“Playing Pitfall”
“How we get into and out of sinful states.”
When I was younger my family owned an “Atari,” how many of you remember those? It was great state of the art technology! You had this joystick and just one little button to mash. I thought it was great. Even to this day I still prefer an “Atari” to any other system because of that little button. Nowadays you have about eight billion buttons to push. Anyway one of my favorite games to play on the “Atari” was “Pitfall.” There was only one player who ran around in a green little shirt and jumped over things. That was really all you could do with one button. The point was to avoid all the little “pitfalls” in the game; like snakes, alligators, rabid runaway rabbits, and pits. Sometimes if you fell in the pits you had to find a ladder or wait for a vine to come by to get you out, and then sometimes you died in the pits and started over. This is what life was like for the Prodigal Son. A life of “Pitfall.”
If you have your bibles tonight please join me in reading the text from Luke 15:11-16:1.
The title of tonight’s lesson is “Playing Pitfall: How we get into and out of sinful states.” By looking at this parable from the son’s point of view we can see three things: How we get to a sinful state, What it means to be in a sinful state, and How we get out of the sinful state we are in. Then we will close by looking lastly at the other brother.
In the “Atari” game you always fell into the pits by not paying attention, or by jumping just a second to late, there are five things here in our text that tell us how we can sometimes fall into our “pits.” Luke 15:12 says, “And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me,’ and he divided them his living.” How many of you have ever watched the cartoon “Animaniacs?” They have this funny section on it called “Good Idea/Bad Idea.” Good idea, helping an old lady across the street. Bad idea, helping an old lady across I-95. Good idea, taking a walk through the park. Bad idea, taking a walk through the Sahara Desert. Good idea, playing golf. Bad idea, playing golf during an electrical storm. Good idea, getting in a boat and going fishing. Bad idea, getting in a boat and going fishing without a sheer pin. (I just threw that last one in for Lonnie) What the prodigal son did was a bad idea. He thought that he could take care of himself and his money better than his father. Often times we are the same way thinking that we can handle something without God’s help. The first way we can fall into our pits is by making bad decisions. By showing a lack of good judgment.
Number two, being unprepared. Verse 13 says, “And not many days…” He was unprepared to face this journey. He didn’t take very much time. My biggest problem in life is that I am unprepared. I Peter 3:15 says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have.” It doesn’t say “sometimes” but always. We must always be prepared. This was his mistake. He was not prepared.
Number three, he turned his back on those who loved him and went away. Verse 13 says “gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country.” The first step to falling away into sin is turning on those who love you. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have my parents. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have Kari. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have a congregation like to you to encourage me and support me. I don’t believe that he would have had any problems if he had stayed close to those that loved him.
Number four, “and there wasted his substance with riotous living.” When I left to go to Europe the school had this going away dinner. All the families were invited to attend. They had dinner and some speakers and all of the fathers of the students going had the opportunity to stand up and read a verse and give a little thought. All of the dads are standing up and reading their sentimental verses and then my dad stands up and reads, “and the son went away to a far country and there squandered his inheritance.” Then proceeds to tell the listening crowd that I had been given my inheritance and we would just see what happened to it. Now of course dad was just teasing, but it is very real in this case. This young man went into the far country. We are not exactly sure where the far country is and the bible doesn’t tell us. I think that this is done for a reason. The “Far Country” is anywhere you go and loose yourselves. My far country might be gambling, while yours might be something entirely different. The point is that it can happen to anybody, anytime, and in any circumstance.
The fifth point is that not only did he go into his “far country” and waste his living, but he did it whole hog. Verse 14 says, “and when he had spent all.” He did not just waste part of his money and substance, but wasted everything. He had nothing left to his name. I have heard it said that if you’re going to do something might as well do it all the way. This man took that saying to heart.
There are many ways that we fall into are pits in life, or sinful states. Whether it be by poor judgment, or being unprepared, or turning our back on those that love us, or completely wasting what we have. The point is that it can happen. So we are in these sinful states, these “pits” if you will. What does that mean? What is it to be in a sinful state? There are several descriptions that we can get out of this passage that tell us what it is like to be in a sinful state.
Number one. We waste what we are given. I know that this sounds a lot like the last point I made, but look at it like this. Every one of us is given gifts. Whether it is in song leading, in speaking, or outreach, or acting, or well you name it. I believe that everybody has something to offer; we just have to find out how and where to use it. The prodigal son went to a far country and wasted away with “riotous living.” He was not using his gifts. We can go into far countries and it not affect us, but we actually affect it. I have been so proud of Kari. Kari has a talent of singing and acting and has used that to put her into “far country,” but instead of it affecting her, she has been affecting it. Just by being there and doing something as simple as praying everyday before show and before her meals has turned people’s heads. We cannot be afraid to run away from our talents. The prodigal son was in a sinful state because he wasted his talents by living sinfully, but giving in to the “far country.”
Number two. A sinful state is a wanting state. Verse 14 says, “and he began to be in want.” No matter how much fun we are having in our “far country” we always end up being in want. Sooner or later we realize that we are really not being filled by the lifestyle that we are living. The questions that we are asking in life can’t be answered by the way we’re living. That is what it means to be in want.
Number three. It is a servile state. “And he joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him to the fields to feed the swine.” Being in want he had to become somebody’s slave. Whose slave am I? That is the question we should all be asking ourselves. Who do I belong to? When we get to the point where we serve something else other than God, that is a sinful state. When we serve sports and stay at home for the super bowl, or when we serve drugs and steal money and destroy our bodies, which are God’s temple, we lie and cheat to serve worldly things. Those are sinful states. If I am serving something that takes me away from God’s people or His work, I know that I am in a sinful state.
Number four. Being in a sinful state mean constant dissatisfaction. Verse 16 says, “And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat.” He was so hungry for so long that the impossible became possible. I have fed hogs before, and I stand to tell you that they eat some of the nastiest things imaginable. He had been in such a poor state for so long, had gone for so long in hunger, that filling his belly with hog’s food seemed like a good idea to him. Have you ever been in a situation for so long where after awhile the only way out seems to be through the detestable? This is what a sinful state is. Being unhappy for so long that eventually the unthinkable becomes thinkable.
Number five. “and no man gave unto him.” There is no relief in a sinful state.
Number six. We are dead. We are not physically dead but we are spiritually dead in Christ. “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was (Number seven) lost and is found.” Not only are we dead, but also we are lost.
How many of you have ever been lost? How did it make you feel when you realized you were lost? I have told this story to the youth group, but hopefully they will forgive me for telling it again. One time when I was in grade school, I can’t really remember how old I was. I got lost in the woods. I always rode the bus home from school and he would drop me at the top of this hill and I would walk down the side of the road in the ditch to my drive and then walk up our hill. Well one day he decided that he would drop me next to the woods so all I had to do was walk straight through the woods and onto our property and it would save me some time. This was all I had to do. Instead this is what I did. So about four hours later I finally came out way on the other side at the bottom of the hill. I was so scared. I don’t think I have ever been more scared in my life.
Being lost is a scary thing. The thing is we are lost not only in body, but what is worse, we are lost in mind. It says in verse 17 “and when he came to himself.” He was not himself. I think of a crazy man who finally realizes what he is doing. Think of the scariest time that you were lost physically and try to imagine what that would be like in your mind. If your mind was lost. That is a sinful state, being lost in mind and body, being dead to Christ. Very scary indeed.
There is good new on the horizon, however. What goes up must come down. The prodigal son got lost, he fell into his pit, but the encouraging thing is, he found his way back out again. He grabbed his vine if you will. How did he do it? I want to take some time and look at five things we can do to come out of our sinful state.
First of all we have to admit to ourselves that we are in a sinful state. We saw in verse 17 said he came to himself. What does it take for me to come to my senses? One of my older brothers has the bad habit of not wanting to admit when he is wrong. He will sit there and tell you strait to your face that the sky is down instead of up. He won’t see reason. If means he has to admit that he is wrong, he will just get mad about it. He likes to use the two worst arguments in the world, “Whatever,” and “Still.” The first step to getting out of our sinful states is admitting we are wrong. Admitting that we have done something wrong.
Also on our way to coming out of our “pit” we have to take the blame. We cannot blame other people or circumstances for our downfalls. I read a saying entitled the “Real Education.” It says “The man who blames others for his problems hasn’t begun his education. The man who blames himself has begun his education. And the man who blames no one has finished his education.” We need to get rid of the scapegoat. In verse 21 the prodigal says, “I have sinned.” Period. He did not say “I have sinned, but it was because of this or that or blah blah blah. But simply I have sinned. Get rid of the scapegoat.
After I have admitted that I am wrong I have to be able to realize the answer. The prodigal son cam to himself and realized what he must do to make it right. In verses 17 and 18 it says, “And when he came to himself he said, “How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee…” He knew exactly what it would take to be forgiven. And so do we. All it takes is to go to God just as the son is going to his. All it takes is for us to ask forgiveness. But we don’t we make excuses. “A farmer asked his neighbor if he might borrow a rope. “Sorry,” said the neighbor, “I’m using the rope to tie up my milk.” “Milk?” exclaimed the first farmer. “Rope can’t tie up milk.” “I know,” replied the neighbor, “but when a man doesn’t want to do something, one excuse is as good as another.” We know what to do we just don’t for some poor reason or another.
The fourth thing is that we must admit it to God and others. It is not enough that we just admit it to ourselves. James 5:16 says to, “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other that you may be healed.” And 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” After the prodigal son arose he came to his father and told him what he had done and begged his forgiveness. This is what we are to do as well, we are to go to our heavenly father and ask for his forgiveness.
But if we want to come out of our sinful state we must, Number five, take action! “And he arose, and came to his father.” We must take action. Realize the answer and then go for it. I never dated until I got to college. I know that must come as a real shocker to you all, but I assure you that it is true. Until I left high school and go to college I never went on a date. “Why?” you may ask, because I never took action. For one reason or another I would always make up an excuse to back out, it wasn’t the right time, or it just didn’t feel right. Let me tell you something it is never going to be the right time, or feel right, but regardless we must do it. We must take action!
In the time we have remaining I want to look at one other reason we sometimes have a hard time coming out of our sinful states. Even though we may know how and that we should sometimes we don’t because to the other brother. Look at Luke 15:21-30. (READ THIS TEXT) This other brother represents those in the church who for some reason or another won’t let go of what wrong this person may have done in the past. Lots of times we are afraid that we will not be received well by the church. This is not the way it should be. Just as the Father welcomed the son back so should we welcome any sinner back in.
If there is one thing I hope to take away from tonight it is this: No matter what you have done and no matter what anyone else might say, if you want to come back GOD WILL BE THERE!!! “It was meet that we should be merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. If you take one step God will lead all the way. If you make the first move towards him he will run to you. It does not matter if others don’t want to forgive that is their problem not yours. It only matters that God will forgive. But it is up to us to make the choice.
