Runaway

Welcome Home!

It is Easter Sunday… a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. On this day the followers of Jesus arrived at a tomb that had been opened wide. At His death on the Cross, Jesus had opened wide the curtain in the tabernacle, indicating that the New Covenant was established. Mankind was invited in to God’s presence. The open tomb offers us the same message today!

The parable of the Prodigal Son could be considered a strange passage to use on Easter Sunday unless through this passage we can understand better the heart of the Father and a really important truth – “No matter how far I’ve gone, no matter how long it’s been, I can always come home.”

The late Rev. Timothy Keller said, “If the teaching of Jesus is likened to a lake, this famous Parable of the Prodigal Son would be one of the clearest spots where we can see all the way to the bottom.”

The parable of the lost son is a beautiful illustration of the essentials of the message of Christ.  In this story there is:

· A father with two sons

· The younger asked for inheritance, receives it, leaves, and squanders it on sensual and frivolous pleasure.

· The younger brother ultimately returns home and is received with open arms by the father.

· The story closes with the father appealing to his firstborn son to join in the welcome and forgiveness of his younger brother

Runaway

Today and for a a couple of weeks we will be taking time to understand this parable but this week I want to look specifically at the thoughts, behaviors, and, ultimately, the return of the younger son.

Luke 15:11–13 (NIV) 11Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons.

12The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. 13“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country ...

I want to add one other thing that helps bring the parable into focus…the definition of the word prodigal. According to the dictionary prodigal means “extravagantly wasteful; profuse, abundant”.  It means to spend until nothing is left.   The term best describes the FATHER; His welcome to the son was reckless, because He refused to “reckon” or count his sin against him or demand repayment.

2 Corinthians 5:18–21 (NIV) 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Jesus never named this parable “The Prodigal of the Lost Son”.  In fact, He began with, “a man had two sons”.

Why Do People Run from God?

In our parable we see that the younger son gets it in his mind that he wants to take his inheritance and leave home. When I was a boy the image of leaving home was a boy putting a bunch of stuff into a bandana, tying it onto a stick, and leaving for the afternoon. I wish I had a story but I never figured there was any future in it. There was certainly no where else to go.

Sadly, not only do children leave home, some of God’s children run from Him. I think some of the reasons people run are:

God’s boundaries feel like restrictions or punishment.

They don’t want limits or rules. They want to do their own thing, their way and don’t want to feel the disapproval of others.

They want to prove they don’t need anyone or anything.

They don’t want anyone else’s way, or God’s way. They want to do things their way.

Disappointment with people leads to anger towards God.

If parents or “supposed church friends” could “do them like that”, they wanted no part of God.

Poor relationship choices.

It’s easier to run than to face the results of failure.

Personally, I think this is a really sad reason. We all fail. We are all imperfect. But some people when they fail feel that there is no recovery. There is!

Addiction.

         Something else takes control of their lives.

Habit.

Some behaviors are learned behaviors. Maybe running was the way your parents dealt with things. Sometimes our behaviors are generational and we need to break out of the “ruts” of that behavior by adopting a Godly mindset.

Loneliness.

These and more are all reasons “youngest sons” make the decision to leave the Father’s home. The reality is…there is a big difference between what they are thinking and the truth.

What Runaways Really Experience

When I run, I leave:

· Home.

· The safety of home. 

· The security of home.

· The blessings of home. 

· The love of home.

When I run from God:

I make bad decisions.

Luke 15:13 (NIV) 13“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.

I lose. 

Luke 15:14a (NIV) 14After he had spent everything…

My plans fail.

Luke 15:14 (NIV) 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.

I end up embarrassed and ashamed.

Luke 15:15 (NIV) 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.

Can you imagine the moment that the son comes to his senses as he finds himself desiring the food the pig eats?

I am alone.

Luke 15:16 (NIV) 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

Principle: There is a connection between what is happening in my life and what I have decided about God.

I’m not talking about church, although I believe that a church should be a healthy place to receive these, I am talking about being in Christ. Enjoying a place, safety, security, blessings, and love from Christ and together in a community of believers.

The Father’s Front Door is Always Open

No matter how far I’ve gone, no matter how long it’s been, I can always come home.

Video

Luke 15:17–20 (NIV) 17“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

Grace is not by works! Within sight of the house his father runs to him! (not at all typical). He gives him the best robe of the house – immediately restored to the family…no groveling, no repayment plan.  The Father covers the son with the robes of his office and honor. [Salvation]

I love the response of Jesus to Peter and the other disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. It wasn’t the first time Jesus appeared to them after His resurrection but it was an important one

John 21:4–5 (NIV) 4Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. 5He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered.

Easter is a reminder that the door is wide open!

God’s love and forgiveness can pardon and restore any and every kind of sin or wrongdoing.  It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done.  It doesn’t matter if you’ve deliberately oppressed or even murdered people, or how much you’ve abused yourself.  The younger brother knew that in his father’s house there was abundant “food to spare,” but he also discovered that there was grace to spare. – Timothy Keller

Today you have the opportunity to set your mind and heart at ease. Come Home! If you want to Come Home today I encourage you to pray this prayer with me this morning:

Father, thank you for your invitation to come home. I thank you for providing your Son, Jesus Christ, for my sins. I give you my life. Forgive my sins. Thank you for your love! I’m glad to be home.

If you prayed that prayer with me and recommitted your life to Jesus or invited Him into your heart for the 1st time, I would be encouraged by seeing your hand raised.