Gospel Message - The Prodigal Son

I want to share with you tonight a short parable, a short story that Jesus told a group of people. In fact, this story is one of the most famous short stories in the world and it’s called the parable of the prodigal son.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

Dissatisfaction and Rebellion…

- Have you noticed, right here at the beginning of this story we can see that the son wasn’t satisfied.

- There was something lacking in his life that he felt he could find elsewhere.

- Many of you today are just like this young son.

- You are searching for something, yet you don’t truly know what it is.

- I want you to know

- The reason many of you are searching for something is because you were born for something more.

- You were born for a relationship with God.

- And the Bible tells us that this relationship was broken because of sin.

- But because of Jesus

- because of His death upon a cross

- Because he rose again on the third day

- tonight you may know Him.

- A great saint of old, St Augustine once said, our souls are restless until they find rest in you.

- I need you to hear me tonight friends.

- That peace you’re searching for.

- That fulfilment, that purpose, that satisfaction and love…

- You will never find it until you surrender your life to Christ.

- Now at the start of this story, as well as seeing a son who is unsatisfied…

- We also see the rebellious heart he has towards his Father.

- He wanted his fathers money, but he did not want him.

- As a father myself, I couldn’t imagine anything more painful.

- I’ve got three amazing children, Isla, Robyn and Isaac

- I wish they could join me, with you, in your beautiful city of Naples

- But listen…

- It would break my heart into a million pieces if my children no longer wanted relationship with me.

- And what the son in this story is saying is, ‘ I don’t want to live under your rules’

- I don’t want a relationship with you.

- In fact, what he’s saying is much worse

- In those days, he’s actually communicating is that he wishes his dad was dead

- That way, in that culture, it meant he could leave with his inheritance

- And selfishly enjoy his life apart from his own father

PICTURE OF SIN

- Listen, Jesus is sharing here through this story, what sin looks like.

- And in one way or another, each of us have participated in sin.

- The Bible says we have all sinned, we have all fallen short the standard’s God has set

- The Bible says we have all gone astray, gone our own way, like a sheep without a shepherd.

- So the question is, what is sin?

- Listen, sin is where we don’t want God in our lives and don’t want his control or rules.

- It’s where we make ourselves Lord of our lives and decide to live our own way.

- Many of you here, you don’t think you’ve sinned before?

- Why?

- Because you think of sin as those really bad things, like murder, abortion, or adultery.

- And it is those things, but sin is also more than that.

- In essence it’s when we try and take control of our own life and live our own way apart from God.

- How many of you are doing that today?

- How many of you, like this son, have rebelled against your Father in heaven?

- Rebelled against your maker and creator?

- Rebelled against the one who loves you with an everlasting love?

- You’ve decided to live your own way

- You’ve ignored him

- Rejected Him

- And like the son, you’ve began to see Him as dead to you.

- Listen I have been in many of your shoes

- I grew up in the Church and I had praying parents…

- But at the age of 13 I had had enough.

- I turned away from God, I decided to live my own way.

- I sought after the approval of people and lived for their acceptance.

- Do any of you relate

- That’s where my value was found.

- I began living a life of selfishness, where I decided I would be in control of my life.

- Listen, for many of you, you’re living like this right now.

- You’ve believed the lie that freedom and fulfilment is found outside of a relationship with God.

- It’s a lie! Jesus came to give you abundant life!

- In John 10:10 Jesus says, the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy

- But I have come that you may have life and life more abundantly!

THE LIFE IN THE FAR COUNTRY

- So, as this story continues, we see the son travels out to a far country to spend his wealth.

- He goes out and it is there that he experiences all the pleasures this world offers.

- He had the wealth

- He had the popularity.

- He had the beautiful girls and bros, the friends…

- He lived recklessly, spending his days partying away

- But eventually the parties stopped…

- Eventually the money dried up

- Eventually the friends disappeared.

- And we read that a famine came and he was left with nothing.

- And just like that, everything he desired and built his life upon was gone.

- The story continues…

- Desperate to even be fed, this young man eventually found a job feeding pigs…

- Listen

- this is shocking, because for the Jews of this day, there wasn’t a worse job…

- To Jewish people pigs are unclean, yet here he was feeding them day in day out.

- Are there any huge Napoli fans here today?

- It’s like you having to wear your rival team’s shirt and dance around at the stadium as their mascot!

- In fact, it’s worse than that!

- And things got worse for the prodigal son too, because not only did he have to feed the pigs

- He became so hungry he began eating the very slop that was given to the pigs to feed on!

- He was physically, emotionally and spiritually defiled.

- Listen friends, Jesus here is giving us a picture of the trajectory of sin.

- Did you know the Bible said sin can be fun?

- In the Bible, in Hebrews 11:25-26 we’re told that there is pleasure in sin!

- Did you know that?

- But the second half of the verse is so important.

- It says that there is pleasure in sin, just for a season

- In other words, things may begin fun, but it will always end one way, in pain, darkness and despair

- For many of you this evening, the enemy has told you to run away

- He’s told you to make yourself Lord of your life and you’re excited.

- Your excited to drink, to take drugs, to have sex before marriage and live rebelliously…

- But listen, sin is a lie and it will never fulfill you.

- It’ll be advertised as fun, but it won’t show you the bill at the end where you’re feeding the pigs.

- And if you live for yourself and chase after sin, this is exactly where you’ll end up.

- And there are some of you here tonight and if you were honest you’d probably admit to being in the pigsty right now.

- Perhaps you’re facing the darkness of sexual sin such as pornography…

- Perhaps your drinking alcohol or you’re becoming addicted to drugs.

- Perhaps your carrying the pain and hurt of broken relationships

- When you first set out on the journey, you were promised so much but it’s led to despair.

- Listen, sin always leads to despair and death.

- Jim Carey, the actor who played The Grinch amongst other well-known films said…

- I wish everyone could become rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they could see it is not the answer.

- Here me… You will not find the joys of life that God has promised you outside of a relationship with Him.

- You may run away

- You may indulge in sin

- You may serve your own desires

- But apart from God, you will eventually end up physically, emotionally and spiritually defiled in the pig pens of this world

- But listen!

- This wasn’t the end of the story for the son, and it doesn’t have to be the end of the story for you.

- Do any of you remember those old split screen computer games?

- Back when I was younger we didn’t have the ability to play online like everyone does now.

- It was split-screen. Two people sat playing with wired controllers sharing the same screen.

- Well I want you to imagine this story in split screen, okay?

- On one side you have the son, despairing in the pigsty, eating the slops the pigs have left.

- On the other side you have the Father

- full of love, looking out into the distance, desperate to see his son come home.

- Tonight, despite the sin you find yourself entangled in,

- I want you to know you have a loving Father

- one who is waiting for you to come home.

- The Bible says that God shows his love in this, that whilst we were still sinners Christ died.

- In other words, when we were lost, broken and sinful, that’s when God sent Jesus to die for our sins

- Why?

- Because He loves you!

- The Bible says that God so loved you that He sent His one and only son to die for you

- and whoever believes in Him will not perish but will receive eternal life.

- Tonight, no matter how dark your life has become

- no matter what pigsty you find yourself feeding from

- Hear me. God loves you!

- And He desires you to come home tonight!

- You see, the son eventually came to his senses and realized what a mess his life was in.

- He realized that even as a servant in his father’s house would be better than anything he was in the far country.

- He rehearsed his speech and decided to took the journey home.

- I love what Jesus tells us here…

- That even when the son was a long way off, the waiting father saw Him, felt compassion, ran, embraced and kissed him.

- Listen, before this story, Jesus tells us the story of a lost sheep and a lost coin.

- And in both of these accounts, both owners are desperate to seek after that which was lost.

- It’s the same with the father in this story, and it’s the same with God.

- The Father was waiting, and when he saw the son he ran and embraced him – something that was shameful for a man to do in those days.

- I need you to hear me – God is chasing you down this evening

- It is not a mistake you are here tonight.

- It is not a mistake that you were asked to attend or invited along.

- God is seeking you!

- Can you hear him by His Holy Spirit calling you home tonight?

- Some of you sense something happening on the inside…

- That’s the Holy Spirit.

- He’s speaking to you in the tenderness of His love…

- Telling you that though you’ve run away, He’s never given up on you.

- In a moment, I am going to give you an opportunity to come forward to commit your life to Christ.

- But listen, did you notice that the son on his return never had the opportunity to finish his speech?

- He looks at the father and says ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

- And that is where the father cuts him off.

- Though the son expected to receive the status of a servant, (through the giving of the robe, ring and sandals), the Father returned to him the status of a son.

- The beauty of the Gospel is that you cannot work off your sin.

- Jesus who knew no sin, became sin, so that you could become the righteousness of God in Christ.

- Tonight, as your turn from your sin and run to your Father in heaven know your sins will be forgiven and restored.

- You don’t have to work for God’s acceptance.

- He accepts you in Jesus Christ, forgives your sin and loves you with an everlasting love.

- For this son in the story, was there any shame?

- No, it was the Father who experienced the shame by running to the son.

- Was there any punishment? Nope, there was no punishment for the son.

- Who paid for the sons reckless and sinful living? The father absorbed it, whilst giving his son robes of honor and a party for good measure.

- The Bible says that when just one sinner repents, the whole of heaven rejoices! (PUT I AM ANDREW SPIN ON IT HERE)