06/16/2019 A Father's Great Love

Introduction

Good morning. Today we are so very blessed to come to church and celebrate Father’s day. Many people say Fathers day is the day for dads, pappas (and I not talking about potatoes, and daddies - and it is. It’s a time when we as men say thank you for the blessed gift of children we are given. When I learned we were going to be parents with Zoe, I remember standing there in front of Amy acting dignified. Ok that’s cool we got this. On the inside I was thinking YES! And Oooohhhh boy! But you know what as time went on - I really enjoy being a daddy. If I knew it would have been this fun, we would have started years ago with at least 10 by now.

One thing I’ve learned so far is being a daddy is never the same. We wear many hats. Take for example: (Show 100% Awesome Dad Picture). That’s right many of us are 100% awesome!

Being a daddy, I have come to learn it’s a gift from God to be responsible for this person, mind and heart God has entrusted to us. I understand not everyone had a dad or daddy we will be talking about this morning. And, I understand things happen. This should not stop us, especially to our dad’s and future Dad’s to be from being grateful for all our dad’s do and have done for us.

Father’s day is an opportunity to examine ourselves as men - not through a distorted view of the world. But, as a man who who knows he is a man and is proud of that. Yet at the same time, to have a tender heart that is sensitive.

This morning we are going to take a look at a portrait of a father’s love. Turn with me into your Bibles to Luke. We will be reading from chapter 15 and verses 17 through 24.

Luke 15:17–24 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! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So 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. 21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Pastoral Prayer

Let me give a little background on whats leading up to our passage this morning. Ok - we have this man with two sons, and our passage deals with one of his sons. One son leaves with all that he had to a distant county. He does not utilize what he brought wisely. There is a famine going on to complicate things. Now this guy finds work. But the work is to feed pigs. Some of you might be thinking what the big deal? I’ve fed pigs as a young boy, you put some meal, corn and perhaps some of other grain, add some water - and WAHM - pig food done. It actually it was not a good job. It’s a cultural issue. In fact the Israelites, being a separated people, they were not allowed to do with anything that had to deal with pigs. You could think of this being rather degrading. Now this guy was really hungry, and he would have been just dandy eating what the pigs were eating. Here’s the clincher - he’s looking around, he’s hungry, he notices - hey the pigs are eating be than me and that food looks good! No one helped this guy out. This son, this person is at rock bottom. I’ve been there, and I can tell you its no fun. For some, being at rock bottom is like having an alarm clock go off that is not so easily turned off.

That’s what is going on there at the beginning of verse 17, when we hear he came to his senses. He work up! The alarm when off. You know it funny thing about those alarms. I must confess when the alarm goes off I like to hit the snooze button. Most days I beat the alarm. But then there are those days when I break the button. For this guy, I don’t think the snooze button was ever broken. The clock was never plugged in till the end. Then we start hearing the ringing sounds.

The son knows the servants at his fathers home are fed better - saying I’m starving here! This this son realizes he’s gotta do something about this. Things cannot go on this way. So son develops a plan of action - to head back to his father’s house confessing he has sinned against heaven and his father. This guy has really humbled himself - coming to his father essentially saying, “dad I’ve got nothing - I messed up - Dad I’m at rock bottom.” The son knows it’s “better to cast himself on this father’s mercy than remain in some distant far away land, living a lift lower than beasts and suffering in hunger.” This is a clear picture of repentance, coming to the father with absolutely nothing but his need.

In verse 19 the son decides what he will tell his father. He tells the father, “I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants. The son is acknowledging “he is unworthy of being received as a family member.” He is willing to consider himself one of the lowest.

Here in verse 19 and again in verse 17, we hear this word “servants.” It’s interesting when you look this word up in the Greek. These servants, hired servants, are what you would consider day laborers. These servants were considered to be of very low class, even lower than that of slaves. “A slave was like part of the family, although still part of the lower class. The servant was hired only on special occasion for one day at time, and was less cared for. The son’s request shows that he want to be a minimal burden on his father. The son had prepared himself to the lowest of the low. But in his current outlook, he was still better off now than when he was on his own. The son has come to his father accepting the choices he has made, with only a confession, no excuses and with a humble request.”

In this culture, “the best he could have expected after humbling confessing his shameful sin, was to be allowed to work toward restitution after the hope of being reconciled with his father.” This would have been the thought of the scribes and Pharisees with the need to confess, repent, be humiliated, shamed and perhaps receive forgiveness and mercy; but only after making full restitution. You see their thinking was people had to earn their way back from shame.

Ok - so coming back to the father the son did not know what the actions of his father would be. Would the father require restitution? The son did not know, nor did he expect to be welcomed back in to the family. At this point, the son best hope was for his father to be willing to accept him as on the his hired men.

Verse 20 is when the rubber meets the road. The son “got up and went to his father.” You know what this reminds me of? Ok- now I’m about to date myself - so I need to go carefully. Do you remember back to the old days when you received your report card? Boy I dreaded that day. Back in my day, man that already sounds like forever ago?! I would actually received a report “card,” with the classes, a grade and the teachers signature on card stock. Remember those days? I can already tell some of you are already to young for that. Then technology was introduced, and they were computer generated on a piece of paper. Well I always had the best excuse, “I didn’t get, I lost it, I forgot it on the bus, and so on.” Until one day when my mom call the teacher. The teacher answers the phone in front of me, “oh yes - he’s standing right here in front of me - oh yes - I’ll make sure it goes home with him - your momma is expecting your report card. Busted. I had to get up and go to my dad now. You see all of you in elementary, middle and high school, reports cards are now electronic and/or sent be email. So it was kids like me who killed it for you. There is no more hiding. The rubber hits the road as soon as we receive that email.

The son musters up courage to go and see his father. And what does the father do. Look as the last half of verse 20. The father sees him from way off. Dad’s when you see your child is a sea of other children, you can pick-out your son or daughter pretty easy. It’s the same way for mom’s when they hear a child crying - oh that one’s not mine - or MAN that’s my kid cryin’.

The father runs to his son, throws his arms around him and kisses him. Could you imagine the emotion building inside the son when his father sees him come running. It’s like dad - hello - but I have terrible news, and how do I break it to him. Guys this is extreme because the father just went against the cultural grain in a big way. The father did not care. This is MY son. I don’t care what you all think. This is MY son and I love him. If you’re a father - isn’t it the best feeling? I love it. I love being a daddy. If I was ready sooner - I’d have at least 10 kids!!

I like how the son did not deviate from what he rehearsed earlier here in verse 21. The son held true to his word. I really love how this unfolds in our next verse. The son is telling his father what is on his heart. Look at what the father does - he interrupts the son right in his tracks. He says, “Quick! bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

The father receives his son back with full privileges. The father is giving his son visible evidence of his reconciliation. Isn’t this awesome to see the tenderness of a fathers heart and love. You know sometimes our kids can make us crazy, but deep down we have that small place where we just love them, and would sacrifice for them because of this love. So out comes the robe. This is a very special garment that is worn on special occasions. The ring on the son’s finger would most likely been a signet ring with had the family crest on it. This would have been away to identify the family. This would represent the son’s membership in the family. The sandals on his feet is significant. The sandals signify the son’s full restoration to sonship. The son is restored!!

In verses 23 and 24, we come to a shameless rejoicing. This is a time for celebration. Let’s harvest a fattened calf, feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” You can really feel the happiness of the father here. I love my son and he is home. I get to feast with him. The meat they are enjoying is reserved for very special occasions like weddings, visit of an important person. This goes to show how important the son had become.

Conclusion

This is one of the most famous parables Jesus gives. Parables like this one (the lost son) talk to many including Christians. It deals with when we are lost to sin. When we’re in sin, we become like the lost son. We find ourselves on the hills of famine. When we finally come to our senses, and we come to terms that we are at rock bottom; we realize we must return to the Father. When we do, we have just been given a picture of heaven’s joy at the divine recovery of lost sinners.

We get a picture of a father’s deep love for his children and commitment to the family. If you still have your dad, celebrate with your dad today. Let him know how much you care for him. This is also a call to celebrate our relationship with our heavenly Father for all He has done for us. For his love toward us, when he welcomes us back with open arms. Do you need to pray today? I invite up this morning. If you want to pray for dad, bring him up and pray with him this morning.

Closing Prayer