Bulletins - Church On The Rock-Abilene (TX)

My Feet Are On The Rock
The Lord's Prayer (It's Yours)
Abide
Redeemed
Gratitude
Text:
Luke 15:11–32 NKJV
11 Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’ 20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. 25 “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’ 28 “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’ 31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ”
Introduction:
Good morning, and Happy Father's Day to all the fathers who are here and those joining us online.
For me, Father's Day is one of the most meaningful days on the church calendar.
Today we honor fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers, spiritual fathers, and the men who have stepped into the lives of others and helped carry them forward.
The Lord has entrusted fathers with a sacred responsibility.
We are called to provide.
We are called to protect.
We are called to call out identity.
We are called to encourage, correct, and support our families as they pursue God's purpose for their lives.
When most people think about the Parable of the Prodigal Son, they naturally focus on the younger son and his rebellion.
Others focus on the older brother and his resentment.
But this morning, I want us to focus on the father.
Because while both sons struggled, the father never stopped being a father.
He never stopped loving.
He never stopped watching.
He never stopped hoping.
And when the opportunity came, he never stopped extending mercy.
In this father, we see a beautiful picture of our Heavenly Father.
And in the way he responds to his son, we find a model for every godly father.
This father gave his son three things:
A robe.
A ring.
And a pair of sandals.
And in those three gifts, we find three things every father should strive to give his children:
Grace.
Identity.
And freedom.
Focus Text:
Luke 15:17–27 NKJV
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’ 20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. 25 “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’
The Finest Robe.
(Grace)
The text tells us that the prodigal son wasted his inheritance on riotous living.
The truth is, if we take the time to look honestly into the darkest places of our own hearts, we could all fill in the blanks with our own version of riotous living.
If we are honest with ourselves, many of us would have ended up in a pigpen of our own making.
Too often we focus on the terrible sins of others as though we are unfamiliar with sin ourselves.
But that is not the point of the story.
The point is that, like us, the prodigal son did not truly understand who he was.
He forgot his identity.
He forgot his position.
He forgot whose son he was.
And like the prodigal son, many believers forget who they are in Christ.
We become distracted by our desires.
We lose sight of the Kingdom and our place in it.
We spend our gifts, talents, and energy pursuing the things of the flesh, forgetting that we are sons and daughters of the King.
But the father does exactly what our Heavenly Father does.
He covers his son.
When I say "cover," I do not mean that correction is absent.
A loving father corrects his children.
But correction is not condemnation.
It is not scolding.
It is not humiliation.
True correction addresses the very thing that is destroying us at the core.
A father does not correct out of embarrassment.
A father corrects because he sees the potential in his children.
He corrects because he believes there is something worth protecting and developing.
Psalm 127:3–5 NKJV
3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. 5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.
A father sees more than what his child is.
He sees what his child can become.
And because he sees that potential, he extends grace.
That robe was more than clothing.
It was a declaration.
The father was saying:
"You may have forgotten who you are, but I have not."
And that is exactly what God does for us.
The Ring
(Identity)
While prodigal living stripped the son of his dignity and identity, the father restored both.
As you have heard me say many times:
"Sin will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay."
One of the things sin can steal from us is our identity.
We talk a lot about identity these days. Many people act as though we can simply create ourselves.
But I did not decide who I was.
If I had been able to decide who I was, I would probably be a much calmer and milder man.
I have tried to remake myself into that image more than once.
And every time I have tried to walk away from the way God designed me, I have failed.
That is not an excuse for my sins or my shortcomings.
Coming to understand how God designed us is never an excuse.
It is an act of stewardship.
When we embrace the way God created us, we learn where our strengths are and where our weaknesses are.
We learn our emotional, intellectual, and spiritual limits.
And when we know those limits, we know what to watch for and where we are most vulnerable.
The father placed the ring on his son's finger to remind him of who he was in contrast to the worst things he had done.
The son saw failure.
The father saw identity.
The son saw the pigpen.
The father saw a son.
The father called him back to who he truly was.
More importantly, he called him back to who he was created to be.
What does that mean for us?
It means:
Don't quit on yourself.
The Lord has not quit on you.
There are people who need you to become the person God created you to be.
There are people who need you to allow the Holy Spirit to lift you out of darkness and walk you through the wonderful process of discovering what God had in mind when He formed you.
Be who He called you to be.
Not who your failures say you are.
Not who the world is trying to make you become.
Be who God created you to be.
The Sandals
(Freedom)
After the prodigal son came home, the father made sure he understood something important:
He was just as free to leave again as he had been the first time.
The father restored him, but he did not control him.
That is what good fathers do.
Fathers give their children the freedom to explore their God-given gifts, talents, and calling.
They encourage their children to discover who God created them to be and what He has called them to do.
In this way, fathers challenge their children to go deeper into the gifts and abilities God has placed within them.
When I say fathers encourage their children to go deeper, I do not mean it in the sense of a stage parent.
A stage parent often makes the child's success about themselves.
Their focus is not really on the child—it is on their own dreams, ambitions, and recognition.
A godly father is different.
A father uses his experience, wisdom, and resources to help expand the gifts and talents of his children.
He opens doors.
He provides guidance.
He offers encouragement.
And then he gives them the freedom to walk.
That is what the sandals represent.
The father was saying:
"You are free to walk."
"You are free to grow."
"You are free to become the person God created you to be."
True fathers do not raise children to remain dependent upon them forever.
They raise children who are able to walk with God for themselves.
And that is exactly what our Heavenly Father does for us.
He restores us.
He guides us.
He teaches us.
And then He gives us the freedom to walk with Him.
Conclusion
As we bring this message to a close, I want you to remember that the father in this story did not simply welcome his son home.
He restored him.
He restored him with a robe.
He restored him with a ring.
He restored him with sandals.
The robe reminded him of grace.
The ring reminded him of identity.
The sandals reminded him of freedom.
And isn't that exactly what our Heavenly Father has done for us?
When we came to Him broken, He covered us with grace.
When we forgot who we were, He reminded us that we are His sons and daughters.
When sin tried to enslave us, He set us free to walk with Him again.
That is the heart of a father.
And for those of us who are fathers, that is our calling.
Our children need our grace.
Our children need us to call out their identity.
Our children need the freedom to become who God created them to be.
The goal of fatherhood is not control.
The goal is preparation.
The goal is not to make our children into little versions of ourselves.
The goal is to help them become who God created them to be.
Some of you had fathers who modeled these things well.
Others may have had fathers who did not.
But all of us have a Heavenly Father who does.
He is still extending grace.
He is still calling out identity.
He is still giving freedom.
And if He has not given up on us, then we should not give up on ourselves.
So on this Father's Day, let us thank God for the fathers who have loved us well.
Let us honor the fathers who are still trying.
And let us look to our Heavenly Father, whose mercy never fails.
Because at the end of the story, the prodigal son did not find condemnation.
He found a father.
And that is exactly what we have found in God.
- - Luke 15:11–32NKJV
- - Luke 15:17–27NKJV
- - Psalm 127:3–5NKJV

The Finest Robe.

(Grace)

The Ring

(Identity)

The Sandals

(Freedom)

Luke 15:11–32NKJV

Luke 15:17–27NKJV

Psalm 127:3–5NKJV