The Dangers of Blaming God by Ed Pruitt

Luke 15:11-32

The Dangers of Blaming God
November 05, 2000
Pastor Ed Pruitt
Amarillo Church of God

Luke 15:11-32
11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons.

12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now, instead of waiting until you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and took a trip to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money on wild living.

14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve.

15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him to feed his pigs.

16 The boy became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.

17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired men have food enough to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger!

18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you,

19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired man.” ’

20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.

21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’

22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet.

23 And kill the calf we have been fattening in the pen. We must celebrate with a feast,

24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house,

26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on.

27 ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the calf we were fattening and has prepared a great feast. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

28 “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him,

29 but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve worked hard for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends.

30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the finest calf we have.’

31 “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you and I are very close, and everything I have is yours.

32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’ ”

Our sermon today is Dangers in Blaming God.

In the Kingdom of God, we celebrate the freedom from sin.

This freedom of sin is what we will center our message on today.

In order to have it, you must declare your independence from the oppressive tyranny of Satan.

As the United States had to fight and win the Revolutionary War to gain independence, so you will then need to fight a war to gain your independence for Satan will not simply give you away.

And so let us begin by first considering the young man in our text. Instead of declaring his independence, he yielded to the peer pressure of the sinful crowd and made his choice to follow them in riotous living.

When you yield to the peer pressure of the sinful crowd, you are not making any declaration of independence.

You are saying that you are too weak to govern your own life and therefore will simply follow the orders of your government.

You will follow those orders no matter how much they cause you to suffer and no matter how foolish they really are.

Remember that when you commit sin, you are a servant of sin.

John 8:34
34 Jesus replied, “I assure you that everyone who sins is a slave of sin.

Sin always brings suffering to the sinner.

No matter how beautiful a picture the devil may paint of people enjoying sin, sin always brings a bitter sting.

Consider for a little some of the aspects of our lesson this day.

The young man wasted his substance in riotous living.

What are the elements of riotous living?

No doubt partying, using drugs, drinking alcohol, and sex orgies were a part of that life style as they are today.

Where did this kind of living lead our young man?

To the hog pen.

Where does this kind of living lead people today?

To the hog pen, in the gutters, on the streets, in early graves, in hospitals, and no telling where else.

For the more you sin, the more sin drives you on to commit more sin.

The devil takes you by the nose and leads you where ever he chooses.
You are going to have a great time Satan says.

Drink up, shoot up, do it, laugh and have fun - don’t think about the headache that you will soon have.

Don’t think about how sick you will soon be.

Don’t think about the disease that you may have soon.

Don’t think about how happy and good people feel that live Christian lives.

Yes, as long as the devil can keep you from good common sense, he has you hooked and will drag you down to whatever depth he chooses.

Since the devil is a liar and the father of lies, he does not worry about the lies he tells you.

Nor does he worry about the lies that his followers tell you.

In fact he is laughing with glee at the foolishness of every sucker that is fool enough to swallow some of his tales.

Well, praise God!

The young man in our lesson had once lived in the father’s house.

He remembered that even the servants were better off than he was now that the party was over.
He was in the hog pen reaping the rewards of riotous living.

As he thought of the foolish choice that he had made, he came to his right mind.

He decided that he would declare his independence from that hog pen and its’ owner and he would return to his father’s house and see if his father would not let him be one of the servants.

Well the father represents God and we see that His mercy went out to his son and He welcomed the son home and restored him to his position in the family.

Now we know that Jesus told us this story to let us know how God, our heavenly father would welcome home every sinner that would declare his independence and return to God.

This is what I, and many million have done thru the ages of time.

We have declared our independence from the rule of Satan.

We have declared that he will no longer rule over us.

We will not be suckered in by his lies for we have a heavenly father that is the God of truth and He will teach us the truth.

We have learned that the way to enjoy life is to serve God.

Even though you may declare your independence, it does not mean that you will easily live the right way for your old master, the devil, will do his very best to fight and drag you back into the quagmire of sin.

The Kingdom of God is a kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

The devil does not want you to live right and to have peace and joy.

He will do his very best to prevent you from possessing the Kingdom of God.

Jesus said to press your way into it.

Luke 16:16
16 “Until John the Baptist began to preach, the laws of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But now the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and eager multitudes are forcing their way in.

You need to put forth the effort to obtain it and to keep it.

Ephesians 6:10-20
10 A final word: Be strong with the Lord’s mighty power.

11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil.

12 For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.

13 Use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm.

14 Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.

15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared.

16 In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan.

17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.

19 And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words as I boldly explain God’s secret plan that the Good News is for the Gentiles, too.

20 I am in chains now for preaching this message as God’s ambassador. But pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.

This is the Armour of God that you will need to secure your independence for sin.

You need every part to win this war against Satan.

Start out with the truth.

The devil is feeding people lies by the shovel full and you need to know the truth to shut out the lies.

The devil tries to tell people that they have to commit sin and God says that we should be holy.

Which are you going to believe?

Proverbs 14:34
34 Godliness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.

Titus 2:11-12
11 For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.

12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct, and devotion to God,

These and many other parts of the scriptures clearly teach us the truth.

We do not have to sin and God expects us to live righteous, godly lives.

Who are you going to believe?

If you are going to be a Christian, you must believe God.

He will teach you the truth and the truth will set you free from the power and dominion of sin.

John 8:34-36
34 Jesus replied, “I assure you that everyone who sins is a slave of sin.

35 A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever.

36 So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free.

Yes, the truth will free you from sin and you can then put on the breastplate of righteousness.

You cannot put on righteousness as long as you are controlled by sin and if you have to commit sin, then you are a servant of sin.

Sin controls you.

But, praise God!

By obeying the truth and through the power of God, you can be free from sin and wearing the breastplate of righteousness.

In order to fight this war, you need combat boots.

The writer says that your feet should be shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace.

Now that is the path to walk in.

The path of peace.

That is the message to preach - the gospel of peace.

We are talking about the inner peace that comes to every soul that lives the way God wants them to live.
(Isa 48:22) There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.

(Isa 57:20-21) But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

21. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.

Once again we see where the Word of God gives us the truth.

The devil is trying to tell us that being wicked is no big deal and that it is fun to live in sin while God tells us that there is no peace to the wicked and that the wicked cannot rest.

Let me tell you there is no peace that can compare to the peace of God that flows through the heart and mind and soul of the Christian.

The next part of the Armour is the shield of faith that you can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked with.

(Heb 11:1) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:2-40
2 God gave his approval to people in days of old because of their faith.

3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. God accepted Abel’s offering to show that he was a righteous man. And although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us because of his faith.

5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“suddenly he disappeared because God took him.” But before he was taken up, he was approved as pleasing to God.

6 So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

7 It was by faith that Noah built an ark to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about something that had never happened before. By his faith he condemned the rest of the world and was made right in God’s sight.

8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.

9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in a tent. And so did Isaac and Jacob, to whom God gave the same promise.

10 Abraham did this because he was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.

11 It was by faith that Sarah together with Abraham was able to have a child, even though they were too old and Sarah was barren. Abraham believed that God would keep his promise.

12 And so a whole nation came from this one man, Abraham, who was too old to have any children—a nation with so many people that, like the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.

13 All these faithful ones died without receiving what God had promised them, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed the promises of God. They agreed that they were no more than foreigners and nomads here on earth.

14 And obviously people who talk like that are looking forward to a country they can call their own.

15 If they had meant the country they came from, they would have found a way to go back.

16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a heavenly city for them.

17 It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac,

18 though God had promised him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.”

19 Abraham assumed that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.

20 It was by faith that Isaac blessed his two sons, Jacob and Esau. He had confidence in what God was going to do in the future.

21 It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.

22 And it was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, confidently spoke of God’s bringing the people of Israel out of Egypt. He was so sure of it that he commanded them to carry his bones with them when they left!
23 It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid of what the king might do.

24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be treated as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.

25 He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin.

26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of the Messiah than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the great reward that God would give him.

27 It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt. He was not afraid of the king. Moses kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.

28 It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons.

29 It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians followed, they were all drowned.

30 It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho seven days, and the walls came crashing down.
31 It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute did not die with all the others in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

32 Well, how much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets.

33 By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions,

34 quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.

35 Women received their loved ones back again from death.
But others trusted God and were tortured, preferring to die rather than turn from God and be free. They placed their hope in the resurrection to a better life.

36 Some were mocked, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in dungeons.

37 Some died by stoning, and some were sawed in half; others were killed with the sword.
Some went about in skins of sheep and goats, hungry and oppressed and mistreated.

38 They were too good for this world. They wandered over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.

39 All of these people we have mentioned received God’s approval because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.

40 For God had far better things in mind for us that would also benefit them, for they can’t receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race.

 

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