Welcome And Knee Update

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Welcome and thanks for joining us on this episode of the Midweek Podcast, brought to you by a Fresh Wind Church. Each week, our team brings you new content to help you take steps towards Jesus and discover more in Christ. Today's episode is hosted by Pastor Ryan.

SPEAKER_01 0:27

Well, hey, welcome back to the Midweek Podcast. Pastor Ryan and joined again this week with Pastor Tim. Tim, welcome back to the Midweek Podcast. How's the knee?

SPEAKER_02 0:36

It's good to be back. The knee hurts. I have I'm around the corner. I'm not using a cane. I'm uh walking stairs up normally. And uh still working on the down. Uh so I guess that's a big thing. So I wanted to mention it. I'm ahead of schedule, the doctor said.

SPEAKER_01 0:58

You are awesome.

SPEAKER_02 0:59

So I I am awesome. Um, except for my wife, I think she's gonna move out.

SPEAKER_01 1:10

For better or worse, or until you get a knee procedure. Right. Then I'm done.

SPEAKER_02 1:15

She has worked so hard for me these past few weeks. Um mowing the lawn, taking out the garbage, picking up the kids, um, making sure I didn't smell bad. Which is we appreciate which it's a bigger deal than you would think. Um just having my medicine all in a rotation, and I don't know if you've ever went to a procedure like this, but you gotta take this medicine for this and that, and you gotta watch out for this. So there's this big whole long thing, but we finally got through all our medication uh and we're done. The happy pills are all gone. So if you see me sad, you know what's going on. But praise the Lord. I got a knee. Um, and I can tell you right now, I have more confidence in this knee that hurts than I do in uh my old knee, the way it was going upstairs and stuff. It's just solid. Yeah. And uh so

Backpacking Stories And Next Trip

SPEAKER_02 2:20

I'm excited about that. And uh planning another wilderness adventure next September. Gonna strap on to backpacks so everybody get ready.

SPEAKER_01 2:29

Fresh one in the woods. I like it. Last time we uh did that, man, it's been a few years now. Um, where was it Dolly Sods? That's where we went. Yep. And uh ended poorly. Our water filters broke. We were sprinting to get out of the wilderness. Now, wait a minute.

SPEAKER_02 2:48

Our water filters were fine until I turned it over to my daughter and uh you. I don't think I was a part of that. And uh and well, if you know anything about Ryan, the way he works on things, if it don't fit, you make it fit. And that pump wouldn't pump. So he made it pump until he broke it all to pieces.

SPEAKER_01 3:11

So you gotta use what you've been given, you know. I can't help you gave me faulty equipment.

SPEAKER_02 3:17

Lucky I am uh I am the uh the king of being prepared, and I had another life straw with us, but we had to pass it between the whole group.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

Yeah, and we had some some people in that group like my wife that's like I ain't ringing after you. Right.

SPEAKER_02 3:34

It's like, okay, we're you know, we're like seven miles from the car.

SPEAKER_01 3:40

Yeah, yeah. We sent, I think it was was it Greg and and Alan? They had to like sprint ahead, like, guys, get the car, bring it as close as you can to the exit. We gotta go. Um, but man, that that was an awesome trip. And I think I showed one of the pictures from when we were there. I think that was my Easter sermon. Um, when we were watching that rain come right on in and then just hammered us. And so that'll be a fun, fun thing to do. So if uh we're getting one on the books for next September, uh definitely sign up for that. That'll be fun.

SPEAKER_02 4:12

Yeah, and what we'll do is we'll have uh uh this spring, we'll have a get together so we can plan it and I can tell everybody what they need. Uh your first time out backpacking, you don't need to spend a lot of money, and you can borrow a bunch of what you need. And uh you might not be comfortable, but you'll have fun.

SPEAKER_01 4:32

It is cool. Uh I I think it's when we think about camping as kids, backpacking is a whole lot closer to that. Right. We get very domesticated when we grow up and we're like, we're just gonna go to this campground, we're gonna set a tent here. And backpacking's not that. You know, you're setting up, tearing down every day, but when you have the right equipment makes that a whole lot easier because some of those tents fold up in half a second, you know, it's not those beasts we try to set up at the campground.

SPEAKER_02 4:59

It's fun, and you don't have to be um let me say this because this shocks everybody who gets all excited. You have to go to the bathroom in the woods. Okay, I'm just gonna get that out there. You you have to do that. Um, but it's a it's it's what got me out of hunting, you know. I realized uh Alan, uh my brother-in-law, took me back back in for the first time, and I realized, well, I'm done hunting, you know, uh, because this is what I was really looking for when I was going hunting.

SPEAKER_01 5:30

You know, I think there's a lot of guys that they hunt just because they like being out there, you know, and hunting's the thing that gets you out there and you're sitting in a tree stand. I know a lot of guys that's they say some of their best times with the Lord sitting in a tree stand, you know. Um, and so backpacking, if you don't want to shoot and kill something and then have to drag it out of the woods is a great alternative. And skin it and clean it and hang it in the garage, right, all that stuff. Just just go backpacking. You don't got to do all the extras.

SPEAKER_02 5:58

Absolutely.

Miked Up Series And Why God Asks

SPEAKER_01 5:59

Well, we are uh in a brand new series, uh, just kicked off this past Sunday called Miked Up. And coming out of our hard question series where we spent you know three weeks asking God some of our hard questions. This is now God's chance to take over the mic and ask us some questions. And man, as I started looking through scripture, trying to find, okay, how many times God asks questions? All of a sudden you're like, wow, okay, there's a lot. And now what questions do you narrow it down to becomes the really the challenging thing. But what we kind of laid out on Sunday is God doesn't ask questions because he's trying to gather information because he doesn't know. Right. You know, he is all knowing. He knew what we were gonna do, he knew what we were gonna ask before we asked it. Um, you know, even one of the the hard questions that someone sent in was, why do I need to pray if God already knows the answer? And Jesus said, Your father in heaven knows what you need, therefore pray like this. And for Jesus, that wasn't a reason not to pray. It was the very reason we ought to pray to begin with, because he already knows. And so you come to these questions and you're like, okay, well, it's they it can't be about God getting information then. So what is the question really for? And in this past week, I what I tried to lay out is man, the questions are aren't for God's benefit as much as they are for our benefit. And a lot of times it's to reveal where we're at or how we think about something. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 7:38

I think that's uh almost every question uh that he asks us is a question that he wants us to ask ourselves. It is something that um uh just like Jonah uh he asked Jonah There's a hundred and twenty thousand people in Nineveh, should I not have mercy on them? And you want me to have mercy on this plant? You know, where you at? Yeah. You know, answer the question, Jonah. And uh as we know, Jonah hated the Ninevehites and uh he didn't want them to be saved, and God saved them and it drove him crazy. But that was the question he asked. Hey, hey you think you think a hundred and twenty thousand people are is worth it for mercy? And Jonah's answer was no not even a little bit. No. That's why I love the Bible because the the the its history, it's real. Yeah, you know, you don't come across um if you're trying to look at God's prophets and celebrate them, Jonah's not one.

SPEAKER_01 8:49

You don't hold him up as an example to emulate, that's for sure. Right. He got a whole book, too. He got a whole book. Yeah, and when God finally saves the Ninevites, he says, I knew you were merciful. Right. He was fired up. We we think that you know Jonah running was, you know, he didn't want to do it, he was scared. No, no, no, no. He knew right, he knew that God, if they repented, God would save them. And Jonah's like, I'd rather not go if that's gonna be the outcome. And so these questions God asks, it it forces us to realize how we think about things where God's trying to expose that. Hey, you and I are not in alignment on this. Your thinking isn't what I'm thinking here, and and then it reveals to us his character through that, you know. No, you're right. I am a God who's merciful, I am a God who relents from from punishment when my people turn back and repent. Um, and so you get to see the character of God in that. And I I think each week in the series we're gonna see another aspect of that. I wish it'd almost be a summer series. It would take us probably a whole summer to get through the variety of different questions that God asked. Um might be a cool book one day. What is your name? What is Jacob? That was awesome. Yeah. I didn't even get that one in this series. Yeah. And what an incredible, what is your name? You know, forcing him to recognize that. Right. Um and yeah, Jacob, you are you are your name. You have become it. Uh, you grabbed your you know, your brother's heel uh in the womb, yeah, and here you are, you're still a heel grabber trying to climb your way to the top of uh of everybody. Oh, God, Lee, we might have to make it a five-week series just so we can preach on that one.

SPEAKER_02 10:41

That's a great one because you know the ending of that is I'm gonna give you a new name. It wasn't a great name, but it was a new one. It was new. He named Jacob Israel, which means those who wrestle with God. And I think that's the uh uh one of the things that God is trying to do when he asks you these questions is to get you to wrestle with them.

Jonah And The Questions That Expose

SPEAKER_02 11:06

And uh Adam and Eve in the garden. First of all, I have uh last couple years, I have been rebelling uh kind of against this idea um that we have of humanity. Um that we're we're just a mistake. You know, God made us a mistake.

SPEAKER_01 11:32

And I think you know, and I almost think some of that comes from you know that Calvinistic thinking, you know, we're totally depraved, you know, that whole idea that you know humanity we're just a scum.

SPEAKER_02 11:46

And I think um I I think we grow up in a naturalistic, materialistic mindset, you know, and um, you know, our forefathers were cavemen and uh knocking women on the head and dragging them back to the cave. And um and since we're taught that since we're little kids, and we get an idea that Adam and Eve were caveman, cave woman, you know, they didn't know anything. But I think God created Adam as a complete person and that included a completely developed brain. I mean the first thing I asked them to do is name all the animals. Take ten minutes now and see how many you can name. Right. And uh so I I think they were complete people. Um and um I think you mentioned before we started this, even to be able to communicate with Eve. Grunt at each other? They were saying words, um flesh of my flesh, you know. Um and I'm sure she could understand it. So I I think uh when we get an idea that Adam and Eve were cavemen, we kind of pity them because they made a wrong decision. Uh they you know they got tripped up. Um I believe that it was the guard at the tree. I I believe the tree was guarded. And I I think it was the guard that first rebelled against God and tempted them to take a bite of the tree. Um but you know, I I also believe that there was a big progression there. I I didn't think they as soon as they said, you know, don't eat of this tree. I mean, Eve was convinced that um if you just touched it, you would die. And that's not what God said.

SPEAKER_01 13:46

Yeah, I didn't even have time to get into that on Sunday. No, you did not have time. That's true. And man, I've been preaching long time. I was like, I gotta let these people go. And I still was struggling. And that sermon was come on, Moses. I I think come on, Moses. I think my word count on that was almost 1,500, 2,000 words less than the other series. And I'm like, I'll get out people out of here in no time. Yeah, nope. Um, but yeah, God said, Don't eat from the tree. And then when the serpent comes to Eve and says, Did God really say that? She said, No. He said, Don't eat or touch. And he's like, Whoa, hold on, God didn't tell you that. Yeah. Now you're putting words into God's mouth that he didn't say. I didn't have time to get into it.

SPEAKER_02 14:29

Yeah, I think the um uh the idea I'm getting at is that it was a progressive thing, you know. They just they just stayed away from the tree for the most of the time, you know, that they were there, and then they, you know, caught Adam staring at it one day, what are you doing? Oh, nothing, nothing, let's go. And uh, and then she was staring at one day, and then they started having lunch under the tree and and just kind of got used to it, and then when the temptation came, she wasn't ready for it. And he wasn't ready for it either because he was sitting right next to her and chose to do the same thing.

SPEAKER_01 15:09

No, it kind of reminds me there's that I don't know the name of it, but that it's like that adult store off Broadway. And I don't think you drive past sometimes, you're like, okay, that parking lot's got some people in it. I doubt most people drive past that the first time going, I'm gonna pull in here, you know? But you drive past the first time, and there's that little, huh?

unknown 15:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:29

And then you drive past it again, you're like, I wonder what they got in there.

SPEAKER_02 15:32

Right.

SPEAKER_01 15:33

And all of a sudden, before long, you've driven past it enough that you find yourself turning in, and all of a sudden, people driving by and going, Oh, there's a lot of people over there. Right. It probably wasn't the first time. And I think what you're saying is we don't know, you know, it's speculation. Yeah. If we were making, you know, the chosen uh Adam and Eve version, we'd have to write this part into it. Right. But it man, it feels like human nature. You know, you doubt they just walked up, saw the tree, and were like, hey, let me eat that thing.

SPEAKER_02 16:03

Yeah. And the story, the Bible

Adam And Eve Were Responsible

SPEAKER_02 16:06

doesn't give you a lot of information about everything that's going on, it just lays it out. And uh so there's not a lot of dialogue. We can't, you know, figure out what the emotional content was. Adam and Eve could have been fighting, you know, we don't know. Um but they were perfect. But they had responsibility. And that's I think that's what we're leaving out. You know, we we live in a a culture now that it's all about not being responsible. I don't want uh we're getting a divorce, you get the kids instead of I get the kids. No, you I don't want to be responsible for it. I don't want to be I don't want to be responsible for my taxes, I don't want to be responsible for working. I don't wanna, you know, there's just a whole thing. Make the government responsible, make everybody responsible but me. And we've got judges out there that believe that. Well, this poor kid, you know, he's not responsible for what he did. Did he know what he did was wrong? Yes. Well, if our God says then you're responsible for that. And and that's a tough pill for everyone to swallow, but um let's just face it, the president of the United States said don't do drugs. And your principal at school said don't do drugs. The judge down the street said, Don't do drugs. And then your preacher at church says, Don't do drugs. And then both of your parents says don't do drugs. And what do you do?

SPEAKER_01 17:44

Drugs.

SPEAKER_02 17:45

And that's who we are. And we we've got to understand that um we're responsible for that. You pick up that cigarette the first time, uh, even as a young kid, I knew that this was a big battle people were in. Now, back when I was a kid, uh smoking and drinking was the worst thing you could do. You could, you know, shoot your neighbors and all that kind of stuff. But if you were you were smoking and drinking, you were straight to hell. Yeah, something was going on. Um, but they say, you know, quitting smoking is like um quitting heroin. And uh so it's it really gets a grasp on your life, and you're told that. And what do you do the first time your friend offers you one? You smoke it. And uh and then you're that's your responsibility. And I I you know, oh, people don't like that. Um but you find yourself uh when you rebel against God, you you find yourself out of his presence like Adam and Eve did, away from his protection. Uh God had protected them from um spiritual death. Uh they were completely protected as long as they obeyed, as long as they stayed in his will. And uh, you know, I lived most of my young life when I saw a cop, I locked him up because I I already knew I was doing wrong, you know. There was just there was and there was no comprehension of me actually driving the speed limit. Um but the the thing is that we get used to being away from our safe place, which is Jesus. We get used to it, and then when we get up next to Jesus, we get uncomfortable because we know what we're like, and we need to recognize that God knows what we're like. That's why he asked the question. Where are you, Adam?

SPEAKER_01 19:47

In our Marvel series, and then in the the book when Heaven Marvels, we have a chapter uh, you know, I have a chapter on integrity, and um, it was actually something that you brought up on the podcast. Um that I was like, it wasn't actually part of our series. We didn't do a sermon on integrity, but we made it into a podcast episode, and you asked the question, can God trust you? And on that podcast, we talked about the the freedom. Like we look at integrity like it's some weight, God's holding me back, I can't do this stuff, live the life I want. And on the podcast, we were like, no, no, no, this is freedom. Absolutely. Like when you see the cop and you don't have to go for the break, because you know, well, no, I'm the kind of guy who always goes to speed limit. Right. I don't I don't have anything to worry about. You know, I'm I'm not carrying anything in my car that I would need to be afraid of. There's no fear there. And when we don't have that duplicity in our life, and we can just be in when heaven marvels we talk about it, wholeness. You're whole. You're you don't have one person on stage and one person off of stage, you're the same person all the time. Then you you don't have to be nervous when God shows up, you don't have to wonder, man, when I go to church, am I gonna get struck with lightning? I can't tell you how many grown men have told me that's their fear. Yeah. And I'm like, you're 40 years old. What are you talking about? Um, but we have this fear. And man, when we live this just consistent life, I I saw this podcast. Um it was Sean Ryan, and he had oh, what is that guy's name? It's this young kid who's going around. Um he's a follower of Jesus, and I mean he's doing some pretty awesome things. I looks like he's in his twenties, you know. When I say young kid, I'm just getting old. Um but he asked Sean Ryan, scale of one to ten, ten being most certain, how how certain are you that you're going to heaven? And Sean Ryan said, I don't know, five or six. He goes, All right, well, let's go with six. That's the higher number. Why six? And Sean starts talking about all the, you know, while You know, I'm trying to do the things that he wants me to do. And, you know, I I got this, you know,

Integrity And Confidence Near God

SPEAKER_01 22:05

conscience that doesn't allow me to do some things. And if it wasn't for that, then I would I'd be doing a lot of other things. I'd be acting on some things that, you know, I have thoughts that I have right now. I just go ahead and do it. And Sean Ryan lived a pretty rough life in the SEALs, right? Well, and that's what he comes around and says comes back around and goes, but I also know I've done some pretty crappy stuff. Um, you know, and that's the cleaned up version of what he said. And the kid this guy, oh, I wish I knew his name. Um, he goes, So are you saying that that God only died for 60% of your sins? Because you said you're six out of ten going, you know, you're that 60%, it was only good enough for 60%. What if it has nothing to do with that stuff? You know, and it's we think we got all this stuff hidden and we're so afraid, and we live right where Sean is, and we don't have confidence because it's we're leaning back into, yeah, God's good, but have you seen my life?

SPEAKER_02 23:09

Yeah, we're we're afraid to get close because he's always working on us, and we don't see that as a a loving thing to do. We see that as a oh no. It's like when your wife says, We need to talk. You know, you're like, oh no. You know, it's just like, can't we just have a normal day? No, we need to talk. And um, so there is this idea that we get that, yeah, I'm I'm not riding a fence. I'm on the right side of the fence, but I'm close enough that I want if I want to hop over, it's not a big deal. And uh when you're over riding that fence like that, guys, you're you're you're like Adam and Eve. You're out of the place of safety. Um we uh everybody says the um the best place to be is the center of God's will. That's not always true, because the center of God's will is gonna take you some crazy places. Um but it's the safest place. It's the safest place. And Adam and Eve, uh, God's always gonna ask you a question to bring you back to the safe place, to bring you, pull you back um from your own rebellion. And uh so I I think humanity is responsible. I I have a high view of humanity that our life is what we've made it, you know. Um I mean, I complain about our politicians all the time, but I voted for them, you know, and uh so did you. And yeah, it's not my fault. I only get one vote. Um, yeah, but how did you use that vote? And and I think we're we're we're trying to do the right thing and all that, but you know, the world is a is uh unsafe place because humans are unsafe.

unknown 25:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:05

And uh and we're unsafe because we want to be unsafe. If you don't agree with my religion, I want to kill you, if which doesn't make any sense to me. You know, can you just leave me alone? No, no, that you've got to be fixed. Um and that's the same way with our political parties now, at least here in the United States. I you see it going crazy over in Europe and everything too, and they got a ton of political parties, but even here it's like if you don't think like me, you're the problem. Right. And uh so um so the strife and everything we see, you know, we blame God, but God's saying I gave you the earth. Yeah, you know, you have dominion, you're the kings. Act like it. You know? And uh so I have a a higher view, and and I can say you can argue whatever you want, but Jesus decided to come and become a human forever. When we see him, he'll be a human being. And that's his view of humanity.

unknown 26:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:16

And uh so uh we need to start saying, well, you know, I'm I I have more more responsibility here than I'm I'm acting like I have. And uh boy, that's been the story of my life, isn't it? How do I get out of this responsibility? You know, I was talking to my therapist the other day, um, and uh she goes, Well, let's bend that knee and see how far you you've been it. And I said, I think I'm you know one await. And she goes, How many uh of these exercises do you do a day? And I said, I'm a C student. I just do the bare minimum. She said ten. The guy told me ten, so I've been doing ten. And she goes, You know how much further you'd be if you would have done 30? And I said, C's to get degrees. You know, she said, not in the PT department anymore. You can you can't graduate if you get C's. And I was I was like, they're changing the standard on me.

SPEAKER_01 27:17

And uh I've been told this was the standard my whole life.

SPEAKER_02 27:21

But uh it's a very simple thing when you get knee surgery. If you want your leg to work, it's your responsibility. If you don't do it, it's not the doctor's fault, it's not the PT guy's fault, it's not God's fault. It's you won't bend that knee till it hurts fault. And uh so it becomes your responsibility. So you this this whole um Adam and Eve in the garden and they screw up and it cost us all. And you know, for most of my Christian life I'm thinking oh those poor guys. You know the poor guys, but you said it last week um when you preached. They had everything except that one thing, and that one thing was all they can think about and that is the story of mankind, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 28:20

Yep. We

Living On The Fence Is Unsafe

SPEAKER_01 28:21

have all of this, and the only thing we think and dwell about and fantasize about is the one thing we can't have. And we I said in the sermon, you know, we we think it was like a 50-50 chance. No, no, no. The odds were in their favor. I mean overwhelmingly in their favor. Eat from anything, any tree you want, it's all here. Have your pick. Just not that one. Oh, how could you?

SPEAKER_02 28:49

How could you? But uh, you know, it's like, hey, kids, you got basketball outside, you got your bikes, you got all this kind of stuff, no video games today. Oh I'm gonna call the children's protection services on you. How can you do this to me?

SPEAKER_01 29:09

My kids bring it up on my I'll get the number for you.

SPEAKER_02 29:15

Here's the thing about uh that kind of stuff. Um you know there's a there's a back problem from video gaming now. And it's not just um uh something wrong with your lower back, it's in your skin and your muscles. You can see it when someone takes their shirt off. If they're a gamer, just the way their back has developed. That's pretty scary. Yeah. But I I think sometimes um we grow up we have a hard time forcing our kids. It's just easier for them to do what they want, you know. Um but God demands for uh humankind to respond be responsible, and we failed. But at the same time, he says, I'm gonna c I'm gonna come back. Um but I'm gonna make you responsible for receiving me.

SPEAKER_01 30:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:09

And uh that's gonna be your responsibility too.

SPEAKER_01 30:12

I had to have a conversation with uh one of my boys. Um just and I mean I have been lucky we've got great kids. And um they honestly make being being dad pretty easy. But there was, you know, just some a repeated thing that kept happening over and over and over again. I had to set it down with them. I'm like, listen, you're only gonna be in this house a couple more years. That's it. And then so it's one of your older boys, okay. One of the older ones, yeah. You can you can kind of exclude Reese from this one. Kind of zero down on which one of you is in trouble. Um and I was like, You only got a couple years here, and then you have to go and you have to be responsible. You're gonna have your own place, and you can't live this way. This has got to get fixed, and that's this it's we need to take responsibility. And in the sermon on Sunday I brought out, man, this this son had man, he had it so good. Yeah, his father was so good, the kind of guy that doesn't just take care of his kids, but he takes care of the people who work for him. And if you've worked, especially in a small company, you know what it's like to either have someone who takes care of you or someone who doesn't. When you have a boss who you could tell he's just all about the profits, he's all about him, and he'll pay you a minimum wage and you barely get by. Well, you know what that's like, and I've been in those jobs. And then you have a guy, you know, Ty, he's uh working for uh Tim only, uh putting these lights together, and you know, but Tim has been incredible to Ty. I he takes him out to lunch, and you know, just he goes and they just have all these conversations, and I he's just pouring into my son, and I I had to pull him aside and was like, Tim, thank you so much for doing that to Ty. But then I told Ty, son, this is what it looks like to be the kind of guy who takes care of the people who work for you. And Ty wants to own a company one day and do all this stuff, and I was like, You need to go be like Tim. How Tim's treating you right now, you need to be taking notes on this stuff. And this son in the parable, he had that. His dad took care of not just his kids, didn't, you know, he had obviously accumulated something enough that his son was like, I want my inheritance now. So it couldn't have been like, we got $10 in the checking account. You know, this is a guy who worked hard, built something, and his son's like, I want it. And the dad loved him enough to give it to him. And then he leaves, squanders it all, he's laying in that pig pen, and he goes, Man, even the people that work for my dad have plenty to eat. Not just getting barely getting by, they got plenty. And I walked away from it. I didn't recognize how good I had it. And I I think you know, you're talking about us living right up next to that fence. We always think whatever's on the other side of it's better. It's gonna be funner, it's gonna make me happier, it's gonna make me richer, whatever. The grass is always greener around the septic tank. That's true. And and we just think, I mean, I gotta get over there. And this boy had it all, but he thought, man, out there, that's where life is really lived. And then he went and lived all that life and found out it wasn't all it was cracked up to be, man. And and he had to take

Prodigal Son And The Running Father

SPEAKER_01 33:52

responsibility for that and come back. And then you see what I love is, and I think I did a better job preaching this in the second uh service than I did in the first. Isn't that terrible?

SPEAKER_02 34:03

You get a little practice, and you're like, the first service, you're really missing out. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:09

First service, you you're the run through, and then we get to the second one. We've worked out the kinks. Um but Jesus tells that it's a series of parables all about lost things, right? So he talks about the lost sheep, talks about the woman with the lost coin. And what I said is people are starting to get that lost things matter. But of course, if you have a lost sheep, like you're gonna go look for it. That makes sense. If you lost a silver coin, you'll tear your house up. I mean, I I lost a pair of Ray Bans, and it is just about killed me. I mean, when you save up and you buy yourself a nice pair of sunglasses, it's all I think about. Which, by the way, Joy found them in her band's pocket. I just got them back today. I was like, this, honey, this is near revival for me. Wow. It's all I could think about is those glasses. Of course, you're gonna go look for your Ray Bans. So Ellie was right the whole time. I gave them to mom. Listen, I Joy was not happy about me, she's like, I don't know, maybe I was in the middle of a conversation. I don't remember it. Um, but she was like, they're in your closet. I put them on your shelf.

SPEAKER_02 35:20

Yeah, guys, that was a big enough deal for there to be spillover. I knew about it. My wife knew about it.

SPEAKER_01 35:25

Everybody remembering county soccer league knows about it. I was searching high and low.

SPEAKER_02 35:30

And you remember that Ryan was gonna put his daughter up for adoption.

SPEAKER_01 35:35

Yeah, it was it's getting rid of it. It was rough. Um but when you lose something of of great value, of course you're gonna go and look for it. But then Jesus tells the story about this son who takes I mean, and and I don't know if he was saying, Dad, I wish wish you would die now. You know, um a lot of people when they preach the the sermon, they preach it that way. It's he's basically saying, You're better off to me dead.

SPEAKER_02 36:03

Um Well, my son sold me a firearm one time, and um, I said, Why are you selling me so cheap? He goes, I'll get it back. It's like, I don't know if I want to buy it now.

SPEAKER_01 36:16

I don't know if that's exactly what was going on. You know, dad, you're you're you're worth more to me dead. I think there was some in the Jewish culture, it wasn't necessarily completely uncommon uh for someone to ask for something like that. At least that's what my research was showing me. Um, so I don't know. I didn't want to preach it that way because I didn't know if that was how it went, even though I've heard it preached that way a bunch. But enough to say, Dad, I want the money. That means more to me. Right. I'm not saying I want you dead, but I I want what you got more than more than you. And and then to go and blow it all. I mean, he just squandered it, reckless living, till he has nothing left. And I think Jesus is like, he's just blowing the whole thing up because it's like, of course you would look for the lamb, the sheep, of course you would look for the lost coin. But who would go and look for the son who stabbed you in the back and then blew it all? His brother wouldn't go look for the son. His brother wouldn't. No, and when he came home, his brother was ticked. Yeah, Dad, I've been here the whole time. You never did this through this party for me. What how did how is this fair? And then Jesus says, when he was coming home, the father saw him when he was a long way off, almost like he's been waiting for the day. He's been watching. And then when he sees them, he runs to him. And I said on Sunday, the only time we sh we get God running or the father running in in scripture is right there when his son comes home.

SPEAKER_02 37:48

I think, man, it's so I get it. This is this is the way I see it. You're saying he didn't say, Dad, I want you dead. He was like, Dad, I want what they're doing more than I want you. And that is is the the life of a Christian. God is slowly gonna um make you aware of the things that you love more than you love him. And I know that's a rough way to say that. No, no, no, I love Jesus. I know you do. But why this? You know, and uh there is a there is well, that's just my addiction, or that's my um well you can intersperse love with addiction. You know, that's that's my stress relief. That's my um you know, that's how I feel better about myself, or that's how whatever the thing is. Um but you're gonna find some things that you love more than you love Jesus. And um God's gonna call out Hey, where are you? When you're in the midst of doing that thing or acting that way, and it's usually a reaction um that we feel like saves us. It could be anger or it could be pouting or it could be um manipulation, you know, that type of reaction that we have. Um and the Lord says, No, I'm I'm gonna grow you um with spiritual growth, and you're gonna have spiritual fruit, not fruits, and all

Covered Not Shamed By God

SPEAKER_02 39:38

those things will be growing at the same time. Uh love, joy, peace, patience, long suffering, kindness, self-control, all those things. And uh we pick a couple of those and say, I'm not gonna do that. I have a right to you know, uh be upset about this or be hurt by that. And um and and you'll find yourself loving your hurt or your embarrassment or your unforgiveness more than you love Jesus. And when you get into that, when those things come up in your life, he's gonna say, Hey, where are you? It's safe over here next to me. If you get out over there, you're not gonna be safe. Come be safe. I'm standing on the porch. I'm gonna see you coming from afar off, and I'm gonna run to meet you. Come home.

SPEAKER_01 40:38

Adam and Eve immediately after their sin says that they went and they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. And then you get to to Luke 15, and and I mean the Lord He makes a better, better covering, right? You there's the first sacrifice there.

SPEAKER_02 40:54

He doesn't shame them. Yep. He doesn't spank them.

SPEAKER_01 40:58

And I just think, and I mean, this sounds graphic, but they were naked 10 seconds ago.

SPEAKER_02 41:03

Right.

SPEAKER_01 41:03

He could have just ripped it off and said, What are you doing?

unknown 41:06

Right.

SPEAKER_01 41:06

And exposed them. Shamed him. And he wouldn't do it. He made a sacrifice to provide something better. Those leaves are gonna dry up. Let me give you something that's gonna last, something that's gonna cover that. And then you get to Luke chapter 15, and this son comes home and he's man, he's gotta look tattered. I mean, he's he is poor, poor, living with picks. And so when he comes home, he's gotta be filthy, stinking, clothes ripped to pieces. I mean, he's whatever image of rough you got, I'm sure he was worse. And he comes home and the father says, Go get him a robe, and he wraps him up. And man, we get this picture that this is what Christ does for us. He we are robed in the righteousness of Christ. That question, where are you, was never meant to shame you. It wasn't to condemn you, it was an invitation to come back home. And when you do, you're safe. When you do, the father wraps you in his robe and you are covered. What an amazing, amazing portrait of the gospel.

SPEAKER_02 42:16

He puts a ring on his finger. I I love that. He put his ring on his finger. Back in the family. You know, uh, where have you been? Um not that he had to get back in the family, but that he wasn't representing the family anymore, and automatically he gave him a ring. No, you're part of my family.

SPEAKER_01 42:41

I wonder. It's probably a good chance he had a ring before. Absolutely. Had he sold it? Yeah. You know? I'd rather live this moment than have that identity, and so I'll sell you this so I can.

SPEAKER_02 42:54

Ooh. Sermon there, brother.

SPEAKER_01 42:57

Yeah. It's that's what I mean. Jesus is blowing up this whole idea of what it means. Of course you look for the sheep, of course you look for the lost. Who looks for that? Right. And he's saying, I'm the kind of God who runs. I don't just look. I'm not just standing here. I will run to meet the

Draw Near And Closing Prayer

SPEAKER_01 43:16

one who comes home.

SPEAKER_02 43:17

And I don't know where you are today, and um, but I I just want to encourage you. James says, when you draw near to the Lord, he'll draw near to you. And uh that is James' interpretation of that Jesus' parable, his his stepbrother's parable. Um it's not just for lost people. You come near to God, he'll come near to you. It is for every Christian that's living out next to the fence instead of in the safe place with Jesus. He's not gonna shame you. He's not gonna rip your leaves off, and um he's gonna come to you with compassion. And I know what you're thinking, well, I I don't deserve that. I I deserve to be shamed. That's not the kind of God he is. He's not gonna act like that. So I I suggest turning around and you're gonna see him. And as soon as you turn around facing him, he's gonna come off to that off that porch and meet you halfway. He wants to draw near to you because that's your safe place. And it coming from a father, I know us two guys sitting here, we want our kids to be safe. And uh and we want to make them safe. That's right. And same with our father in heaven.

SPEAKER_01 44:43

Pray for us, Ryan. Father, we thank you so much for this text. And Lord Genesis chapter three, Luke 15, they're telling us the same thing. You're a God who comes to seek and save the lost. And Lord, uh, just the response on Sunday. Um, Lord, there's so many, so many of us, Christians and and people who who haven't made that decision yet, are sensing you saying, Where are you? Why are you out near that fence? Why are you over there where I can't protect you? And Father, I pray that we would hear that question, not uh filled with with condemnation or shame, but as an invitation to come back home, to be robed in your righteousness, to be safe again, to be whole again. And so, Father, uh, wherever we're at, I pray that you would draw this to you. And Lord, we can have complete assurance that as we do, you'll draw near to us. Thank you for it in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen and amen.

SPEAKER_00 45:39

Thanks again for joining us for this episode of the Midweek Podcast. We'd love to hear from you. Let us know how God is using this resource in your life or send any podcast questions or topic ideas to podcast at a freshwind.org. If you would like to support this ministry financially and help us continue offering new resources that equip you to discover more in Christ, simply text any amount to the number 84321. We're so grateful for your support. Make sure to tune in next week for a brand new episode of the Midweek Podcast. Be blessed and have a great week.