Untitled Sermon (2)

Luke 15:11-32 “The prodigal Son” Introduction: Have you ever had a child that was rebellious? Think back to what it’s like to be on the other side of a child’s rebellion—the desperation, the love, the mercy, maybe even the anger. A broken heart. Realizing the pain and suffering your child is putting themselves through is never easy for a parent. Whether it’s a struggle with drug addiction, alcohol abuse, pornography, or simply a defiant attitude, the reality is this: your child is still your child. And when they come to their senses, when they return to the life you know they’re meant to live, we hope to welcome them back with open arms—just as God does for us. Now, that might be hard for some of us to hear. You might be thinking, “You don’t know what they’ve done, how much pain they’ve caused, how much they’ve cost me.” And you’re right; I may not fully understand. But what I do know is this: if we are to be image-bearers of our Father, then we are called to love our children as He has loved us—without resentment, without hate, without neglect. Instead, we’re to show them mercy, love, and grace. This morning, we’re going to look at the “Parable of the Prodigal Son” and explore how our Heavenly Father responds when we return to Him. But first we need to set the scene of what’s going on in this time frame. Set the Scene Leading up to the parable of the prodigal son tensions began to grow with religious leaders and their view of Jesus’s teachings. We know this because of the parable in Luke 14 known as the parable of the great banquet. In this parable Jesus contrasts their view on social status, humility, and who will be invited to the banquet of Gods kingdom. He begins to teach them the difference in Gods heart for people and the legalistic mindset that they themselves indulged in. On top of this they also continue to question why Jesus continues to eat and dwell amongst sinners. We know this through verses 1 and 2 in chapter 15 This is where the Bible tells us of the people who are now gathered around Jesus as he begins to tell these parables. 4 titles but 2 groups of people (tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees, and scribes)

Tax collectors: hated amongst Jewish culture. They were Jewish people who had bought into the tyranny of a Roman government. They were collecting taxes against their very own people and turning it into a government system that was completely against their culture. They were using the money they collected for personal financial gain, and they were giving it to a government who was handcuffing their own people. Be like an American citizen at the base of the twin towers on sept 12 raising money to fund Al-Qaeda's next terrorism attach. Sinners: which most scholars' believer to be sex workers and people who the culture at the time deemed as unclean. Pharisees: religious people who fell under strict adherence to the law of Moses and oral traditions. Scribes: trained experts in Jewish law and scripture. Basically these 4 types of sinners fell under 2 categories. Out right Sinners Religious sinners All of this leads to the parable of the prodigal son which is led by two other smaller parables. The parable of the lost sheep Which is a story of a good Shepard who left his 99 good sheep to go and find the one who wandered off. Jesus is just using this to explain to them Gods active pursuit for the one more lost soul. What does this mean we should do? What should our outlook be on that one who is lost from the 99? Too often we get so comfortable in our church setting that instead of letting the one into our 99, or going to find that one more, we like to circle the wagon and fend them off so that we can protect what we have. Whereas God wants us to go and find these lost souls. We often times will say yea that’s great just there’s no room here. It’s like building a hospital and then turning away sick people when they show up at the front door. Why did they show up? They were sick, they were bleeding, they needed help, they needed a physician. Why do people show up at Church? They are sick, and weary, broken, and in desperate need of the great physician to heal them. And it is our job as the church to welcome and to seek after these sick and broken people because every time we do the kingdom rejoices for one more was lost but now is found. Jesus goes on to tell the parable of the lost coin after this. This is a story of a women who had 10 coins but lost one.

But instead of letting it go and not worrying about it. She views that coin as valuable. And what happens? She turns her house inside out. She disturbs what is found to seek that one that is lost. Bethlehem im here to tell you this morning that I don’t mind disturbing what is found if that means we can find the one that is lost today. Read scripture v. 11-32 Observations of the text What does sin do to us and how does it affect us? V. 11-16 We see sin destroy our lives But it doesn’t start out that way for the younger son and it usually never starts that way for us. No one ever starts with fentanyl or starts out looking to be a raging alcoholic It starts out with oh just try it, it’s just a little weed. Or it’s just one drink what’s the big deal. And before you know it you now can’t function without being high and on top of that the life you were living is no more. Now you are leveraging your life to get that high one more time. Or instead of looking forward to getting home to see your wife and kids now you look forward to getting home and getting that first beer. Or better than that no one ever starts out by saying I can’t wait to go to divorce court on Monday.

Instead, it started months prior by just going to lunch with that girl you should be going to lunch with. Or what’s the big deal I just added them on Snapchat. Or talking a little too long to the man in the office next to you. And now you're in court dividing your stuff and time you get to spend with your kids. But it didn’t start out that way, did it? It starts by thinking you're just going to have a little fun maybe take the edge off or think “I’ve got this” I’ll know when to stop. We cannot dabble in sin because your sin is never just a trip. You think you can start and stop it on your terms, but you can’t. How do I know? V. 13 tells us the son went on a journey. That’s always the destination of sin. We think we are just taking a trip but in reality, we always get suckered into taking a journey. Sin will always take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and charge you more than you want to pay! And then before you know it, you're in the same pig pen as the younger son. You’ll find yourself in a foreign place wondering how the heck you got here, and you will be longing for the things that you once took for granted. V. 17-19 We see sin break us. What do I mean? The reality is your sin will break you. Whether in this life or the next. You will either realize here on earth you are a sinner and in need of a savior or you’ll realize it in hell when you're crying out lord lord just as Jesus said in Mathew 7. Your probably thinking Case that’s tough or a little extreme but that is the reality of sin. And as a matter of fact, that has been my prayer all week. That your sin would break you now. That you would come to a point in your life where you realize you are in need of something that you don’t have the means to fix.

And this is where we see the son realize just that. He comes to his senses to realize that he needs something that only his father could provide. So, the son begins to recite his apology towards dad. Have any of us been there before? We also see that the son knew to turn back to the father and that he could turn back to his father. Do your kids know that? V. 20-24 We see the result of our repentance Now the younger son's theology was completely wrong. We see that he was under the impression that if he came back to his father his son's ship rights would be lost but maybe the father would allow him to be a servant. I point this out because the teaching point for us is that even if your theology is messed up. Even if you don’t understand substitutionary atonement or if you can’t explain systematic theology, it doesn’t matter. If you turn back to the father and repent, he will always welcome you back into his arms. In fact, we see the dad humble himself and run to his son. Culturally this would have been very humiliating for a middle eastern Jewish man. Running was for people who did not have their affairs in order. Typically, you would run to the one who was well respected not the other way around. And when he gets a hold of his son. How does he welcome him? Rebuke, yelling, screaming, cussing? No, we see him greet him with a hug and kisses The son begins to apologize to his dad, but his dad doesn’t even let him finish. Instead, he clothes them in his robe of righteousness and covers the son's filth. Church this is what the father does for you he doesn’t care if you’re nasty or dirty or filthy or covered in pig crap he always welcomes you back home and covers you in his robe righteousness. And the text tells us he gives him a ring. Which is like a signet ring. The type of ring that you would stamp not wax with to mark where the letter was coming from. This is important because only sons got rings. Only a son bared the father's name. This is the dad marking the son back into the family. Giving him what he didn’t deserve. This paints a picture of the father's grace that he has for us.

And he gave the son shoes because only sons got shoes and not the servants. And then the father plans a party to celebrate because what was lost is now found. And he kills the fattened calf A calf can’t be fattened overnight He was planning for the return. Men and women, he is ready to celebrate when you return, and he is planning for it right now. He is hopeful that you will return to your rightful place. V. 25-32 We see the need for continued repentance. Our unrepentant heart leads to a self-righteous lifestyle. Church the reality is that the longer you attend church if you don’t guard yourself and continue to repent and remain humble the more Kiley you are to become the second son in the parable. The first issue the text shows us that when the son had an issue instead of going directly to the father he went to the servant. Just as more often than not we too will go to one of the lord's servants rather than turning directly to the father when we have a problem. You might think that’s a little extreme but ask me how I know? I have been that guy, to go pastor lon with a list of issues complaining what about this and what about that. Instead of just turning to my heavenly father and letting him work on the posture of my heart first. Then we see the anger of the son arise and he begins to wonder “what about me", "I've done this, and I’ve done that” It’s always me me me me for the self-righteousness one But luckily for us we serve a father who once again will humble himself not only for the repentant one who doesn’t deserve it but also the self-righteous one who doesn’t think they need it. Which leads the father to entreat his son Entreat: to beg earnestly

What’s my point? Church, we serve a God who begs us to turn from our self-righteousness. A God who gets on his knees and earnestly begs us to come home But the son exclaims this son of yours (instead of this brother of mine) because self-righteousness divides, has defiled your property and wasted away what you gave him with prostitutes. And you kill the fattened calf for him? WHAT ABOUT ME? But the father explains everything I have is already his. But the son thought the relationship was one where “I hold up my end and you hold up yours” whereas the father was telling him it doesn’t matter what you do you are my son, and I love you. You don’t have to earn my love. You don’t have to do soem5ing to remain my son. You are already my son. And what I have is already yours. Or as Jesus would say in John's gospel “abide in me and I, in you” (John 15:4 And because of that type of thinking your brother was lost but now because he is found, or now because he understands the love I have for him. We have reason to celebrate. Conclusion Socks: cat, prostitute, reckless living. Case: self righteous, wrote the cat off, who cares about that cat. What about me. Courtney: the owner who deemed the cat as valuable .