The Porch
Pt. 1 - Off The Porch
A crowd gathered. Ears tuned to sound of His voice. With a verbal paintbrush a complex plot is constructed, a unique in perspective is given, and rich in truth relayed. He quickly and easily crafts a story that will cause the likes of Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare to shake their head in awe. The account will be fodder for poems, ballets, and paintings for centuries to come.
Perhaps it is best to view the story through Norman Rockwell filter.
Peering down the hillside you see the homestead. Surrounded by a strong split rail fence. The yard is expansive. The long winding drive cuts down the left side of the property. Cast off toys that have been long forgotten remind you that time has passed quickly. The house is two stories. Large but not overwhelming. Black shutters flank each window. Landscaping manicured and the yard trimmed. In the background, barns are well kept and activity can be seen as the investment of hard days in the fields must now be managed. Affluent but not flashy. Wealthy but not wasteful. There are prominent features . . . the windmill, the corrals, the tire swing under the aged tree that stands towering alone in the front yard. However, the one feature that stands out above all else is the large, inviting, wraparound porch lined with rocking chairs. A small round table holds the oft used checkers set. A sleeping dog stationed near the screen door. Muddy boots from the field are left on the first step. A gathering place at the end of long day. Ice tea and lemonade have been shared here. Late night cups of hot chocolate in the cool of fall evenings. Dates end in the swing on the far end of the porch where long moments of silence are filled with spectacular views of the star filled sky. The porch has served as base during intense games of tag. It has served as a safe haven from sudden spring showers. Stories, jokes, and serious discussions have been heard here. Laughs, tears and life have been shared on this porch.
Jesus uses this scene to develop one of His most well known and important stories. With the scene above painted in your mind listen again!
Luke 15:11-31
Then he said, “There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, ‘Father, I want right now what’s coming to me.’ “So the father divided the property between them. It wasn’t long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any. “That brought him to his senses. He said, ‘All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death. I’m going back to my father. I’ll say to him, Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.’ He got right up and went home to his father. “When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. The son started his speech: ‘Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son ever again.’ “But the father wasn’t listening. He was calling to the servants, ‘Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We’re going to feast! We’re going to have a wonderful time! My son is here—given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!’ And they began to have a wonderful time. “All this time his older son was out in the field. When the day’s work was done he came in. As he approached the house, he heard the music and dancing. Calling over one of the houseboys, he asked what was going on. He told him, ‘Your brother came home. Your father has ordered a feast—barbecued beef!—because he has him home safe and sound.’ “The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t listen. The son said, ‘Look how many years I’ve stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!’ “His father said, ‘Son, you don’t understand. You’re with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he’s alive! He was lost, and he’s found!’”
We are not given explanation or reasons. Do they matter? Would it help us to know that it was rebellion, immaturity, the need for adventure or the culmination of an argument? The result and the outcome was the same . . . The youngest son exits the scene. He grabs the old duffle bag, empties out his dresser drawers, stomps down the stairs determined to make it on his own. He leaves his mother reduced to tears. He finds his father in the study, demands an early inheritance (basically saying he wished his dad was dead), opens the screen door as his father sits stunned, confused, scared and scarred, and without hesitation or a second thought walks off the porch and heads into a new story. Naive. Stupid. Unprepared. Tricked. Duped. Dumb. Again the reason doesn't change the reality of a son gone. The new story didn't go like the son had imagined. With the sound track of “I did it my way,” playing in his mind visions of easy street, freedom from rules and curfews, friends, fun, and true love are his intended destination. However, reality plays to a different tune . . . "Welcome to the Jungle!" Swanky restaurants give way to swine slop. Posh hotels are traded for pig pens. Friends vanish as quickly as his fortune. Famine finalizes his fall.
We can't imagine this far fall. How did he end up like this? He had more than enough. He was set up for success. It makes no sense. But to understand how he winds up so far gone you have to go back and realize that the final step into the pig pen took place when he took the first step off the safety of the porch.
That is the lesson that must be learned today. There is safety . . . on the porch. It is when we exit the porch that we are exposed and vulnerable.
I am concerned for some of you because your behavior, your attitude, your choices, your habits, your friend selection would lead us to believe you are off your rocker! And the truth is you don't really care if we believe that. However, the scary and obvious truth is that it is worse than that! You aren't just off your rocker you are off the porch! And Jesus reveals that if you are off the porch you are no longer protected!
The truth is enemies been there all the time they just couldn't get to you. Half way obedient leads to complete uncovering. The truth is the fake friends, the famine, the schemers, the plotters; the heartbreakers were there in abundance all along. The only thing they couldn't do was reach the son on the porch! The enemies that we blame have been aided and abetted by those of us who have stepped off the porch.
The Father can't protect those who won't obey. The father could protect the son from fake friends, famine and failure when he was on the porch. But when the son stepped off the porch he was on his own! We fail to realize that there are instructions that are not to control us but rather they are an expression of His protective custody! Satan couldn't get to Job due to the hedge of protection. The enemy knows that if we fail to obey then we step off the porch and we aren't protected! You are vulnerable when you step off the porch! Because in order to protect you the Father would have to go against His own word! While you are on the porch the enemy still doesn't like you but he just can't get to you! There are people plotting against you and as long as you are on the porch! But once you are off the porch your enemies pounce!
The dilemma is that we pray for a hedge. Believe for a hedge. We want the protection of the porch life while living the far off life. We won't tithe and can't understand why our finances are attacked. Won't forgive and can't figure out why we are sick. Won't serve and can't figure out why we are lonely. Won't guard our eyes and our mind and can't figure out why we have no peace and no ability to stay pure! Our problem is that we do evil in the eyes of God and never see it as evil in our eyes. But as soon as we step into evil in the eyes of the Father protection is gone! We demand a word and won't obey it!
The problem is that in order to stay on the porch you must obey! Miracles always occur on the other side of obedience. That is where David kills Goliath. It’s where there the Israelites obtain the Promised Land. When Jesus told Peter to cast his net on the other side of the boat it was not the different side of the boat that produced the miracle. It was a matter of obedience. It was doing what Jesus said as ridiculous as it may have seemed in that moment.
-Noah had to build the ark for the coming flood in order to find safety.
-Abraham had to leave his familiar surroundings to discover a new dream.
-Moses had to stretch out his hands over the red sea to experience deliverance.
-Esther had to boldly go into the King’s presence before God rescued his people.
-The ten lepers had to make their way to the priest before they were healed.
-The blind man had to go wash in the pool before Jesus gave him sight.
-The four men had to open the roof to let their sick friend down at Jesus’ feet.
-Paul and Silas had to sing and pray while they were stuck in jail so that God could shake the building and give them hope in the midst of hopelessness.
In each case obedience was desired and required.
Now I’m not saying that every time you’re obedient to God there will be a miracle. Many of you have been obedient and still no miracle. I can’t promise you that. What I can promise is if you’re ever going to see a miracle it will more than likely come on the other side of obedience.
We want off the porch because we feel like we are being restricted and ruled to death. We feel like the father is a killjoy and wants to keep us from having fun. The truth is He places us on the porch for our protection and fences us in to keep us from famine!
This story reveals some warning signs that indicate we have stepped off the porch:
You know you are off the porch when obedience is cast off for preference.
You know you are off the porch when obedience is cast off for choice.
You know you are off the porch when you are willing to attach yourself to someone who will encourage you to sin or lower your standards.
You know you are off the porch when you are not only willing but long for what you would have avoided and abhorred previously.
Some of us need to get back on the porch. We need to come to our senses. We need to have a come to ourselves moment so that we can have a come to Jesus moment. Our life is spiraling downward because we walked off the porch and disobeyed! I believe the Father is calling "Get back on the porch!" "Run to protection of the porch!" I am calling you to get back in the boundaries!
