The Parable of the Prodigal Son

Introduction

In our time together today we study one of the greatest stories of the Bible. Outside the life of Christ and His journey to the cross, no other text moves me personally as much as the parable of the Prodigal Son. It would be just as easy to title this parable the parable of the Compassionate Father. And, for good reason. The focus of the parable is the love of the father. The parable is a front to the path each one of us has journeyed to be joined to Holy God. We were created by Him, we each have faltered in sin,

Scripture states:

Isaiah 53:6 “6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

And at some place in life’s journey, many in this room have realized as Dorothy did in the Wizard of Oz, that “there is no place like home.” There is no place as fulfilling than being joined to our Lord.

Finding home, finding our way back to our Creator has been a quest we all search out to find where is real joy? Where or in who do we find real happiness, real fulfillment in this life? Furthermore, everyone has been guilty of looking in all the wrong places only to find that real satisfaction, real peace, real fulfillment in life is found in the arms of our Heavenly Father. He created us and desires to be rejoined to us but there is a barrier, a sin barrier that must be addressed before that can take place. Jesus is the answer to our sin nature. God’s only Son died as His gift to mankind to wipe away your sin debt and He stands with arms wide open to receive you, only for the asking. Amen.

Turn in your Bibles this morning to:

Luke 15:11-32

Luke 15:11–32 NKJV

11 Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine 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 bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’ 20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. 25 “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’ 28 “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’ 31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ”

Prayer

Message

One can’t study the parable of the Prodigal Son without addressing the first 10 verses of Luke 15. For you see the parables are intertwined. The message Jesus conveys is interwoven in all three parables.

On this particular day that Jesus shared this parable and let’s remember what a parable is: Say this with me:

A Parable is an Earthly Story with a Heavenly Message

What is the scene here at the time Jesus shares this moving story?

Contemptuous Statement

Luke 15:1–3 NKJV

1 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying:

a. Consuming stirring to seek something better.

Crowds were continuing to build and the Scriptures state in Luke 15:1 that tax collectors and sinners were drawing in close to Jesus. They hungered for something better than life had presented to that point in their lives. They knew at that moment in time all of the experiences they had encountered, all the people they had been in relationship with, all the quests and accomplishments did not bring about true fulfillment. There was a yearning and a burning inside that hoped for something better.

In the fabric of our DNA and the fact we were created in the image of God we have a desire to seek His nature and until we find the source of that yearning, we never find real satisfaction.

In the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, one of the most famous lines spoken by the alien E.T. is

"E.T. phone home." – This iconic line is probably the most famous from the movie. E.T.. ET made that statement because he wanted to communicate with his home planet.

We as well are not truly content until we find our way to our Maker.

The tax collectors and sinners written about in the parable had such a desire. They wanted something more than this world offered and they had not found it until the time they met Jesus.

We see another nature at work that wars against our souls.

b. Constraining spirit

We also see in 15:1 that the Scribes and Pharisees were complaining “this man receives sinners and eats with them.”

Early in these verses we see two forces at odds and these forces battle for our souls.

In one corner we see the battle of conviction and the drawing of the Holy Spirit and those that were drawing near Jesus. In the other corner we see a constraining spirit and a spirit of defiance against the things of God and putting up a defense against real surrender. Satan implants in us a desire for self centeredness. Satan is at work to draw us away from our Creator.

Jesus shares three parables of lostness. Firstly, is the parable of the Lost Sheep. And he shares of the rejoicing that will take place when 1 lost sheep is returned.

Read:

Luke 15:4–7 NKJV

4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

Wayward Estate

These parables build upon the next parable. This parable reflects that we as sheep can not save ourselves. We do not even realize our lostness. A sheep’s head is down and it simply following the direction of an insatiable appetite to eat and consume what is in front of it with no consideration of its surroundings, conditions, or potential dangers that lurk ahead.

Due to the fact that we all have a sin nature, we all have an appetite to sin. Our appetites are insatiable unless a Shepherd intervenes to bring us under His control.

1 Peter 2:25 “25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

In our lostness, we do not have the ability within our own being to recognize our lostness, or even recognize our fallen estate. God’s Holy Spirit seeks us and convicts us and shows us the err of our ways.

The parable describes the man who rejoiced greatly and informs all of his friends and neighbors that he found his lost sheep.

Luke 15:7 “7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”

Worthless Existence

Next, He shares of the woman who had 10 coins and loses one.

Luke 15:8–10 NKJV

8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ 10 Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

This woman realizes she has something of great worth, but in its present state, it has no worth. She works frantically to find that worth that is apparently lost. Oh, the picture portrayed of the drive our heavenly Father has to find us and restore us to the worth we are in His care. The king’s face that is one the coin and the worth will only manifest value if it stays in circulation.

(Take a coin from my pocket and use a visual illustration)

The material that our coins come in are virtually with minimum value.

Ill. Sold and old washer & dryer-$8.00

The value of the coin is in its found state and being used for what it was intended, to be in circulation and to manifest its greatest value.

The parable makes clear that we will never realize our greatest worth until we are rejoined with the Lord and used for His purposes.

The first parable reflects that in our wayward estate, we have no future. The second parable reflects that if we continue to function in a lost estate, we will see the limits of our worthless existence and value until we have been found in Jesus.

We see a broad example of 1 sheep in 100. Then we see a cost coin, 1 out of ten.

And then we arrive to our parable that is our point of focus this morning. “A certain man had two sons.”

Compromised Standard

When we read this parable, one of the profound reasons we understand this parable is heavenly in its nature is that there is no mother mentioned in the parable. The “certain man” is a reminder of the constancy and compassion of a loving heavenly father. Let me say that at the onset the parable is as much about the elder son as it is about the younger son. Two sons, two consistent sin conditions. Two different out comes. One is far from God and far away. One is far from God and in close proximity.

Firstly, we can determine from this parable that in our waywardness, we can be distant and away and we can be close and on the fringes of God and still have a lost nature.

Jesus was sharing this parable with Pharisees and Scribes in the crowd as he was sharing the story. The elder son represents those that are religious and outwardly, they appear to be in relationship with God, but yet are far away from genuine relationship with a loving father. They are legalist and pharisaic in nature and think that a set of rules or standards of life will be what has them in right relationship with a Holy God. They feel as if their goodness will save them.

One of the commonly circulated quotes from Billy Graham is that "the greatest mission field we have today is within the church membership itself." This statement from the late Dr. Billy Graham supports the sentiment that a substantial portion of churchgoers may not have a genuine relationship with Christ.

In a room this size there is a chance that we have some professing Christians, but in actuality are practicing Atheist. You believe that life and a doorway to God and heaven is entered by a standard of life rather than being sold out to the person of Jesus Christ.

In v. 12, of the two sons, the younger son asked of his father to receive his inheritance prematurely. He wanted to receive the inheritance that was due him and to gather his items and get out and see the world. I described this curious nature as an appetite as spelled out in the lost sheep.

Ill. Young children will wander and hide away or go beyond the boundaries spelled out by parents. We notice our little granddaughter Holly with each passing time she comes and as she develops, she wanders just a little farther expanding her comfort zone.

So, the text reveals that the father gave the younger son his one third inheritance. It was commonplace for a Jewish man to receive from his father as spelled out in Deut. 21:17, but not until the time of his death.

In this story, we see a father that is immutable, never changing, a father of constancy and compassion and love for a son. He loves his son and I imagine he warned him away from his decision. But, in his great love, he loved him enough to allow to make his own choices.

Genesis 3:8–9 “8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?””

How did the Lord say “where are you?” He did not say that statement with an authoritarian tone. He said it with a tone of compassion.

Oh dearly beloved, God knows well our fallen estate as in the case of the garden scene. Do you believe it is happenstance that the Lord walked in the garden at that moment without knowing Adam and Eve’s demise?

He knows where you are heading, he knows where you will end up. He knows your sins before you even commit them. And he knew the outcome of his son’s choice and I imagine he warned him of his decision.

There are triggers we see that God places in our beings that say, warning, warning, warning, move away.

Ill. Place of business. Friend. A compromised situation was looming with a coworker and I sensed it immediately when I walked into the place.

“journey to a far country, there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.”

Prodigal-riotous, lavish, a life contrary to his upbringing, a life that went beyond what he knew was right and wrong.

These words so vividly paint the picture of a son that had traveled to a dark place foreign to his upbringing. He was making choices out of character. And he was being sucked into carousing, fornication, partying, dancing, wine, women and song and it was all fun for a season.

Dearly beloved, let’s not water it down. Sin is fun for a season. If sin wasn’t fun initially, none of us would be allured to it. But its fun for a season and no parable better expresses the downhill spiral that sin carries us better than this parable.

Listen to the Word of God about the allure of sin:

Proverbs 14:12 “12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”

Proverbs 5:3–4 “3 For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil; 4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword.”

Galatians 6:7–8 “7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”

We have discussed the principle of sowing many times. You always reap more than you sow. If you sow sin, the consequences have a multiplying price paid for your actions.

Oh dear church, you may be here in attendance today just like the elder son and by all appearances everything is fine, but you know you are far from God. You know you are living a life in contradiction to the things of God or your overall heart is not where it should be with God. Or, you may be wandering and very distant from the things of God for those listening this morning by happenstance on social media.

Please listen to this statement and take it to heart:

For Every Big Blow Out of Sin Against God there will be a Bereavement Before God for Your Actions.

Luke 15:14 “14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.”

Verse 14 is the reality that life has its way of getting our undivided attention. Verse 14 begins the turning point of the young man’s quest. Do you believe a loving God allows things to come about in our life to draw us to Him?

Unfortunately, many people have to hit rock bottom before they can rise and seek a better situation.

The story continues that the young “man joined himself as a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.” His life was the stark opposite life of ideal for a young Jewish man’s life than what he or his father had envisioned for him.

How many people do you know that either they would say of themselves or you might say of them, “I never saw his or her life turning out that way.”

The young man followed the path of Lot. In the story of Lot’s beginnings were that he pointed his tent toward Sodom and Gomorrah. Later, He became a citizen of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Sin can be like the Bible describes “strong drink.”

Proverbs 31:6 “6 Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to those who are bitter of heart.”

Meaning that strong drink dulls our senses. The more you sin in an area, the more dulled you become and hardened to that sin.

Luke 15:16 “16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.”

Confessional Sorrow

Luke 15:17–19 “17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’”

Oh dearly beloved, “when he came to himself” was the stirring of the Holy Spirit drawing Him back toward fellowship with the Father. Oh dear friend today its just that easy. Listen to your conscious. God gave you a conscious. He gave you the ability to know right from wrong. He has implanted in you the still small voice of His will for your life. But there are times as maybe you face at this moment that it is like thunder or an earthquake and He is calling, He is bellowing, he is shouting for you to come back to Him.

The whole time the young man was heading back home, he recited words of humility to confess to his father his wrongdoing. He was sorrowful. He would have been glad to simply be a hireling of his father. Listen to what he recited:

“Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. And, I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” He recited that all the way home and as He gets in the sight of home listen to what happens.

Compassionate Savior

Luke 15:20–23 “20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;”

Oh dearly beloved, just as this son had rehearsed a long practiced statement of sorrow for what he had done, the father would not even let him get the words out of his mouth. He told his servants:

Get out the robe, get his ring, prepare a fatted calf, let’s eat, let’s be merry. My son was dead and alive again. He was lost and now he’s found. And they began to be merry.”

We think it has to be so difficult and the fact that we must earn our salvation. Scripture states that salvation is a gift of God.

Ephesians 2:8 “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,”

The son agonized over reconciliation. The father made it easy. Oh dear brother or sister if you have been far from God, he is available to you right now. He wants you to come home to Him. Just come down on the first stanza of the hymn and make known your decision.

Our nature can be so much like the elder brother who was just as far from God. He thought that a relationship with his father was an earned relationship. He thought his goodness was what kept him in right standing with his father.

Are you one here today that thinks because you come to church, that you give financially to the things of God, you do not cheat, you do not steal, “you do not drink , you do not chew and you do not hang around those that do” that will somehow make you okay in God’s eyes.

Luke 18:19 “19 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.”

Dearly beloved, it is not one’s good standing that makes us alright in God’s eyes. Jesus is our gracious savior that makes us alright in the Father’s eyes.

Let’s pray.