him on purpose, the father lets him go, why? There are two things we can learn, even in this verse, about these goods. Please do not leave this place without binding these truths to your heart.

Firstly: none, say none, none of your assets will remain. None of your assets will remain. Everything we have of value, be it health, material goods, even your common judgment and your breath of life can be lost in a moment, in the blink of an eye. What you have you can lose.

Number two: free will my brother. Do you want to understand what free will is? look at the scriptures. This is what free will is done illustration. The father leaves it, the Father lets us use, administer, waste his ton bion, waste those goods as we see fit. Why? because he respects us. Respect His creation. You are made in His image and likeness with an ability to plan your life. He doesn't want freelancers, he doesn't want robots; He respects you. And number two: the father is very wise. He knows how to adore what He wants to do in us, He knows how to adore what He wants to do in His Kingdom and He waits and wants us to learn. May we take a lesson from the way we manage our gifts, our health, our time, our ton bion.

And precisely, verse 14: "And when he had squandered everything, a great famine came in that province and he began to lack it. And he went and joined one of the citizens of that land, who sent him to his farm to pasture pigs." For a young Jew an untouchably unclean animal. "And he wanted to fill his belly with the locust beans that his pigs ate, but no one gave him."

My brother: the son is far from home and out of the father's protection. Now have you been there? Have you been there? how did it go? I'm the first to raise my hand if you don't dare, I know what that is. I have been there, I know that place, I know that place. I know him. And nothing good comes out of that place. It is an extremely scary place.

That young man was not going to amount to anything there, he was little more than a slave and Satan wants to lead us to that, to waste the beauty that we have received from life, from the sap, from the ton bion of the Father and not arrive at anything. Fill your stomach with carobs that do not nourish. In the Middle East, carobs were only eaten by humans in times of great hunger because there was nothing else because they do not nourish, it is empty.

Have you ever eaten carob beans in your life, do you know what I'm saying? can you finish this sentence? Today this party, tomorrow this experience, tomorrow this relationship, perpetually dissatisfied, do you know people like that? People who spend days, months, years, decades, a lifetime hungry no matter how many titles they have, no matter how many experiences they have, no matter how many countries they know, no matter how many dinners they've eaten, no matter how many relationships they've had, they spend their lives hungry and empty eating carobs. And doing things, they wake up doing things they never imagined they would ever do, unimaginable things. When did this young man think he was going to see each other? a young Jew herding pigs, imagine, and the pigs ate better than he did! and he saw him, doing the unclean thing to survive.

If that's you, don't get out of here, don't go. Doing the filthy thing to survive. You have to understand, I'm not proud of what I've done, what I've thought, what I've tasted, but Pastor: I have to survive. Meanwhile the awake father, loving him, broken and waiting for him.

Now, my brothers, let's talk about the father for a while here. Because this parable has more to do with the father's heart than anything else. This parable has more to do with the father's heart than anything else and that is the point today. When opening this chapter, chapter 15, some people, the religious leaders commented with disdain, in verse 2, "This Jesus" who is this? "he receives sinners and eats with them."

In chapter 5 these same people ask him: "Why do you eat and drink with sinners and tax collectors?" that is: why do you eat and drink with those people? this is a theme from the Gospel of Luke. Luke writes this to both Jewish and Gentile believers, Gentiles, who are they? Publicans, swindlers, liars, homosexuals, idolaters, murderers; people who had done the unimaginable. Why do you eat Jesus with those people?

Do you know what a parable is? A parable is an instrument that Jesus uses to try to explain ineffable truths of the Kingdom of God and try to make them accessible, simple, as if we were explaining them to a child. How do you answer a four-year-old who asks you: daddy, why do you love mommy? Or if a Martian came, you know? to where the day of affection is not celebrated, and asks you: there is so much talk about love, what is love?

And how are you going to translate to this being what love is? even you as a human being. What do you see in that woman, your wife? the torrent of emotions, his body, his intellect, his good family, how well he cooks, etc., etc. How are you going to translate it to this being? how do you do it?

Imagine Jesus trying to translate to these legalists what He sees in these people, what would you do? Like a good father, you put yourself on four o'clock, you are going to speak to this child's face and try to explain to this child in words that this child understands why daddy loves mommy, knowing full well that if the boy captures 10% of what he is saying is a lot, but he is going to try, he is going to try.

Imagine: hundreds of thousands of love songs and poems in the human language and none of them are able to grasp what we mean by it. Imagine Jesus' dilemma. Why do you eat and drink with these people?

Are you nuts? que? are you kidding me? Why do I eat and drink with these people? Well, how do I explain it to you? Ok, and the Lord tells him three stories, three parables. The Lord answers: You may have 99 sheep but you long to find that one lost sheep. It's not enough, it will be enough as a responsible pastor to keep the 99, right? One yearns to find that lost sheep and keeps awake until returning to it safe and sound. You can have 9 drachmas a silver coin but you don't want to lose that last one, you don't want to lose even one, because neither one is extinguishable, nor one is others.

My brother: you are nothing else for the Lord. We are not others for the Lord. You are not one among many, He sees you, as your Father he seeks you, he reveals himself for you, he breaks for you, he longs to have you close, he loves you. Holy Spirit I ask that you reveal the heart of the Father now in Jesus Name. He keeps awake for you and better than anyone else He understands that the world outside the Father's house is not neutral, it is not safe but he cannot force you, he cannot force you to return.

I cannot imagine one day, try to imagine one day in the life of Heavenly Father seeing what is happening in the world, seeing the drama of humanity wanting to get involved, could, bound by the drama that He himself authorized, trusting in you and letting the process continue. Thank God for the Holy Spirit. Thank God for Jesus interceding at the right hand of the Father, thank God that's part of the drama.

But He allows you to go through what you have to go through: hunger, humiliation, brokenness, loss, not because he has stopped loving you, not because he hates you. He allows you to go through what you have to go through waiting for you to come to your senses.

The Reina Valera version translates this literally: "come to himself" come to himself. The new international version says: "came to his senses" he returned to his right mind, but I think that the Reina Valera version, boom! He nailed it, because the Jewish concept of repentance represents the moment when it dawns on us who we truly are in relation to God, in relation to our Father and how fragile, how dead, how lost we are without Him.

The Lord awaits that magical moment in which, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, this being who is herding pigs, who is about to forget that he is a son, and not a slave, will for the moment come to his senses: I know what I am What am I doing here if I have a father, I have a good father, I have a father who loves me, a rich father and I am here starving herding pigs, what the heck am I doing, what am I doing here?

The moment in which we begin to understand who we are and who He is, the heart focused on Him, our relationship with Him, how empty our life is without Him. And the youngest son comes to himself "And coming to, he said " verse 17 "how many laborers have plenty of bread and I here suffer from hunger? I will get up, I will go to my father and I will say to him: father, I have sinned against heaven and against you" and here is the key "I am no longer worthy of being called your son" came to himself. This is our relationship with the Father "I am no longer worthy to be called your son, make me as one of your hired hands." I would rather go as a common servant in my father's house than now.

My brothers, a few weeks ago the Pastor brought a message based on the previous chapter, Luke chapter 14, do you remember? about the cost of being a disciple, what is the price of being a disciple. Luke 15 in many ways illustrates what a disciple is and what the Lord is. This is the idea.

The idea is this: that we come to the Lord, to the Father empty-handed, without pretensions, without expectations, no matter how and where you end up at home. Father: I was never worthy of being Your son, I would be happy wherever I want, serving You however I want, tilling the land, washing the dishes, taking out the garbage; just don't separate me from Your Presence. I want to be where You are, I want to be with You eating from Your Table, surrounded by Your Glory. I want to be with You Lord.

The title doesn't matter, call me son. A day laborer is someone who works during the day and is rewarded with a meal at night and a place to sleep, and I am happy with that, Lord, that you cover me like this, but I want to be close to You. And you know what? the father had certain other ideas, he did not let him finish his speech, his speech. Verse 20: "Getting up, he came to his father and while he was still far away" this detail, why do you say that the father kept awake?

Many commentators say the same, I agree. He spent his days looking at that road day after day, any minute now; will it be today? Will it be this afternoon when he returns? he who has lost a child knows what I am saying. And when he saw it, when he saw it, he was moved with mercy. A full-fledged Jewish father is not supposed to do this, but this father, our Heavenly Father is so humble, brothers, our God can be something else but He is so humble.

"He ran, fell on his neck, kissed him and the son said to him: father, I have sinned against heaven and against you, I am no longer worthy to be called your son but the father said to his servants: bring out the best dress "Come on, dress him. "Put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet, bring the fattened calf and kill it, let us eat; let us celebrate. A feast because this dead son of mine was and is alive again, he was lost and is found, and they began to rejoice." Lots of partying here.

According to Jewish testamentary law, upon receiving the inheritance from his father while he was alive, this son had lost his legal status. Legally it was as if the father were dead; he had no right in that house and he knew it. He was legally dead to the father, but there is abundance of grace in the father's house, did you hear? there is plenty in the father's house. He receives a mantle, that is, covering his nakedness, covering his shame and restoring his dignity, that is, a ring meaning: authority.

For those who did not understand, for those who doubted it, the father was declaring: this is my son and he has authority, what he says is as if I were saying it, that is: anointing. Shod on his feet, sandals, distinguishing him from the slaves and servants who walked barefoot, but above all he receives the father's squeeze, the father's kiss, the father's love, the heart.

Knows? the Lord cannot, says the Word of the Lord that He does not resist a contrite and humiliated heart, He does not resist a contrite and humiliated heart. He's addicted, he's addicted. He sees a contrite and humiliated heart, this great God creator of the universe becomes a mane, he goes crazy. His instinct is to love, his instinct is to party. He is an exaggerated God in that sense, glory to God.

The word we translate music in Greek, do you know what it means? the word in Greek is literally symphony, from which we derive the word symphony. Knows? It wasn't a flute or someone playing a tambourine, he hired a band, he called, you know? to Los Panchos, come, sing! Another one, another one, another one, let's go! Praise the Lord, tremendous noise, everything perfect. Let's rejoice Omar, put them on some glory Omar. Perfect right?

Only that they are two children. Pay attention, verse 5: "And his eldest son was in the field, and when he came, and came near the house he heard the noise, heard the music and the dance, and calling one of the servants asked him: what was it?" that? And he said to him: your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf for having received it good and healthy. Then what did he do? he got angry and did not want to go in."

"Therefore his father went out" do you see how humble this father is? "and I begged him to come in, but he answered his father: here are so many years I serve you" that word that the Reina Valera translates: I serve you means: I have enslaved myself for you daddy, never having disobeyed you and you have never given me not even a kid to enjoy myself with my friends. "But when this scoundrel comes, your son, who has consumed your goods with harlots, you have killed the fatted calf. Then he said to him: son."

This word that we translate son is not merely juíos, neutral son, but tekno, that is: baby, baby, he treated it as baby. Isn't it tender? Receive that tenderness from the Father. This is your God by the way: baby. "You are always with me and all my things are yours, but it was necessary to celebrate and rejoice because this your brother was dead, and has revived, he was lost and is found."

Just one more moment, brothers, because this is important for us to grasp, because many of us here have been this son, including myself, why can I imitate him so well, why can Pastor Samuel imitate him so well?

Knows? I have used these words. The eldest son has also been in danger. Some of us have been him: religious, observant, faithful, for so many years I have enslaved myself for you and I have never disobeyed you. He never leaves the house, hey, he never leaves the house but he's not a part of it either. Without joy, without true love, without true intimacy with the father despite staying by his side, did you understand that?

Next to the father spraying the presence of the father day after day, accustomed to seeing the father, serving the father but without loving, without intimacy with the father. Just like my little brother, just like his little brother. Just like his younger brother. What matters to this older brother is the ton bion, this older brother cares about the assets, the inheritance, but the difference is this: he believes that he has earned it, that it belongs to him by right, through him or as a matter of justice and not by grace as a gift that flows from the father's life to him. By grace, by the father's ton bion towards him. At home but without joy, at home serving but without joy. In the house but because you have not known the Grace of the Lord towards you. All my things are yours baby, all my things are yours like never before, the Grace of the Lord has never dawned on you, you are incapable of grace towards others, that's a hard word.

I conclude with this, let's stand up. On Friday I wrestled with the Lord: Lord, I want to be sure if that is the Word that you want for this town. On Friday we had a prayer circle the way I love it, an unexpected prayer circle, a random prayer circle. A group of us, some people from Vale Esperar, from Alfa, from Herc, Carolina, my sister Vanessa, a group of us surrounded ourselves to break a cake, break a cake for someone from the Vale team who was leaving, that was it, a little party . Do you know that Jesus loves parties, weddings, banquets? He comes to those places when we are going to open.

And suddenly, unexpectedly on Friday afternoon, Jesus came to that little group. The Spirit of God breathed on that place. We joined hands, put the cake down for a moment, forgot why we were there, came together, and began to worship the Lord. The Presence of the Lord filled that little room and a brother who was with us declared this Word that says: We must come to the Lord as His children and not merely as his servants. Our service must be a joy, not a ritual. He says translating it: we have to arrive, approach our Father as children and not just as servants, our service must be a joy and not a rite.

Knows? There are a lot of people here this morning who need a squeeze from their Daddy, who need a good squeeze from their Heavenly Father, who need the Lord to tell you baby, baby, tell you how much He loves you. Look, you came with needs, I declare to you, in the Name of Jesus using this same Word, My daughter, My son, My baby: All of Mine is yours, don't worry, don't worry. It is more: more than you need, more than you dare to ask, more than you dare to ask me, if there were more My Heart is an ocean, it is a universe and from there life springs, fill yourself with the life of the Lord in Jesus Name.

And now in the Name of Jesus ask this: Father, I want to play in front of You. I want to hug you. I want to know what it is to party with you Lord, fill my being, fill my heart with Your joy. Lord: reveal Your Heart to me, ask the Lord for it. I have made an eight in this message trying to reveal the heart of the Father. Now I beg you, brother, ask him: Lord, reveal it to me, reveal it to me, reveal your heart to me. What you hear when you see me, what you hear when I pray to you, what you hear when I sing to you, what you feel when I obey you, what goes through your mind when I approach you, what do you feel, Lord, what do you hear, Lord? What do I represent to you? reveal to me Your Heart, because my brother, that is enough.

We want a town like this Lord. I declare in the Name of Jesus over this town, I prophetically declare Lord, that is our desire, that is the town that wishes to be the Lion of Judah Congregation. A people attentive to Your Heart, a people who know Your Heart, a people with the authority to transmit Your Heart.