THE FAR COUNTRY

Sermon of the Week #200538-September 30, 2005

The prodigal son has been called the perfect story. This is true because the One who told this story was the perfect Man. In fact, every story He ever told was a perfect story, every sermon He ever preached was a perfect sermon, every song He ever sang was a perfect song and every prayer He ever prayed was a perfect prayer.

This story was brought on by the statement that all the publicans and sinners were drawing near unto Him to hear. The Pharisees said, “This Man receiveth sinners and eateth with them.” They thought this was a put-down. This was a statement that was calculated to turn people off from Jesus. Actually what they said was true. Jesus does receive sinners; in fact sinners are the only ones He will receive. He said, “I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” Also the charge about eating with sinners was true; He does eat with sinners. I am a saved sinner and I eat with Him every Lord’s Day during the Lord’s Supper and then eat of the Bread of Life by hearing the Word of God. When I say that He receives sinners I rejoice that I am in that bunch.

Now a certain man had two sons. The younger of the two told his father that he wanted his inheritance right now. The father gave it to him. Normally in life a father who would give his kid his inheritance at that stage would be making a big mistake. However in this story the father represents the Heavenly Father. So when the younger son asked for his inheritance the Father gave it to him. He did not give it to him out of love, but because he had no choice. A father has a grown son and he has made up his mind to go to the far country, what else is there to do, but let him go. Actually he was already in the far country long before his body followed. The Heavenly Father often deals with us the same way. When we make up our minds that we rebel against His Word he tells us like He told the prophet Balaam, “If that is what you want to do, go ahead.” If you want to go to Hell, that is your choice; you are old enough to make your own decision.

So the story of this young man is the story of a young man who went to a far country. The far country is not geographically far away, but spiritually far away.  You can be thousands of miles away geographically, but billions of light years away spiritually. He went to a far country.

THE FAR COUNTRY

            The far country is mentioned several times in scripture. One place is the day the Church began. Peter had preached the first gospel sermon regarding the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. When the believing thousands inquired what they must do, Peter told them, and then said that to them was the promise and to their children and to all that were afar off.

           Paul mentions those who were afar off in Ephesians when he said that Jesus came and preached peace to them that were afar off and to them that were nigh. The Jews regarded the Gentiles as afar off. So when Peter told the Pentecostians that to them was the promise and to them that were afar off, the Holy Spirit included the Gentiles that would be told later on, that salvation through the Messiah was for them also. But there is another element to the ones who were afar off. He also meant those that were afar off in time. The terms of pardon were given to those present on that day and their children, and to all those who would live years after. The terms that Peter gave would be the same terms required for those who would live in the first century and for those who would live in the twenty-first century. The far country is the place where everyone lives in any generation, in any century, in any country, who has not accepted the Lord as their Savior according to the terms that Peter gave that day the Church began.

  That far country is so named because any person who lives there is as far away from God as they can ever get. They are as far away from Heaven as they can get and they are as close to Hell as they can get. Actually geographically you don't have to travel very far to go to the far country. You may live under the same roof with a person who is nigh and yet be in the far country yourself. I know of children who are in the Father’s house and their parents live in the far country under the same roof. Sometimes parents are in the Father’s House and the children living under the same roof are in the far country. What then was life like in the far country?

LIFE IN THE FAR COUNTRY

Life in the far country was different for the prodigal son than at home. In the far country he wasted his inheritance and was bankrupt. Any person in the far country is wasting his life. You may be wealthy and famous, educated, a philosopher, scientist, astronaut and still be a resident of the far country. Jesus said, “Except ye believe in Me ye shall die in your sins.” What a horrible waste of life, what a horrible waste of time, talent and money to live without Christ. This young man spent all and was in want and no man gave unto him.

No man gave unto him because no man had anything to give him. What message does the evolutionist or the atheist have for the person who has just received the news that he has terminal cancer and has six months to live? They have nothing to give. Absolutely nothing! No man gave unto him.

What message does the pornographer have for the woman with a dead baby in her lap? They have nothing to give. Absolutely nothing! No man gave unto him. What message of substance does the fundamentalist, modernist, faith-only preacher have other than a warm fuzzy feeling that has no real substance as far as the gospel is concerned? They have nothing to give. No man gave unto him because men have nothing to give. Without a “thus saith the Lord” their story of Jesus is more like Grimm's Fairy Tales. No man gave unto him. So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. That is the best the Devil can do for those who have gone to the far country. Actually the prodigal son developed a taste for the food of the pigpen. He fain would have filled his belly with the husks the swine did eat. Many folk today are like that prodigal son. They have a yearning to eat in the pigpen. What better way to describe most of the slop of television sit-com fare?  Most of the movies people dote on are sophisticated hog slop. People are impressed with these well dressed, suave, players with the latest hair style, never wearing the same outfit twice, getting huge salaries, and looking so debonair. So they are very convincing to the weak-minded Americans when they speak in favor of abortion and sexual perversion. And then one day he came to himself.

HE CAME TO HIMSELF

    One day while slopping the sophisticated hogs a wonderful thing happened. He came to himself. One version             says he came to his senses. He admitted that he must have been crazy to leave the father's house. How about you? Many a person will say on the Judgment Day, I must have been out of my mind to have lived like I lived on earth. I must have been out of my mind as a member of the Lord's Church to miss the assembly on the Lord's Day and the Lord's Supper. Are you out of your mind? Would you admit that you have never read the Bible through even one time and yet have the gall to admit that you spent four hours a night feeding out of the slop bucket?

A great many defense lawyers have made a lot of money arguing that people who are crazy are not responsible. But this is different. These people are responsible. The craziest thing you can do is to live this life as though it is the only life you will ever live; to live as though you are an animal. In this case when the prodigal came to himself he said, “How many hired servants of my father have bread enough and to spare?” One of these days you will run out of time; but you will never run out of eternity.

BREAD ENOUGH AND TO SPARE

Think of it! There is bread enough and to spare. Jesus said, “I am the bread which came down out of Heaven. He that eateth this bread shall live forever.” There is always bread enough and to spare. Think of the feeding of the five thousand. There was bread enough and to spare. Twelve basketsful left over. What a miracle! Think of the feeding of the four thousand. There was bread enough and to spare. Seven basketsful left over. What a miracle! The feeding of the five thousand, the feeding of the four thousand and then think of the feeding of the three thousand. Think of the feeding of the three thousand on the Day of Pentecost. Three thousand ate of the Bread of Life and were satisfied and there was enough left over to feed them and their children and also enough for all them that are afar off. WOW! Bread enough and to spare.   The statement of Jesus about being the Bread of Life has overtones of the Lord’s Supper. Think about it. If there are five hundred cups prepared and only a third show up, there is bread enough and to spare. What a documentary on most of the membership who are at home or wherever they are swilling what Paul referred to as the cup of demons. There is bread enough and to spare. However, one day the prodigal decided to go home.

MAKE ME A HIRED SERVANT

He said, “I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him, I have sinned before Heaven and in thy sight. Make me as one of thy hired servants.” He said, “Make me”. Not make me a son again, but make me a hired servant. That showed great humility. But suppose you would ask the Heavenly Father the same question. What would you want the Father to make you?

          Would you say, “Lord, make me. Make me what? Make me a preacher.” I should hope that if you ask, that you would say, “But Lord, don't make me a hireling preacher.” One who preaches always with his eye on what is called his “package.” For the hireling preacher, every message must be such as to please everybody.

What would you want the Lord to do if you told Him to “Make me”. Make me what? Make me an elder. I should hope that you would say, “Lord, make me an elder who tends the flock of God and takes the oversight and does not surrender that obligation to that new office in the Church these days, to something that is called the staff.” I heard a preacher announce to the congregtion one Sunday at the close of the service, “If you have any problems this week, consult one of the members of the staff.” I thought, “What happened to the elders?” Was the staff what David was talking about when he said, “Thy rod and thy STAFF they comfort me? Lord, I would rather be nothing than to be an elder like that.” Any way when he came home the Father forgave him.

FORGAVE AND GAVE

But the father not only forgave, he also gave. God forgives and now He gives. The father forgave his son and then gave his son, a robe, a ring, shoes and the fatted calf.

God says when He forgives that He will give you something. He gives you the gift of the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. God forgives and then God gives. That is what Peter said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” He also said, “...and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Not only does He give you forgiveness and the Holy Spirit, but He also gives you the hope of Heaven. God forgives and God gives.

  These gifts are given when, like the prodigal son, we place ourselves under the authority of the Father. It was only then that he received the robe, the ring, the shoes and the fatted calf. It was only then that they received the seal, ate the veal and danced the reel. So, Doe See Do and away we go.

THEY BEGAN TO BE MERRY

And now let the party begin! Let us eat and be merry for this my son was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found. And they began to be merry. That means they had a celebration. Making merry is the story of the life of the Christian. Many years ago I confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God and was immersed for the remission of sins and I have been making merry and celebrating ever since. Ladies and Gentlemen, I have lived. I have been whooping it up all my life! Yahoo! Perhaps some might wonder, “Haven't there been any rough times in the Lord's service?” Well, yes! Paul said, “We have peace with God and not only so we rejoice also in our tribulations, for tribulations worketh steadfastness, and steadfastness, approvedness, and approvedness hope for hope putteth not to shame; because the love of God hath been shed abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit which was give to us. For while we were weak in the flesh, in due season Christ died for the ungodly.” And so whatever comes up, I feel like that piano player who was criticized as not being a very good musician, but who said he cried all the way to the bank. Well I have been merry and although there may have been some tribulations on the pathway of life, through it all, I have been laughing all the way to Heaven. And they began to be merry. Everybody except the elder brother.

HE WAS ANGRY AND WOULD NOT GO IN

But the elder brother was in the field and when he came to the house he heard music and dancing. He listened carefully and said, “Sounds like they are singing, Just as I am without one plea but that thy blood was shed for me, and then they sang what sounded like Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.” I don't think when he heard the music that they were bellowing out ballads of Beelzebub. When he heard of the arrival of his younger brother he was angry and would not go in. The elder brother has many relatives today. I could tell you of many members of the Lord's Church who are angry and will not go in. They usually defend themselves by saying the ones they are mad at are not their brothers anyway.

The relatives of the elder brother today have a family resemblance. The elder brother lost no sleep over the lost condition of his brother. Many a member leaves the Father’s House today and his departure is never noticed. Many a person has told me that after missing a few Sunday services, the elders or the preacher never inquire as to where they have gone. Most folk could leave most of our Churches and their departure would not be noticed. Nobody cares! Does it ever bother you to look around and note the absence of any of the other members? Did it ever occur that they may have gone to the far country?

The elder brother is like many also in that he was miserable in his service. He was in the field working like he was supposed to do. He never did anything inconsistent with the life style of the father. But he was unhappy. He found no fulfillment in his relationship with the father. Some today find the Christian life a drudge. Their attitude may be, “How many services do I have to attend? How much do I have to give? How much do I have to pray? Is reading the Bible necessary? I don't understand it anyway.” The story of the prodigal son is the story of two sons who went to a far country. One left home and went to a far country and the other stayed home and he also went to the far country.

Sometimes for the hymn of decision the gospel song is used, “I've wandered far away from God now I'm coming home.” Usually we might look around as we sing and see if some prodigal is responding to the invitation. Actually it might be a good song to sing for the members of the Church. Many an elder brother needs to come home too. Many an elder brother needs to say, “I will arise and go to my Father. And will say unto Him I have sinned against Heaven and in thy sight.” Remember, the Lord will forgive and the Lord will give.

I've wandered far away from God. Now I'm coming home. The paths of sin too long I've trod, Lord, I'm coming home. My soul is sick, my heart is sore, Now I'm coming home. My strength renew, hope restore, Lord, I'm coming home.