Come Home to the Father
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Luke 15:11-32
Few stories in all the Bible are more loved than the story of the prodigal son.
And yet, this passage is not just about one prodigal son.
It is about a gracious father, a broken younger brother, and an angry older brother.
It is about open rebellion and hidden self-righteousness.
It is about sin that leaves home and sin that stays near the house but never shares the father’s heart.
Jesus told this parable because the Pharisees were murmuring that He received sinners.
They were offended by grace.
So Jesus did not merely tell a touching family story.
He exposed the heart of man and revealed the heart of God.
This passage presses every hearer toward a decision.
Will you stay in rebellion?
Will you come home in repentance?
Will you stand outside in pride?
Or will you enter into the joy of the Father?
That is the burden of this message tonight.
I. See the Ruin of Rebellion
I. See the Ruin of Rebellion
Before a sinner will come home, he must first see where sin really leads.
The younger son thought freedom would be found away from the father.
Instead, he discovered that distance from the father only brought ruin.
A. A Selfish Heart
A. A Selfish Heart
Verse 12 says, “Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.”
That request was more than financial.
It was relational.
It was as if the son said, “I want what you can give me, but I do not want you.”
That is the spirit of sin.
Sin wants the Father’s gifts without the Father’s rule.
Sin wants blessing without obedience.
Sin wants life without God.
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
That is where rebellion begins.
It begins with a selfish heart that stops honoring God as God.
The younger son was not driven away.
He walked away in arrogance.
He wanted independence.
He wanted control.
He wanted his own way.
That is the very heartbeat of rebellion.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned every one to his own way; And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Notice those last words.
“His own way.”
That is the sinner’s problem.
He wants his own way.
A preacher once said that sin is man climbing onto the throne of his own heart and announcing that he will run his life better than God.
That is exactly what this young man did.
There is a warning here for all of us.
A man does not have to move to a far country to have a far heart.
The rebellion starts in the heart.
That selfish heart soon led to a sinful path.
B. A Sinful Path
B. A Sinful Path
Verse 13 says that he “took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.”
The far country always looks attractive at first.
It promises liberty.
It promises pleasure.
It promises excitement.
But it never tells the whole truth.
Sin advertises delight, but it delivers devastation.
12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death.
The younger son thought he was finding life.
He was really wasting it.
Notice that word.
He “wasted” his substance.
Sin is a waster.
It wastes purity.
It wastes money.
It wastes peace.
It wastes years.
It wastes opportunities.
It wastes relationships.
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
That is exactly what sin does.
It steals what is precious.
It kills what is good.
It destroys what it touches.
One old preacher said, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.”
That statement has been proven in millions of lives.
What began as a small indulgence often becomes a cruel master.
What looked like freedom becomes bondage.
What looked like pleasure becomes misery.
The far country always has a famine coming.
And that is exactly what happened here.
C. A Sorrowful End
C. A Sorrowful End
Verses 14 through 16 show the crash.
The money ran out.
The famine came.
The friends were gone.
The son was reduced to feeding swine and longing to eat the husks the swine did eat.
For a Jewish hearer, this was about as low as a man could go.
He had not found liberty.
He had found degradation.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
That is the end of the road.
Sin never stops where it starts.
It always carries a man lower than he planned to go.
It is striking that the young man who once demanded his inheritance now longed for pig food.
That is what rebellion does.
It promises a feast and leaves a famine.
It promises honor and leaves humiliation.
It promises satisfaction and leaves emptiness.
Maybe someone tonight is seeing that truth in your own life.
You are not where you thought sin would take you.
You are lower than you expected to go.
You have less joy than you imagined.
You have more bondage than you planned.
That is often where grace begins to do its work.
The famine that breaks a sinner may become the mercy that brings him home.
II. Return in Repentance
II. Return in Repentance
The turning point in this parable is one of the most hopeful lines in all the Bible.
Verse 17 says, “And when he came to himself.”
That is what repentance looks like.
It is a sinner waking up.
It is a sinner seeing things as they really are.
It is a sinner turning from lies to truth.
A. He Faced the Truth
A. He Faced the Truth
He “came to himself.”
Sin had been a kind of madness.
Now he began to think rightly.
He remembered the father’s house.
He remembered the father’s goodness.
He remembered that even the hired servants had bread enough and to spare.
Repentance begins when a man stops arguing with reality.
59 I thought on my ways, And turned my feet unto thy testimonies.
That is a beautiful description of repentance.
He thought.
Then he turned.
The young man finally saw the truth.
The far country was not freedom.
It was slavery.
The father’s house was not bondage.
It was blessing.
Sometimes God uses sorrow to help a man come to himself.
Sometimes He uses failure.
Sometimes He uses emptiness.
Thank God for anything that helps a sinner wake up.
The great danger is not merely being in sin.
The great danger is being in sin and refusing to face the truth about it.
The devil loves denial.
Grace brings honesty.
Maybe tonight the first step you need is simply this.
Face the truth.
Stop blaming others.
Stop making excuses.
Stop pretending that the far country is working.
Come to yourself.
There is another part of repentance here.
Not only did he face the truth.
He also owned his sin.
B. He Owned His Sin
B. He Owned His Sin
Verse 18 says, “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee.”
Verse 21 repeats that confession.
There is no excuse in it.
There is no blame-shifting in it.
There is no attempt to soften it.
He says, “I have sinned.”
That is the language of repentance.
David said in Psalm 51:4, “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight.”
Real repentance is honest.
It does not rename sin as weakness.
It does not hide behind circumstances.
It says, “I have sinned.”
That is one reason many never get right with God.
They want relief, but they do not want confession.
They want peace, but they do not want repentance.
They want the ring, the robe, and the feast without first saying, “I have sinned.”
If you are going to come home, you must stop defending the far country.
You must stop minimizing your sin.
You must say with the prodigal, “I have sinned.”
Then there is one more beautiful note here.
He not only faced the truth and owned his sin.
He turned toward the father.
C. He Went to the Father
C. He Went to the Father
Verse 20 says, “And he arose, and came to his father.”
Those are simple words, but they are full of power.
Repentance is not complete until it moves.
He did not merely think about returning.
He returned.
He did not merely admire the father’s house.
He arose and came.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts: And let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; And to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
That is the call of the gospel.
Return.
19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Repentance is not passive.
It is not theoretical.
It is a real turning.
Maybe someone tonight has been thinking about coming back to God.
Thinking is not enough.
Feeling bad is not enough.
Arise and go.
Turn toward the Father.
That is the only way home.
And when the sinner does return, he discovers something astonishing.
The Father is more gracious than he imagined.
III. Receive the Grace of the Father
III. Receive the Grace of the Father
If the first part of the parable shows the ugliness of sin, this part shows the beauty of grace.
The younger son came home hoping to be treated as a servant.
Instead, he was received as a son.
That is the wonder of redeeming grace.
A. The Father Was Watching
A. The Father Was Watching
Verse 20 says, “But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him.”
That means the father was looking.
He had not forgotten his son.
He had not moved on.
He had not said, “If he ever comes back, I do not want to know.”
No, he saw him while he was still a great way off.
That is one of the tenderest pictures in the chapter.
22 It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
The father’s watchfulness reminds us that God is not reluctant to show mercy.
He is ready to receive the repentant.
18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, And passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, Because he delighteth in mercy.
What a statement of hope!!! He delighteth in mercy!
What a comfort that is.
The prodigal may have been wondering how the father would react.
Would he be cold?
Would he be harsh?
Would he make him stand outside and prove himself first?
Instead, the father was already looking down the road.
The father was watching.
And when he saw him, he did not remain still.
B. The Father Was Welcoming
B. The Father Was Welcoming
Verse 20 says the father “had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”
The son had prepared a speech.
The father came with compassion.
The son came in rags.
The father came running.
The son expected distance.
The father gave embrace.
This is grace.
This is mercy.
This is the heart of God toward the repentant sinner.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
God is not gracious because we deserve it.
God is gracious because grace is His nature.
Jesus wanted the murmuring Pharisees to see that God is not embarrassed to receive sinners who come home.
He delights to receive them.
Perhaps someone tonight wonders, “If I really come back to God, will He receive me?”
This passage answers with a loud yes.
If you come in true repentance, you will not find a closed door.
You will find a compassionate Father.
And His welcome does not stop with an embrace.
It moves into full restoration.
C. The Father Was Restoring
C. The Father Was Restoring
Verses 22 through 24 describe the robe, the ring, the shoes, and the feast.
The best robe was a robe of honor.
The ring spoke of sonship and belonging.
The shoes marked him as family, not a servant.
The feast declared celebration.
This is not merely pardon.
This is restoration.
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
What a phrase.
Accepted.
Not barely tolerated.
Accepted.
1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
That is the language of this homecoming.
The father says in verse 24, “this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.”
Then the verse says, “And they began to be merry.”
Heaven does not receive the repentant with a sigh.
Heaven receives the repentant with joy.
That leads us to the final movement of the passage.
Not everyone in the story was happy about grace.
And that is where Jesus turns the light on the Pharisees.
IV. Reject the Spirit of the Elder Brother
IV. Reject the Spirit of the Elder Brother
The older brother is not an afterthought.
He is a major part of the message.
If the younger brother pictures open sinners, the older brother pictures proud religion.
He stayed near the house, but he never shared the father’s heart.
A. Anger Without Compassion
A. Anger Without Compassion
Verse 28 says, “And he was angry, and would not go in.”
That response says everything.
He heard music and dancing, and instead of rejoicing, he burned with resentment.
His brother had come home, but he cared more about fairness than restoration.
That is the spirit of the Pharisee.
It is possible to know the father’s house and still not love the father’s mercy.
Jonah 4:1
says of Jonah, “it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.”
Why?
Because God had shown mercy.
Jonah and the elder brother share the same disease.
They knew God’s truth, but they did not enjoy God’s grace.
This is searching.
A man can be offended by the very people heaven is glad to receive.
A church member can be irritated by the attention given to broken people.
If that spirit lives in us, we must reject it.
Anger at grace is not holiness.
It is pride.
It is possible to stand outside the celebration while still standing near the house.
B. Pride Without Fellowship
B. Pride Without Fellowship
Listen to the elder brother’s words in verses 29 and 30.
“Lo, these many years do I serve thee.”
“Neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment.”
He sounds like a man reciting his resume.
There is no tenderness in him.
There is no joy in his father.
There is only self-congratulation.
He is near, but not close.
He is home, but not in fellowship.
Luke 18:11 again comes to mind.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
That is the elder brother’s spirit.
He sees himself as deserving and his brother as disgusting.
Pride always compares.
Pride always keeps score.
Pride always resents grace given to others.
He speaks of service, but not of love.
He speaks of duty, but not of delight.
That is what self-righteousness does.
It leaves a man near religious things but far from the Father’s joy.
There is a strong warning here for people who have been in church for years.
You may be near the Father’s house and still have a far heart.
You may know the language of obedience and still have no delight in grace.
Do not mistake proximity for fellowship.
C. Enter the Father’s Joy
C. Enter the Father’s Joy
Verse 31 says, “Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad. for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.”
In other words, the father says, “This is the right response.”
Joy over the repentant is the fitting response.
Celebration over restoration is the right response.
The older brother is being invited to enter the father’s joy.
That is where Jesus leaves the story open.
Will he go in?
Will he keep sulking outside?
Jesus leaves it unanswered because the real question is not about the elder brother alone.
The real question is about the hearers.
Will the Pharisees enter the joy of grace?
Will they rejoice that sinners are coming to Christ?
Will they repent of their hard spirit?
That question still stands tonight.
1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
That is the father’s spirit.
That is the spirit Christ calls us to have.
If God restores the fallen, we should rejoice.
If a prodigal comes home, we should rejoice.
If a broken sinner repents, we should rejoice.
Do not stand outside the joy of grace.
Enter in.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Luke 15:11–32 sets several people before us, but really it drives every hearer to one of two places.
You are either coming home to the Father or standing outside His joy.
Maybe tonight you see yourself in the younger son.
You have wandered.
You have wasted.
You have sinned.
Then come home.
Face the truth.
Own your sin.
Arise and go to the Father.
You will find more mercy in Him than you ever imagined.
Maybe tonight you see yourself in the older brother.
You are near the house, but not near the heart of the Father.
You have religion, but little rejoicing.
You have duty, but little delight.
Then repent of pride.
Reject that hard spirit.
Enter into the joy of grace.
And maybe tonight you simply need to worship the Father afresh.
What a Father He is.
Watching.
Running.
Welcoming.
Restoring.
A little boy once ran away from home after foolishly deciding that life would be better on his own.
By nightfall he was cold, frightened, and ashamed.
When he finally came back, he expected anger first.
Instead, his mother rushed to the door, pulled him into her arms, and wept with relief that he was home.
That is only a faint picture of the mercy of God.
Our heavenly Father delights to receive those who truly return.
So what is the decision tonight?
Come home to the Father.
And if you are already home, then do not stand outside in pride.
Enter His joy.
