THE FATHER IS WAITING (2)

MARCH 19, 2023

SERIES 1: PARABLES OF KINGDOM TRUTHS

THE FATHER IS WAITING

1.3

LESSON TEXT

Luk_15:11-32

FOCUS VERSE

Luk_15:32

It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

TRUTH ABOUT GOD

God loves the prodigals and waits patiently for their return.

TRUTH FOR MY LIFE

All who wander can return to their loving, heavenly Father.

LESSON CONNECTION

A supplemental image is available in the Resource Kit. (I)

Alex and his older sister were tired of all the unreasonable demands their parents made of them. The Founding Fathers of the United States promised Alex and Alicia life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but their parents demanded clean rooms, clean plates, and a curfew. The children were tired of tyranny, so one bright sunny day, they woke up early, packed their backpacks, and walked out of the house into freedom. They were pretty proud of themselves.

When they reached the railroad tracks—less than a half mile away—they turned right onto the tracks and kept walking. This life would be the one they dreamed of—no parents telling them to do their chores, no teachers assigning homework. They were finally free to go anywhere, meet anyone, do anything, except for one minor detail: they had little food and even less money. Alex was ten years old; Alicia was twelve. Aside from that, the world was theirs. They had not yet figured out how to get around truancy or child labor laws. They would worry about that when they needed to.

While they walked, they heard an ATV start up in the distance. The distant whir of the motor came closer. Someone was heading their way. They couldn’t afford to be spotted. The runaways ran from the tracks, down the hill, and into a little cornfield. As the neighbor on the four-wheeler came closer, they tried to hide behind the cornstalks, but neither Alex nor Alicia was that thin. The neighbor stopped on the tracks above them and bellowed, “You kids better get out of that cornfield!”

Maybe he saw them, maybe he was just trying to roust them out, but they were rookie runaways. They didn’t know what to do. They just knew they had been caught, so they sheepishly walked out of the cornfield and trudged back toward the tracks. They walked slower than a turtle climbing a down escalator. If they took their time, they would have more time to think of an excuse, but their neighbor was not so thoughtful. He revved up his Honda and chased them as fast as their wobbly preteen legs would carry them. It is a wonder they did not trip and end up with train tracks on their faces and tire tracks on their backs. Their neighbor chased them all the way from the cornfield to their house to two waiting, worrying parents.

BIBLE LESSON

I. THE YOUNGER SON

Jesus told a story about a young man who did not want to live at home anymore. He was the younger of two sons, and one day he approached his father with a request that almost made his dad spill his bowl of Granola Flakes. “Dad, I want my inheritance—now.” The young man expected a lecture or a twinge of disappointment in his father’s eyes. Instead, his father headed out of the room and came back with bags full of money. When the young man saw that much money as his inheritance, his eyes grew as big as silver shekels.

A. He Pursued a Life of Self-Determination

After breakfast, the young man went to his room, gathered his things, gave his father a firm handshake, gave his older brother a nod, and he walked out the door. As he made his way down the drive, the servants working in the field bowed out of respect, but he did not even glance their way. He was so proud.

He crisscrossed the country for days and nights, staying in the plushest hotels and eating in the finest restaurants. When there were enough miles between him and home, he walked into the first bar he found in his new hometown. He reached into his pockets, pulled out a wad of cash, laid it on the bar, and bought everyone a drink. He had more money than he could ever spend. Before long the locals realized the move-in was rich. It didn’t take him long to make friends.

He had more money and more friends than he could count. How could his dad have kept him hemmed in all those years behind that iron gate? The rich young runaway treated his new friends to steak one night, lobster the next, and drinks for everyone. But one night after several of these spending sprees, he ran out of cash, and he ran out of friends. They turned on him as fast as they had turned to him. From that night forward, it would appear his life took a turn for the worse. Actually, his life took its first turn toward home.

Why do you think the young man wanted to leave home so badly?

B. I Will Yield to God’s Authority in My Life

If only this young man would have realized his father was not trying to keep him hemmed in; he was trying to keep danger out. God has also blessed us with authority figures to keep us safe and to keep danger out. From the beginning of Scripture, God established parents to be the authority figures for their children. (See Deuteronomy 6:4–8.) A cursory study of the Bible reveals some parents who abused or neglected that authority role, but there are also shining examples of parents who loved their children enough to provide for them and protect them from danger.

Pastors and ministers are another God-given authority for our spiritual well-being. According to Ephesians 4:11–12, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” We are blessed to have a man or woman of God in our lives to help us live for the glory of God and help make disciples as we walk from here to Heaven. Living in submission to God-given authority is a blessing, especially when that authority is living in submission to God.

II. THE OLDER SON

The younger son had an older brother who stayed at home. He appeared to be everything his younger brother was not. While Junior ran away to spend his entire inheritance, his older brother remained at home to help his dad tend the farm. He appeared to be faithful, content, and loyal. This firstborn son appears to be the character in the story we should example, but he is not.

A. He Lived a Life of Self-Righteousness

After a while, a mud-caked prodigal with slumped shoulders finally arrived back home. He had suffered the effects of living life on his own terms, outside the protection and provision of his father. As he and his thankful, tearful dad made their way back toward the house together, his dad called out to the servants to kill the fatted calf.

Some of the more rhythmic servants grabbed tambourines while some of the non-rhythmic servants just tried clapping on the right beat. This was the first time in a very long time they heard music in this house. But one family member was missing from the celebration. The older brother was still out in the field faithfully doing his chores when he heard the music.

Soon he discovered the calf, the music, and the celebration were all to honor his baby brother who ran away but returned home. Verse by verse, Jesus revealed the hideous chink in the older brother’s armor: self-righteousness. “And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him” (Luke 15:28).

B. He Did Not Acknowledge His Inheritance or His Brother’s Restoration

The older brother was enraged. He was ready to fight, but he was not ready to feast. He would sleep under the cornstalks if he needed to; he was not going inside to celebrate his prodigal brother who misspent his inheritance on sin. In Luke 15 Jesus was talking to Pharisees, the religious elite, who felt like their self-righteousness earned them favor with God. They were not dissimilar to this older brother. He kept a record of all he did right, and he let his father hear it.

The older son’s whole relationship was built on work, not love. He served all those years. He worked his fingers to the bone, his hands to callouses. From sunup to sundown, he broke his back to make the farm all his dad wanted it to be. And on top of that, he never broke one of his father’s commandments at any time. That’s probably not true, but that is how he felt.

This was wrong. He was right. Why didn’t his father give him a party for just being faithful? While he stewed on his right to be bitter and angry, his dad put his arm around his shoulders, looked him in the eye, and answered, “Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found” (Luke 15:31–32).

The older son had not spent one shiny shekel of his inheritance. His reward would come later, after his father died; then his faithfulness and loyalty would be rewarded. Perhaps he thought celebrating his younger brother’s return home would be the same as celebrating his sin, but it was not. It was celebrating the father’s mercy.

Do we have a difficult time rejoicing when someone is restored? If so, why?

C. I Will Reject Self-Righteousness and Rejoice in the Restoration of Others

Teacher Option: A supplemental video is available in the Resource Kit. (V)

Only five short verses from the end of the story, we see the older brother seething. Surely the story would end as he, his baby brother, and his thankful father lived happily ever after, but it did not. We still wade through self-righteousness in this story and possibly in our own. But we do not have to. When God restores people who walked away from Him, do not be jealous of them; rejoice with them. Even if them returning to worship with you on Sundays costs you a closer parking space, rejoice with them. God does.

In this selfsame chapter, Luke wrote, “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance” (Luke 15:7). If there is joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents, there certainly should be joy on earth. God is holy. His celebration does not diminish His holiness or celebrate our sin; His celebration celebrates His mercy and our forgiveness.

What are practical ways we can rejoice with someone who is restored?

III. THE LOVING, FORGIVING FATHER

A. He Allowed His Sons to Make Their Own Decisions

We do not want to model our lives after the younger son. He left home with everything and came home with nothing. Neither do we want to live like the older son. He stayed home, but his heart was far from his father. He was seething with self-righteousness. But the father loved his younger son despite his selfishness and his older son despite his self-righteousness, and he allowed both young men to make their own decisions.

Sometimes God allows things He does not approve of. When we pray, we need to be sure we are praying according to God’s will, not ours. It is very simple to know the will of God from this story: if the answer to your prayer draws you closer to God, it is God’s will. If it will push you further from God, it is not. Likewise, the father allowed his older son to make his own decision to remain at home and keep working on the family farm. Because the son stayed, the father gladly promised everything he owned to the son. That is amazing grace. God will not pressure us to stay close to Him or push us away from Him. We make our own decisions, but as this story perfectly illustrates, we also live with those decisions.

Why do you think our heavenly Father allows us to make decisions that may harm us?

B. He Desired to Restore Both Sons to a Wholesome Relationship with Him

The father desired to restore both sons to right relationship with him. His younger son’s sins were outward; everyone could see them. But the father wanted to restore his son by giving him a fresh change of clothes, new shoes, a ring for his finger, and a homecoming celebration the neighbors would talk about for years. His older son’s sins were inward; only the father could really see them. But the father wanted to restore this son by promising he would one day reward his faithfulness. The older son just needed to trust the heart of his father that he would be gracious to him, just as he was to his brother.

C. All Who Wander Can Return to Their Loving, Heavenly Father

At the risk of oversimplifying, there are two groups of Jesus followers: those who have walked away from God and those who have not. Charles Dickens called the Parable of the Prodigal Son “the greatest short story ever written.” It is not only a great story because the father worked to restore his sons; it is a great story because our Father continually works to restore us. If you walked away from God, you can come home. You can return to God and receive the same grace-filled reception the prodigal son received. You have not done too much or gone too far or been away too long. All who wander can return.

If you have remained faithful and loyal to your walk with God, remain. If your heart has strayed, and you serve God more out of duty than devotion, you can return to right relationship with Jesus. God wants to restore you and remind you that your reward may come later, but your reward will surely come. One day we will kneel before Him and hear Him say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” There was room in the father’s house, and there is room in our Father’s house for all His sons and daughters.

Do you struggle more with outward sins everyone can see or inward sins only God can see?

INTERNALIZING THE MESSAGE

Alex and Alicia made it home quicker than they hoped. They were home before they had time to build a believable excuse for running away from home. Their mom and dad were happy to have them home, but they were not willing to overlook this dangerous decision. And rightfully so. These children were not even teenagers yet, and they were wandering by themselves into the world. That afternoon, hugs gave way to a lecture and deserved discipline.

When we return to the Father, we know He will run to meet us. He will hold us and welcome us home. But do not let the mercy of God be the license you hold to run away from God. Before you run off intending to return, remember, the prodigal son never regained what he gave away. He still carried the memories of his misspent inheritance. He bore scars in his mind and on his body that he lived with the rest of his days. Although the older brother remained at home, he still bore the memory of the day he told his dad how he really felt.

Thankfully our Father forgives our sins and will not remember them against us anymore, but our families and friends may have a difficult time forgetting what we have done or said to them out of self-righteousness. Let us live in a way to be closer to our Father and serve Him out of wholehearted devotion for who He is and what He has done.

Prayer Focus

Lead the group in prayer and consider the following topics of focus:

• For God to help us be content and thankful to be close to Him

• For God to help us welcome people back to right relationship with Him