Repentance

Intro

Most people know of Jeffrey Dahmer, a notorious serial killer, pedophile, and cannibal. When word of his crimes spread through our nation after he was arrested in 1991 no one could believe the horrendous acts that he had committed.

When it was reported that Jeffrey had become a born-again Christian and been baptized, it was equally hard for some people to believe.

Could God really forgive someone like him? How could God forgive someone like that?” Others felt it would be unfair if a man who committed such evil could receive mercy. And emotionally, we understand that reaction. But that feeling exposes something important in us.

Wisconsin pastor Roy Ratcliff says yes. In his book he writes, How can a Christian hold that viewpoint? I don’t understand it. Does it come from a misunderstanding of the forgiveness of sin? Is forgiveness limited to those who are not very bad after all? Is there no joy in knowing that a sinner has turned to God? Roy is the pastor who baptized Jeffrey and met with him once a week until Jeffrey was murdered in prison. During those visits Roy came to know Jeffrey very well and says the prisoner was truly a changed man after his conversion. Roy has written a book, Dark Journey, Deep Grace, about Jeffrey’s journey of faith.

After he became a Christian, not everyone was convinced that the prisoner’s faith was sincere. Jeffrey’s conversion even angered some people. One member of Roy’s congregation remarked, “If Jeffrey Dahmer is going to heaven, then I don’t want to be there.”

Jeff was a sinner. His life proves there is no limit to our capacity to sin or be cruel to other people. We are all candidates for murder and mayhem. It doesn’t take crazy people to do such things. … I believe any of us are capable of everything Jeff did, if we leave God out of our lives.

It sounds very similar to the older brother in the parable: “After everything he’s done, you welcome him?”

The scandal of the gospel is not that bad people need grace. The scandal is that grace is truly offered to sinners who do not deserve it. That does not erase earthly consequences. It does not minimize evil. But it magnifies the mercy of Christ.

Forgiveness before God does not remove earthly consequences or erase the horror of sin. The older brother could not rejoice that the lost had been found.

And sometimes neither can we.

HBI - Whether through open rebellion or self-righteous pride, we are lost apart from the rescuing grace of God in Christ.

The main issue is God seeking and recieving sinners and exposing the self righteoussness of the pharisees.

God has activley pursued sinners with salvation, the father has run to embrace sinners

Run to the father, abandopn self righteoussness, rejoice in the grace shown to others

God’s heart in this parable, in all three parables, is glad to have prodigals come home. He’s not begrudging; he’s glad. but also we need rescue from the condition we got ourselves in. As christians we sometimes resent God’s grace towards sinners.

This fits a few different things we have been going through. Just last week we went through how David felt the consequences of His sin though he did repent and turn His life back to God. The parable of the prodigal son describes some that turned their lives back to God after falling to sin. Also today is Mother’s day. and though this is not specifically a mothers day sermon, as mothers, as parents we struggle sometimes with our own kids wandering away from the truth, wandering away from God and we wonder what we can do about it. Even for parents like this there is encouragement here.

we start out with a bit of some background behind this parable and the two before it. It does help us understand the parable a little more.

Leading up to the parables

Luke 4 - Jesus claimed prophecy for himself and made the synygogue crowds mad.

Luke 5 - claimed fishermen for his disciples

Jesus healed people and forgave sin, the pharisees questioned him on his eating with sinners.

Luke 5:30–31 CSB

30 But the Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus replied to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a doctor, but those who are sick.

Luke 6 - Disciples angered the Pharisees by breaking their laws on the sabbath, and Jesus challenged them.

Yet in the sermon on the mount, Jesus preached to the people love and the forgiveness of sins and the punishement of evil

the pharisees continued to call him out on his associating with the sinful in the world.

this continued on like this and in chapter 11 the pharisee’s continued to get mad at him for his choice of asscoiation

in chapter 12 people where warned of listening to what the Pharisees had to say

Luke 12:1 CSB

1 Meanwhile, a crowd of many thousands came together, so that they were trampling on one another. He began to say to his disciples first, “Be on your guard against the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

he told them not to fear them, for they do not have the power over your soul but rather acknowladge Christ.

He taught that there is only one way to heaven, through Jesus, he got people mad at him for doing what they thought was wrong.

this all leads up to chapter 15

Luke 15:11-16 - The son rejects the father

Luke 15:1–2 CSB

1 All the tax collectors and sinners were approaching to listen to him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

It is here where Jesus told three parables. The parable of a sheep that was lost and the shepherd left the 99 to find the one sheep. the parable of the who even though she had 10 silver coins went to find the one lost coin. And the parable of the son who left his father and lost everything.

Luke 15:11–13 CSB

11 He also said, “A man had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.’ So he distributed the assets to them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living.

I was thinking of historically what the Pharisee’s reaction to this would have been.

In the Ancient Near East, the idea of a son simply asking his father for his portion of the inheritance would probably have been seen as highly improper, a virtual wish that the father would hurry up and die. 

what is even more surprising is that the father grants the son’s wish! What wise father would take from his hard-earned life savings to give to a son who obviously intended to waste it? Both the son’s request and the father’s permission would have presumably struck the hearers as extremely odd.

Luke 15:14–16 CSB

14 After he had spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he had nothing. 15 Then he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to eat his fill from the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one would give him anything.

He corrupted himself with sexual immorality and is associated with Gentiles, even swine. This was not good for an Israelite to do. the sexual immorality was bad enough, the pigs would have made him impure as well. He was really willing to debase himself to get something to eat.

Luke 15:17-24 - The father forgives the son

Luke 15:17–19 CSB

17 When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I’ll get up, go to my father, and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. 19 I’m no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired workers.” ’

To his credit the young man was willing to go back to His father as a servant and not a son, just so he did not starve to death. He knew what he did was wrong as well it appears. quite the change he went through.

Luke 15:20–24 CSB

20 So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. 21 The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father told his servants, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Then bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let’s celebrate with a feast, 24 because this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate.

The father in the parable is obviously a rich and dignified man. But in the Ancient world, such men do not run. The father in the story does what the Pharisees and scribes cannot imagine doing in real life. Rejoicing and having a feast to welcome the prodigal home is just what Jesus is doing for the sinners and tax collectors.

Luke 15:25-32 - Older brothers self righteoussness

The Pharisees, on the other hand, are like the older son. 

Luke 15:29–32 CSB

29 But he replied to his father, ‘Look, I have been slaving many years for you, and I have never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me a goat so that I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’ 31 “ ‘Son,’ he said to him, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”

FCF - Here is the focus of this passage. we need rescue from the condition we go ourselves in. As christians we sometimes resent God’s grace towards sinners. Whether through open rebellion or self-righteous pride, we are lost apart from the rescuing grace of God in Christ.

S0 What?

The focus is not so much who do we represent in the story, but rather the focus is that we need rescue from ourselves, and God has provided the way for that to happen. and on the other side of the we look at someone like Jeffery Dalhmer and think “what kind of God would let someone like that into heaven?” the kind that forgives all sin when we come in repentance. So instead of resenting we need to rejoice that another person has entered the kingdom of God.

The human condition from which we need rescue is that we all make mistakes, we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. We all sometimes or have in the past turned out back on the father and went our own way. The Pharisees rejected Christ and jesus parable here show us that God still pursued their forgiveness.

God Pursues sinners and is glad to have prodigals home

the Father’s saving grace that we see here culminates in Christ. The father showed grace to the prodigal son and Jesus showed grace to us by pursuing us to the point of dying on the cross. Call hearers not merely to moral improvement, but to repentance and faith.

we look to what happened with David and how he was forgiven, we look as parents to our own kids and we struggle when they refuse to live their lives for God like they where taught to. We struggle and wonder as parents if we are good enough, or maybe we did something wrong. But this parable teaches us something.

Jesus recieved sinners and ate with them, he ate with the tax collectors and the lowest of society because Jesus seeks the lost. He says he came for the lost not the righteouss. God is not compromising when this happens, God is not condoning sin but he is doiung what He said he was going to do, he came to seek and to save the lost. He came so that through Jesus the world might be saved if they repent of their sin. We can think of God this way, He ha spursued sinners, so that they may be set free.

Not only that but there is great joy over any prodigal child that comes back from their life of sin to christ. Again this does not condone what they have done, it does not mean that there may not be consequences for their sin but God has forgiven them and there is great joy in a sinner that Has come home.

Luke 15:7 CSB

7 I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who don’t need repentance.

God is not begrudging that sinners have come Home He is glad. God has pursued you guys, he sent Jesus to give us a way to Him. Repentance is what is called for in our lives. This should give us joy as parents of prodigals because our children are not lost completley. we must though be faithful in praying for them, giving the gospel to them and then trusting that the Lord is calling them to Himself, they just have to listen to the message they are being taught, it is up to them.

We can find Joy in all sinners who give their lives to Jesus

One of the most beautiful things in this passage is the father running towards His son. The son had turned back in repentence and on his way back the father ran towards Him. the moment when the father sees the boy a long way off and runs to greet him — not walks; he runs to greet him. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). So, he saw, he felt, he ran, he embraced, he kissed. So, oh, let us — I want to say it to myself — let us keep that picture in our minds, not only as a picture of God’s heart, but to make our own hearts tender that way and eager that way.

We can find Joy in the fact that God treats all people who come to Him this way. we are encouraged to fix our gaze in these parables not on ourselves, not on our shortcomings, but on the kind of God we are dealing with in these parables.

but also we have a warning, do not be like the son who refused to go in and celebrate the arrival of the lost son. The older son was angry, and he refused to go in and be a part of the celebration of life and salvation. And his father, just like with the younger son, came out and entreated — not commanded, not was angry — he entreated him. He had come out to meet the dissolute younger son. He came out and wooed and pleaded with the legalistic older son.

So, here’s my conclusion, for myself, for all of us: Let’s take heart for at least these seven reasons, and remember Jesus’s encouragement in chapter 18, just a few chapters later, that we should “always . . . pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1).