The Tale of Two Sons
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
On December 26, 2002, Jack Whittaker’s life changed forever.
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Jack had grown up in West Virginia and he knew that it was like to be poor.
At the age of 55 all of that had changed.
It had changed with a lot of hard work and perseverance.
He had managed to scrape himself up out of the ruts of life working in the construction industry.
He now owned a company that laid water and sewer pipes in new construction subdivisions.
All of the hard work had made him a happy and apparently fulfilled man.
His company employed more than 100 people and all those who knew Jack felt that he was a good fellow.
He had some quirks and wanted the job done right but as long as it was completed efficiently Jack was easy to deal with.
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He was married to a wife, Jewell, of 40 years and had a granddaughter that he doted on.
It was overall a good life and from the appearance of things it was about to improve in a major way.
On the morning of December 26, 2002, Jack took a little small ticket from his pocket and cashed in.
It wasn’t just a little nickel and dime’s worth of winnings but Jack had become the largest winner of Powerball since its inception.
His ticket was worth $314 million A day would come when all the West Virginians would shudder to think of what had happened with Jack’s life but not on the morning of December 26, 2002.
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By the time that taxes had taken a cut, Jack come away with less than half of the money which was still quite a payday.
Almost $114 million was pocketed.
After making rounds on all the morning shows, Jack actually demonstrated an idea that maybe he was level-headed enough to manage all of the wealth that had suddenly been dumped in his lap.
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Brenda, who had served him biscuits as a waitress at a small restaurant in town, benefited greatly.
Jack bought here a house for $123,000 and then wrote her a check for $44,000.
She was dumbfounded and tried to talk him out of it but he would not hear of it.
It greatly touched Brenda because she had grown up on welfare and had literally lived from hand-to-mouth her entire life.
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It wasn’t long before the problems begin to show up.
One night Jack walked into a club that offered all sorts of fleshly fares and dropped $15,000 on the bar and told the bar’s owner that the night was on him.
He said that he wanted all to indulge until they couldn’t take any more.
So the downfall started at the Pink Pony.
It progressed from there to the racetrack and gaming centers and the money got to Jack.
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Jewell was trying her best to lead a semblance of the way that life used to be.
She continued to go to church and took the Bible “literally” as she says.
She greatly disapproved of Jack’s drinking, gambling, and otherwise “horsing around.”
Because of her disapproval it was sort of like the stimulus that pulls filings to a magnet, Jack just started trying to ride bigger “horses.”
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With this change on the inside, some outward changes soon followed.
He once took pride in his appearance, now his clothes were wrinkled and soiled with food and drink and his negligence with a razor gave him the look of a run-down hobo.
When he came to the bars, his presence was that of extreme arrogance and belligerence that few really wanted to be around him but because of his Powerball winnings, people felt obligated to put up with his antics.
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But the trouble at home escalated.
His granddaughter, Brandi, suddenly lost her grandfather but she had huge wads of cash to take his place.
It was nothing for her to have $5,000 a day to spend.
Because she had money, her set of friends also changed because it changed her too.
Some predators who sold drugs soon enticed her into smoking marijuana which progressed to crack cocaine and finally to methamphetamines.
She was hooked.
Before long a kid would die at Jack’s house because of a drug overdose.
A combination of oxycodone, methadone, Demerol, and cocaine and the only person who could buy those sorts of drugs was Brandi.
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On December 24, 2005, Jack and his-estranged wife, Jewell were sitting at Brandi’s funeral.
She died of an overdose a few days before.
The music that was played at the funeral was by Nelly, a rapper, who rapped out “Nobody Knows” that contain the lines:
Nobody told me nothing that would help me to ease my pain . . . I’ve been searching for something, for someone to help me find my way.
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Jack and Jewell are trying to put their lives back together and Jewell now says, “I wish I would have torn the ticket up."
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What a sad story, Beloved.
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So many people have this false idea that an abundance of money and possessions will lead to happiness and joy...
Well, that is just not so....
Money and possessions may bring with it short bursts of temporary happiness...
But those material things can’t bring someone eternal joy...
And that reality was learned the hard way by the prodigal son.
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 15 and focus on verses 11 through 32.
Our message this morning is titled “The Tale of Two Sons.”
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As you are turning to our passage today please keep in mind this fact...
The parable that we will be studying today is not just about the prodigal son...
It is also about the older son and the father of both these sons.
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So, this morning we will cover three main points:
1) The Lost Son
2) The Father’s Forgiveness
And...
3) The Rebuked Son
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
You are the totally awesome and mighty Creator of all things seen and unseen...
You are like no other!
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Help us to better appreciate the blessings you shower us with...
Help us to be content and satisfied with what you have already given us...
And take away any unhealthy longings for the things which may ham us!
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Thank You for not always giving us what we ask of You...
And thank You for giving us the things we need that we didn’t even know we needed...
We are blessed to have the Holy Spirit praying on our behalf!
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And it is in Jesus’ name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
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.
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 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.
27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’
28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him,
29 but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.
30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’
31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’ ”
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) The Lost Son
1) The Lost Son
Verses 11-16: And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 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. 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. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
Beloved, before we dive into this parable we need to pay attention to the context of what has been previously shares in our study...
The point to focus on is that this parable is part of a trilogy of parables that Jesus shares in response to Him being criticized by the religious elite for ministering to sinners and tax collectors.
We covered all this and the first two of these three parables last week when we examined Luke 15:1-11, which says:
1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.
2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
3 So he told them this parable:
4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that 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 his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’
7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?
9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’
10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons.
Now, as valuable as sheep and coins might be to a person, the loss and recovery of a son are of even greater importance...
And that is where we will pick up our study as we examine our passage for today.
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Now, to better understand our passage, I believe it makes sense to look at this wonderful summary by the beloved and late Bible expositor, John MacArthur, who said:
“The parable of the prodigal son is the most familiar and beloved of all Christ’s parables.
It is one of the longest and most detailed parables.
And unlike most parables, it has more than one lesson.
The prodigal is an example of sound repentance.
The elder brother illustrates the wickedness of the Pharisees’ self-righteousness, prejudice, and indifference toward repenting sinners.
And the father pictures God, eager to forgive, and longing for the return of the sinner.
The main feature, however, as in the other two parables in this chapter, is the joy of God, the celebrations that fill heaven when a sinner repents.”
So, we can’t lose that focus when we are studying our passage today...
The main lesson of this parable is the joy of God and the celebration of sinners repenting and believing...
The main point of this and the other two parables is a focus on the ones who were at one time lost but now have been found...
And that is the story of every single born-again believer.
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Now, the demand by the prodigal son, in our passage, to his father when he said, “give me the share of property that is coming to me” is a completely shocking demand as this was tantamount to saying he wished his father were dead.
You see Beloved, the prodigal son was not entitled to any inheritance while his father still lived.
However, the father graciously fulfilled the request by giving his son his full share...
An act that would have also been shocking to Jesus’ hearers.
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Now, the share that would have been given to the younger son would have been one-third of the entire estate.
The reason for this is that the right of the firstborn was to give the elder brother a double portion.
The prodigal as the younger son would get one-third and his older brother would bet two-thirds.
The Pillar New Testament Commentary on Luke adds this additional important context:
“The younger son’s request shames both his father and his family.
It is a certified public statement that he no longer wishes to live within or be identified by the family.
In requesting what should become available only at his father’s death, the son is, in effect, writing his father’s death certificate.
In ancient Jewish society, that was a virtually unforgivable offense.”
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Now, before everyone starts thinking about how awful this prodigal son is...
And before we can think to ourselves, “How could a son do this to his family?”
I want to bring this point to your attention.
This act by the prodigal son...
This act is truly an accurate picture of all of us...
For all of us at one point was a sinner who wasted their potential privileges and refuse any relationship with God...
All of us start off that way...
None of us can claim to not have been lost at one point!
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So, before we start judging the shortcomings of the prodigal son...
Before we judge others...
Let us humbly look at who we once were.
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We were all sinners who chose a life of sinful self-indulgence...
And that made us lost sons and daughters...
Praise the Lord, many of those lost sons and daughters have been found by the Lord and they are now followers of Christ...
However, there are many who are still lost to this day and they are in desperate need of the Good Shepherd.
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Now, as if it were not bad enough that the prodigal son dishonored his father, ignored his responsibility to the family, and set off on a wasteful course of sinful pleasure, he then travelled to a distant country, meaning a Gentile region (as was all territory outside of Israel).
The reason for this is that he wanted to sin beyond the range of all accountability, far away from his father and the villagers, who scorned him for his disgraceful behavior.
His action symbolizes the foolishness of the sinner trying to flee from God, to whom he does not want to be answerable.
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How many of you who are listening to this message right now...
When you sin try to hind and run away so you can sin in secret?
As we see with this parable, trying to hide one’s sin never works out very well...
Sooner or later it will be exposed.
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For example, if you spent even a few minutes on any social media platform this week...
Then you have probably seen that CEO and his coworker who were exposed to be having an affair at that Coldplay concert...
Beloved, they tried to hide their sin...
They even ran from the cameras that were filming them...
But it was too late!
God exposed their sin to the whole world to see...
Which serves as a warning to all of us...
Live you life in secret the way you live your life in public...
Live your life as if God is in your presence for He truly sees everything you and I are doing.
Those who have nothing to hide are not afraid of the light...
Those who love their secret sin love the darkness for they foolishly think that that can hide their sin...
But it can’t!
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In our parable the prodigal son may have ran off to sin in a different country...
However, his older brother, as we will see later in this passage, is already aware that his younger brother is keep the company of prostitutes and living a wicked life.
In fact, the Greek word for “reckless” or “loose” living in some translations means “dissolute,” or “wasteful,” and conveys the idea of a life of utterly debauchery.
So, this was not merely wasteful extravagance, but also wanton immorality!
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With all this new wealth, the prodigal son does to invest it wisely...
But foolishly uses it to gratify his flesh with the filth and temporary pleasures of this world!
However, Scripture warns us of the consequences of our unwise choices...
As Proverbs 13:18 says:
18 Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored.
Likewise Proverbs 21:17 says:
17 Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
Proverbs 28:19 says:
19 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.
Furthermore, Proverbs 29:3 lays out this very relevant piece of wisdom:
3 He who loves wisdom makes his father glad, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.
And finally, Psalm 107:17 wisely says:
17 Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
And I could go on and on but I believe those verse make the point clear...
Generally speaking, living a life that is filled with un wise choices will lead to poverty and destruction.
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Now, hard on the heels of the prodigal son bankrupting himself came another disaster, this one not of his own making:
A severe famine occurred in that country.
Famine was a dreaded and deadly scourge that was all too common in the ancient world.
For those who are wise, they would be able to weather the storm...
But for the unwise...
It was too much!
So, the prodigal son’s own bad decisions, coupled with the severe external crisis brought about by the famine, brought him to an inconceivable level of desperation.
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In fact, the fact that the prodigal son had to feed pigs was the worst sort of degradation imaginable for Jesus’ Jewish audience...
The reason for this is that pigs were the worst sort of unclean animals.
Additionally, the statement that the prodigal son desired to eat the pods with the pigs was really saying something...
You see, Beloved, those pods refer to carob pods which was used to feed pigs but was virtually undigestible for humans.
So, in other words, the only reason he did not eat the same food as the pigs is that he really could not!
Furthermore, no one was giving him anything to eat which meant that he could not even make out a living by begging.
That also means all his worldly friends all deserted him in his time of great need.
His situation could hardly have been more desperate...
And that desperate state of the prodigal son...
That perfectly illustrates our desperate state when we don’t have a saving relationship with God!
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So, what is the prodigal son going to do now?
Well, let’s take a look at our next point to get get some answers.
2) The Father’s Forgiveness
2) The Father’s Forgiveness
Verses 17-24: “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! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’ 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. 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.’ 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. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
So, the prodigal son carefully contemplated what he would say to his father who who terribly sinned against and counted the cost of his repentance.
That Beloved, is a sign of true repentance.
The Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament on Luke has this great note for us to consider:
“The son decides what he will tell his father:
He will place himself at his father’s discretion, assert no rights, and recognize that he has no claims.
He is unworthy of being received as a family member.
His request is simply for daily care and sustenance as a day laborer, the lowest of three classes of laborers.
A slave was like part of the family, although part of the lower class.
The day laborer was hired only on special occasions for one day at a time, and so was less cared for.
The son’s request shows that he wants to be a minimal burden.
He is prepared to be the lowest of the low.
As one of these laborers, he still will be better off than he now is on his own.
He accepts the consequences of his choices.
There are no excuses, only confession and a humble request.
The picture shows what repentance looks like:
No claims, just reliance on God’s mercy and provision.”
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One of the most important aspects of true repentance is to understand that all our sin is ultimately against God first and foremost...
This brings to mind the words of David when he says this in Psalm 51:4:
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
Likewise, consider what is recorded in Psalm 32:3–5, which says:
3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
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Now, before the prodigal son entered the village Jesus said his father saw him, indicating that he had been watching, waiting, suffering silently, hoping himself that one day his shameful son would return.
The scribes and Pharisees would have expected that if the son did return, the father, to maintain his own honor, would initially refuse to see him.
Instead, he would make him sit in the village outside the gate of the family home for days in shame and disgrace.
When he did finally grant his son an audience, it would be a cool reception as the son humbled himself before his father.
He would be expected to tell his son what works he would need to perform to make full restitution for his prodigality, and for how long, before he could be reconciled as a son to his father.
All of that was consistent with the rabbis’ teaching that repentance was a good work performed by sinners that could eventually earn God’s favor and forgiveness.
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However, that cultural expectation was shattered by Jesus when He said the father, on seeing his son, felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him...
And here is another point to take into consideration...
It was obviously represented as daylight, since he would not have been able to see his son at any great distance at night.
The village would have been bustling with activity, and the father was determined to reach his son before he entered the village, with the intent to protect him from the shame of the taunts, scorn, and abuse that would be heaped upon him by the villagers as soon as they recognized him.
The father’s compassion for his son spurred him into action before the abuse could start.
What a beautiful picture, Beloved!
This brings to mind passages like 1 John 1:9 which says:
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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To the utter amazement of the Lord’s hearers, the details of the story convey that the father took the son’s shame upon himself and then immediately reconciled him to the full honor of sonship.
Incredibly, this shameful humbling is seen in his eagerness to reach him, because he ran to meet his son.
Middle Eastern noblemen do not run.
Determined to reach his son before he entered the village received the taunts of the town, the father literally sprinted to him.
For a man of his status and importance to run in public was, and still is, unheard of.
Running necessitated gathering up the long robes worn by men and women alike and thus exposing the legs, which was considered shameful.
He became at that time the object of shame—taking shame on himself to prevent shame on his son.
Even more shocking was what he did when he reached the prodigal; he embraced him despite his impoverished filthiness and the vile rags he wore and repeatedly kissed him.
Here in this father the Lord Jesus Christ presents Himself, the one who left the glory of heaven, came to earth and bore the shame and humility to embrace repentant sinners, who come to Him in faith, and give them complete forgiveness and reconciliation.
As it says in Ephesians 2:4–5:
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
Furthermore, take a look with me at Romans 5:8, which says:
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
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So, the father’s eagerness and joy at his son’s return is unmistakable.
Additionally, note that the son did not get to finish his rehearsed words of repentance before the father interrupted to grant forgiveness.
This pictures God’s eagerness to forgive.
From Genesis 3:8 to Revelation 22:17, from the fall to the consummation, God has been and will be seeking to save sinners, and rejoicing each time one repents and is converted.
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Here is another fact we can take away from our passage...
Each of the father’s gifts said something unique about his acceptance of the son:
The robe was normally reserved for the guest of honor.
The ring was a symbol of authority.
The sandals were not usually worn by slaves for they where a luxury, and therefore signified his full restoration to sonship.
Additionally, meat was not usually eaten at meals.
The slaughter of the fattened calf, which was specially fed and kept for special occasions, indicates a great feast/banquet in celebration of the lost son.
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Altogether, this illustrates the picture of what it looks like when we as sinners and enemies of God are cleansed and brought into the royal family of God...
Our tattered an dirty rags are thrown off...
And we are given a new outfit to show we are now truly Children of God!
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This all sounds wonderful...
The prodigal son who was lost is now found and a celebration is happening!
However, not all are celebrating the joyous news...
And that takes us to our third and final point.
3) The Rebuked Son
3) The Rebuked Son
Verses 25-32: “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’ ”
Now, while the younger son represents tax collectors and sinners...
The older son symbolizes the Pharisee and the hypocritical religious persons...
This is the kind of person who stays close to the place of the Father (the temple or the church) but has no sense of sin, no real love for the Father (so as to share in His joy), and no interest in repenting sinners.
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The older son’s claim that he never disobeyed his father’s commands represent those who will not recognize their sin and repent.
They can’t even acknowledge the fact that they too are sinners.
The older son’s self-righteous behavior was more socially acceptable than the younger brother’s debauchery, but it was equally dishonoring to the father—and called for repentance.
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Furthermore, everything the father had was literally in the elder son’s possession.
Yet the elder son was begrudging even the love the father showed to the prodigal son.
The Pharisees and scribes had easy access to all the riches of God’s truth.
They spent their lives dealing with Scripture and public worship—but they never really possessed any of the treasures enjoyed by the repentant sinner.
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The older brother views his relationship with the father as that of a slave who deserves reward for meritorious behavior.
So, he likens his relationship to his father as years of servitude without any joyous recognition.
As the father’s loving response to the undeserving younger son shows, salvation is not a reward for good works but entirely the gracious gift of God.
As theologian Darrell L. Bock says:
“The brother’s anger emerges clearly as he complains directly and publicly to the father.
He contrasts his own faithfulness with the supposed lack of generosity of his father.
He does not formally address his father, thus indicating his anger, but immediately launches his attack by declaring his faithfulness in terms that portray himself as a slave:
He ‘served’ and obeyed ‘every command.’
But the elder’s refusal to serve as host and welcome his brother is an insult to the father in this patriarchal culture.
Irony abounds:
The ‘obedient’ son is disobedient here, and the gracious father is made to look unfaithful and unfair.”
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Now, the older son’s statement, “this son of yours” avoids acknowledging that the prodigal is his own brother...
And the “this” is used derogatorily.
However, the father corrects his older son’s words when he says in response to him, “this your brother.”
In other words, “He is not just my son—he is your brother!”
This perfectly illustrates how the Pharisees and religious elite of Jesus day saw themselves as better than the sinners and tax collectors...
However, it was the sinners and tax collectors who repented and believed in the Good News of Jesus Christ while the Pharisees and religious elite rejected the long-promised Messiah.
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Now, the affectionate appeal by the father to the older son shows that he still loved the older son and wanted him to join in the celebration.
By implication, Jesus is still inviting the Pharisees and religious elite to repent and accept the Good News
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The final point that the father said to the older son was that, “It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.”
As with the sheep that couldn’t save itself in the first parable...
And the coin that couldn’t save itself in the second parable...
So too, the prodigal son couldn’t save himself for he was spiritually dead...
But God regenerated him...
God took what was dead and gave it life...
As Ezekiel 37:1–14 perfectly illustrates:
1 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones.
2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry.
3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.”
4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.
5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.
6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.
8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”
10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’
12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel.
13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people.
14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”
Truly amazing, Beloved...
We can’t lose focus that it is God and God alone who regenerates us...
And that takes place even before we repent and believe...
As Colossians 2:13 records:
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
.......
I love this note found in the New International Commentary on the New Testament on Luke which says:
“The important question for each of us is:
Are we still in the ‘far country’ of sin where final ruin awaits us,
Or have we already returned with true repentance, thus to receive through grace the joy of full sonship as our portion for time and eternity?
Or are we like the elder son, outwardly pious and respectable but inwardly still empty and estranged from God?”
How you answer those questions will have eternal consequences...
Either it will lead to eternal life...
Or it will lead to eternal death.
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like you to consider this:
A mother kept a candle burning in the window every night for ten years.
One night, very late, a poor wretched woman came in from the street.
The aged mother said to her, “Sit down by the fire.”
.......
The stranger asked, “Why do you keep the light in the window?”
The old mother replied, “That light is for my wayward daughter.
She left home ten years ago.
I am praying for her return.
I have kept a light in the window for ten years!
Others often blame me for worrying about her, but, you see, I love her.
I am her mother.
Often, in the night, I open the door, and look out into the darkness and cry, ‘Lizzie, Lizzie!’”
.......
The woman from the street began to weep.
The aged mother looked closely at her and said, “Why, how cold and sick you seem!
You must have trouble enough of your own!”
.......
Then suddenly the mother exclaimed, “Can it be?
Yes!
You are Lizzie!
My own lost child!
Thank God that you are home again!”
.......
Beloved, if you don’t know the Lord then remember, His desire is always for your repentance and turning to Him...
And for those who already know the Lord, don’t give up on those who are lost...
Keep praying...
Keep sharing the Gospel...
Keep the candle burning!
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Let’s pray...
.......
Heavenly Father...
If anyone hearing this message right now does not know You in a saving way...
Then open their minds so they can see and understand the truth.
.......
I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
.......
For those hearing this message who already know You...
Give us the love and courage to seek out the lost and lead them to You.
.......
Again, I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
.......
It is in Jesus’ name we pray all these things...
To God be all the glory.
Amen.
