The My-Way Highway | Max Lucado | The Porchlight Is On | Oak Hills Church

48:44 Isn't the porch a wonderful... The porch is such a picture of the home, of reunion, of relaxation, of reconciliation. Your heavenly Father has a porch. And this porch is described in the great chapter of redemption in Luke chapter 15. I hope you're doing your homework if you didn't know you have homework here it is read Luke 15 once a week and don't miss a single message if you do we'll find you if you've missed one please go back you don't want to miss anything of Luke chapter 15 in this parable in this story in this chapter Jesus gives three stories, three parables.

49:50 The first is a sheep was lost, now found. Then a coin was lost, now found. And today, a son lost and then found. Heads up, the tone is about to change. Up until now, as Christ teaches, it's been a tone of kindness and compassion. The kind shepherd who, when he finds the sheep, does not berate it, but lifts it up and carries it home. The woman who's not content to just be happy with the nine coins, but she's got to find that one missing coin, and when she finds it, she has a party. And even the fact that Christ, as we talked about last week, describes God as a father, a father of compassion, tone of compassion, kindness.

50:49 But the next words, you're going to sense some conviction, some caution. In fact, I think we need a good title for this one. So we're going to call this message, The My Way Highway. Heavenly Father have mercy on us now as we open your word we open our hearts these people are so kind to to give me their attention for a few minutes may I be a good steward forgive me for my sins there are so many grant that we can see Christ just Christ and through Christ we pray and all the church said when my youngest daughter was in the second grade she was invited to a roller rink birthday party and kids from her school kids from the church parents from both showed up on a Saturday afternoon to skate circles around the floor I do not know how a person can pass through childhood and adolescence without ever strapping on a pair of skates but such is the case with me I learned how to throw a football how to swim had a flirt. But I never learned how to skate. On that Saturday afternoon, as I watched the other people skate, it looked like fun. And I wondered, well, how hard could it be?

52:24 Skating is just walking around on wheels, right? After all, the other dads were skating, The moms were skating. My daughter and her seven-year-old friends were skating. My wife was skating. Church members were skating. Everyone was skating, and I was sitting, and I was watching. So I rented some skates.

52:52 Dinalyn, my wife, said, Max, you're a little old to be taking this up. ah it's gonna be fine I told her I snugged the laces gripped the railing with both hands I stood and I inched out onto the floor Max she cautioned yet again why don't we try this sometime when there aren't so many people I looked there were a lot of people and it's like the party had paused. Folks had noticed. Congregants had paused to witness the moment. Some dads were taking bets to see how long before the pastor took a plop. I started to step back, but then a friend urged me to go on. My pride urged me to go on, and so I pushed off, and for a few seconds I was coasting.

53:55 I kept my balance and I thought, well, what do you know? There's nothing to this. It was my kitty hawk moment. All was fine until my daughter and her friend came up from behind me and one took one hand and one took the other. And off we went and down I went. and since I had no way to cushion the blow I landed on the only thing to land on I would later ask the doctor if the tailbone has more nerve endings than other parts of the anatomy both my ego and my derriere took a good bruising before the day ended I'd made a visit to the pharmacy and gone home with one of those inflatable donuts I had to use it for a month you know that scripture in the bible that says pride goes before a fall true with me at the rink even truer with the sun on the prodigal path.

55:15 In the best known of Jesus' stories, he introduced us to a young man who thought he needed no one, no help, no advice, no counsel. I'll live my life on my way, he said, and he took off on the my way highway. Do you know this road? Are you acquainted with that thoroughfare that says I don't need anyone's help? has your travel itinerary ever led you down a path of arrogant self-sufficiency if so you don't need me to tell you that the my way highway leads away from the father jesus began the parable with these words a certain man had two sons And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.

56:20 Now the simple fact that the son used the pronoun me two times in one sentence is telling, give me what belongs to me. The boy is self-focused, self-absorbed. He was all about himself he really as we will soon see had no appreciation for his home and certainly no respect for his father in ancient Israel the division of the father's wealth would happen upon the death of the father according to scripture this the younger son would receive one-third of the estate. Now, there was no law that said that the son had to wait for his father's death, but there was certainly a moral standard in a common societal practice that he'd do exactly that. Yet this guy was impatient. He was in a hurry. And so in full view of the family, the servants, maybe the entire village, he disrespected his father. He declared his independence from his dad. In effect, he said, you know, I'm just ready for you to die. I don't need you anymore. You're in my way. I have oats to sow. I have sights to see. I want nothing to do with you. My mind is made up. My bags are packed. I'm out of here. Oh, and one more thing, I could use a little cash.

57:47 he publicly embarrassed he publicly dishonored his dad shameful and stupid stupid in ancient israel lineage meant everything in our day credibility is gained maybe by a reference or a resume or some experience or some training or a certain education. But in the days of ancient Israel, really in the days of Scripture,

58:26 pedigree, your ancestry, your family tree is what opened the doors. We see this by looking in Scripture. David was not just David. He was David's son of Jesse. Joshua was not just Joshua. he was Joshua son of none in the new testament Peter was not just Peter he was Peter Bar-Jonah or Peter son of Jonah your ancestry mattered Matthew dedicated the first few first almost the first chapter and Luke a good portion of the first chapter of their gospels to pedigree to ancestry it mattered your ancestry mattered here the boy was saying I want nothing to do with my ancestry. I'm on my own. He threw his pedigree away. And if that's not enough, there's more. Take note of his word choice. Father, he said, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.

59:35 it's not uncommon to hear someone say that the prodigal son requested his inheritance but he didn't he didn't request his inheritance the the word inheritance is a word in the greek language and it's not in this parable he didn't ask for his inheritance he requested his portion of goods this is a term that described personal values that could be sold whatever could be liquidated and the implication is whatever could be liquidated quickly. The kid wanted some money. Now why is this distinction important? Well, if he requested his inheritance, the implication was he was going to manage that inheritance. He would continue the family business, but the son wanted none of that. He wanted nothing, no expectations, no responsibility.

1:00:30 a share in the family business would tie him down he wanted to get out and he was willing to sell his birthright for a chunk of cash a wad of money he wanted to cash out and get out so tally this up he didn't want the father's name he didn't want to be in the father's family he didn't want the family business he just wanted his father's stuff he turned his back on his dad this is the my way highway and the my way highway leads us away from our father and the my way highway results in disaster the rest of the paragraph reads so the father divided to them his livelihood and not many days after the younger son gathered all together and journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.

1:01:31 A modern rendering of this scene is very easy to imagine. The father grants the son the request, and the father calls the bank, tells the bank to transfer some money over into his son's account. The boy catches an Uber to the airport. and on the way to the airport he stops at the bank and he empties that account and he uses some of that money to pay for a first-class ticket to Las Vegas and he lands in Sin City with rolls of money in his bag and fantasies of fun on his mind he goes straight to the casino and he begins to flash his cash Word on the floor spreads quickly. Hey, there's a sucker at blackjack table number two.

1:02:28 Women appear out of nowhere. A waiter offers him a free martini. The manager offers him a sweet, sweet at the hotel. The dealer exchanges his stack of dough for a tower of chips, and oh, how the fun begins. The boy's dreams have come true. He finally is what he wants to be, the center of attention. The world revolves around him.

1:02:59 Girls on his arm, liquor in his glass, cards on the table. He thinks of those nobodies at home and smirks. those provincial pitiful people if they could see me now i'm a high roller living a high life but just as quickly as the party starts the party poops out for every hand of cards he wins he loses two his stack of chips begins to dwindle his martini glass sits unfilled and the dealer says sorry sir we need more money if you want more chips and he puts his hands in his pockets and you know what he finds pockets the dealer collects the last cards.

1:03:58 The ladies turn and leave, and the manager tells him to do the same. Next thing he knows, he's outside on the sidewalk, staring at the bright lights with a blank gaze, asking himself, what just happened? can we answer that question for him he traveled on the my way highway he's far from the last to do so. In fact, our culture loves the My Way Highway. It's very populated. It's very popular. It's very crowded. In fact, we have a My Way Highway anthem. Have you heard it? Paul Anka and Frank Sinatra were among the most famous singers of their generation.

1:05:00 And their songs filled the airways through the second half of the 20th century. These two crooners were good friends. So close that Sinatra once asked Anka why he had never written a song for him. Anka took the question to heart and gave Sinatra what became Sinatra's signature song. I bet you've heard it. The lyrics go something like this. I'm not going to sing it. Don't be afraid. But the lyrics go, The end is near. I face the final curtain. I have regrets. I've made mistakes of that. I am certain. But what matters most is this. I did it. You've heard it, haven't you? Oh, what a song. My goodness, does that not, oh man, does that not bring the best out of a person? Yeah, I mean, what an anthem. What a courageous statement. What a liberating declaration. What a powerful proclamation. But listen closely to the philosophy of the song.

1:06:15 Listen to it. What is the message? The message is, all that matters is that I do things my way. That's all that matters. That's the highest virtue. Did I hurt people? Did I keep my promises? Did I honor my vows? Did I respect my authority? did I honor God? I don't know. But I know this, I did it my way. Here's the deal folks. The my way highway is often precisely the wrong way.

1:06:56 There is a way that seems right to a man. But its end is the way to death. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. it seemed right to the son of the prodigal to turn away from home it seemed right to dismiss his inheritance it just seemed right to ignore his father waste his father's assets on folly it seemed right and with us There's a new guy in your office. he asks you a lot of questions he really seems to admire and appreciate your opinion of course you've been there a while you know the company policies and even the company politics he just has a way of kind of drifting down to your cubicle and asking for your advice which feels good because that guy to whom you're married liquide.

1:08:22 things have gotten a little dry, a little stale, a little dicey, a little icy. Fact is, by the time you get off work, by the time he gets off work, by the time the two of you get home, by the time you get the kids' homework done and the kids fed and the kids in bed, by the time it's time for just a little time, there's not much energy left over. Been a while since you've had a fella take interest in you. He wants to go to lunch.

1:09:06 Oh, just to talk about the, you know, how things work around here. And you think to yourself, well, what harm? I've got that brand new dress. and there's that nice restaurant. Where is it again? Oh, yeah. It's sitting right off of the My Way Highway. your boss tells you you're the best bookkeeper the company's ever had your reports are squeaky clean he trusts you so much that some quarters he doesn't even read your work he has faith in you and you know he doesn't read the work, and as a result, you know you could skim off just not much, mind you, but you could get away with just a little.

1:10:15 You could move some funds over into a personal accounting. he wouldn't notice it the business wouldn't feel it because the business is really doing well thanks you know in part to you I mean you've been working so hard are you really being rewarded as a company should reward you you could move just a little just enough to make a down payment on that new pickup that's at the dealership just off that what's the name of that highway? Yeah, just right off the my way highway. You really like your English lit professor, but he's intolerant of an overdue assignment. And you've got a paper due tomorrow, and it's midnight, and you haven't even started. You're tired, but you're going to do something.

1:11:18 And again, it's past midnight, you're exhausted, but you open your laptop and from somewhere comes this voice. Just watch a little porn. It's right there. No one would know. you've resolved to step away from that and you intended to install a filter on your laptop, but you haven't done it yet. And so there you are, depleted and tired and your device unprotected, and that voice comes again.

1:11:57 Enticement awaits. on the My Way Highway. what I'm trying to say is that every day you and I face choices we do every one of us we have choices every day some major some seemingly minor but they all come back to this question am I going to draw closer to my father or turn my back on my father?

1:12:37 Am I going to honor my family name or am I going to sever my connection to the family name? Each day, we either declare our dependence or our independence. Folks, the my way highway is not a clever phrase in a sermon. it's a real choice in life and it's not an easy choice it's not the my way highway it just seems right after all everybody else is on it every commercial says to take it all those athletes who get paid so much those actors who earn so much Everybody who's so popular takes it. It's so wide.

1:13:31 And this road over here is so narrow. And you look, is anybody even walking on that road? But you know a road isn't judged by how it looks at the entrance. A road is judged by where it takes you in the end. To what road are you traveling? This road that you're on, where's it going to take you? the resounding and recurring caution of scripture is simple there is a way that seems right to a man but its end is the way of death death of dreams, death of relationships, death of a marriage, death of joy, death of career, death of soul.

1:14:23 The path of the prodigal is a fatal path. Then we are quick to wonder, then why did the father let the boy walk it? Did you notice? Why didn't the father take out a rope and lasso the kid and pull him back? why didn't he send servants to pull him in why didn't he lock the boy in the room he let him leave God lets us do the same it's called free will free choice he lets us do the same the apostle Paul had a starchy warning to the pilgrims of the prodigal path he described what God did when people turned away from him so God said in effect if that's what you want that's what you get and it wasn't long before they were living in a pig pen smeared with filth filthy inside and out God leaves us to the consequences of our choices and those consequences take us where we never want to go could the story of the prodigal son take a sadder turn i mean look at the kid he has no cash no clout no connections he's cut himself off from all his friends all his family he's been kicked out he's hungry he's lonely he's far from home we would think that at this juncture at this point in the story the kid would look up he would perk up he would snap out of it and say i'm getting out here i'm going home he would beg a buck or two off of somebody there in the streets of las vegas and he would begin to hitchhike his way back home but you know what he doesn't do it he doesn't wise up he doesn't head home pride dies a slow death

1:16:34 Thank you. his sad itinerary has another stop one that he could never have imagined the place where no jewish boy would ever want to go and it warrants its own message so i'm going to leave it until next week but for now i'm going to ask one final question Are you on the way to Vegas? have you got one step one foot on the my way highway or are you so far down it perhaps that were you to turn and look you couldn't even see your father do you sense the spirit of the Lord talking to you today? If so, here's what you need to know. You can reverse direction. You can make a U-turn right now. You can turn around. You don't have to go as far as the prodigal son went.

1:17:46 You don't have to be as prideful as he was. You don't have to end up in the stink, in the mud, in the mess. You don't have to. You can turn around right now and you can walk in the direction of your Father. choose a different anthem i know everyone else is singing i did it my way choose a different anthem and this anthem says i did it god's way i did it god's way your colleagues on the business trip tell you after dinner tonight we're all going to the gentleman's club and you say no not me I'm walking in the direction of my father your date wants to top off the date with a few drinks in the apartment you say no thank you I'm walking in the direction of my father the other engaged couples in your circle are wondering why you and your sweetheart don't do what they do why don't you shack up why don't you move in together it's cheaper, just one rent bill a month. Why don't you do it? Well, you've read a scripture that says that the marriage bed is to be kept holy and undefiled, and you're walking in God's way, not on the my way, highway. Your friend's got a new way to cheat the system.

1:19:19 Your buddy's got some new marijuana he wants you to try. The internet has a new brand of porn, but you say no, no, no, no, because you know where that road will take you. You know where that road will take you, and you don't want to end up there. You're going to protect your soul. You're going to protect and preserve the legacy you leave for your kids and your grandkids, and most of all, you're going to honor your heavenly Father who sent his Son to die on a cross for your sins so that you could live with him forever. Also, you've read the rest of Luke chapter 15, and you know how much the Father loves you, and you know that the Father, he always keeps the light on. Ernest Hemingway once wrote a story about a father who placed an announcement in a newspaper in Madrid, Spain.

1:20:27 And this announcement said, Paco, I love you. I forgive you. Meet me tomorrow at the Hotel Madonna at 12 noon. signed Papa. The next day, Wednesday, 12 noon, the Guardia Civil had to manage a crowd of 800 boys named Paco who came looking for their Papa. I have no way of knowing if Ernest Hemingway was writing fact or fiction with that story. I honestly do not know. But what I do know is that all of us have a longing to come home to our Father, our Heavenly Father.

1:21:24 And our longing is nothing compared to the longing that our Father has to receive us on the porch and to bring us home. You need to come home. Final thought, what road are you on? Let this week be the week that you say, God's way not the my way, I way Heavenly Father thank you for your word, for your teaching for your kindness, may your mercy be upon us as we receive it in Jesus name Amen In every service every worship time here at Oak Hills we make sure there's a clear invitation for you and a clear opportunity to say yes to Christ so if I could ask you to just give us a couple more minutes of your attention we're going to offer a prayer. This is a very important prayer.

1:22:16 It's a prayer of salvation. I invite the entire church to repeat after me as I lead us in this prayer. And today, if today you're saying yes to Christ for the first time or coming back to Christ after a long time, I'll ask you to stand up, never to embarrass you. Just the opposite. We want to support you. We want to applaud your decision. Pray with me, please. Jesus, I'm not perfect. for I have sinned. But I believe in you. Save me. Change me. Forgive me. I give you my life. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Who's saying yes to Christ for the first time? Who's coming back to Christ after a long time? Would you mind standing up? We want to applaud your decision.