The Tale of Two Sons

The Tall of Two Sons

Have you ever noticed that Disney or children’s movies play up this separation of father and son?

Look at the new movie that just came out Onward.

This movie is all based on two brothers journey to see their dad.

Or how about Finding Nemo:

Nemo and his father are separated and it is about the journey of the father to get back to his son.

Star War We have Luke who is uncertain on who is father is, we also see this struggle with Ray in the new movies as well, as she was separated from her family.

This strikes a chord with us.

We get it, we understand that longing to be with our dad or at least a member of our families.

I recall the first time my parents moved away from our childhood home.

Dad had gotten a job in Minnesota and that was a long ways from us and he was heading up first.

My Mom was going to stay behind for a few months but would eventually move there with him.

I recall that day when he was leaving to head up there, I had said our good-byes and got into the car with Brittni and the kids.

I drove around the block and get out of the van tears pours out of my face and ran to my father and hugged him, like I never have before.

I was desperate for him to stay, I was going to miss seeing him, I was 26 years old, and my dad was moving- I was heartbroken.

I longed to be with him.

It was one of the hardest days of the life to say goodbye in that moment.

Maybe you have experienced something like that with your dad or some family member that you just don’t want to be separated from.

Why am I talking about dad’s?

Because tonight we are going to be talking about a father and his two sons.

So if you haven’t already open to

We will be in verses 11-32

Luke 15:11–32 ESV

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. “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. “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.’ ”

Thank you leaders for helping us read that.

We have to understand that Jesus is tell a parable.

A Parable is.....

Thats right… a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels.

This is actually the third parable Jesus has told in a row here and it comes off of Jesus tell about lost things.

He speaks on lost sheep and lost coins— so what do you think Jesus would be getting at here?

That’s right keep better track of your stuff....

Alright!

So lets break this down a bit.

The Grass ain’t Always greener on the other side.

Brokenness lead to repentance

We learn that this father has two sons, and the younger son.

Anyone have younger siblings.

Yeah they you know why the younger would ask for his inheritance early because they are not very bright.

I’m kidding guys!

It’s a joke you are very smart.

Anyways:

The younger son comes up to the father and is like look old man!

I am tired of waiting for you to die!

Give me my inherence now!

He is virtually saying, I want you dead! GIVE ME MY MONEY!

The father listened and gave his son what he wanted.

The son left! And he blew all of his money!

Then a famine or the Corona virus hit and he was struck on bad luck with no money and no income.

He was hungry and broke.

He found work, feeding pigs which the pigs ate better then he did!

The son clearly thought things were going to be better for him.

Yet they were not!

Things did not go well for him!

He was lost...

He was broken...

He was hungry...

He was in desperate need of rescue.

Sometimes we need to be broken by God to get our attention.

Sometimes in our lives God is going to be break you to get you to move the way He wants you too.

Sometimes we all think we know better.

And i remember being excited and taking my work in and the guy who was mentoring me during this process--- just tore it to pieces.

God had to break me of that slavery to sin.

My granny would always say “oh I forgot you are 16 and know everything.”

While she may have been saying it have joking.

I was so lost

It took time but I can say that is

It was her way of saying, don’t lose yourself in the weeds.

It is easy to think we know what we are doing.

This younger son thought he knew everything, he thought he knew what he wanted.

Sometimes we have to be proven wrong over and over again for us to realize that we are fools and that we do not know anything.

We have to realize that we are lost.

You do know that when we talk about Jesus dying on the cross that he died for your sins.

All of them.

Your past sins, your present sins, and your future dumb decisions/sins that you are going to make.

You were at one point lost and in need of a savior— This son was broken and in need of saving.

Are you in need of saving?

Do you find yourself longing for something else just to come up empty?

Why?

Is God breaking you of something right now?

Do you need to step back and look at the bigger picture that God is trying to show you?

May you do, maybe God is breaking you, don’t fight it lean into and wrestle with what he is trying to teach you.

Now if you would have asked your dad to pretty much die already and then you left and threw away all your money, would you really be willing to go back home?

HECK NO!

I would stay as far away as possible!

Yet the younger son gets up and starts heading home.

The sons is willing to just be a servant, He know that he has messed up and he is just willing to help and to get paid that way.

Yet while is preparing what he is going to say.

His father sees him in the distance and runs— RUNS to him.

check this out!

Luke 15:20 ESV

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.

The son is trying to say, I’m sorry, I messed up.

The Father is saying get the roast ready!

Clothe my son!

Get shoes for him.

Get him the family ring!

Why is the father overjoyed!??!

Luke 15:24 ESV

For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

Luke 15:

God loves lost things

In case you have not figured it out yet.

God is the father— who is waiting for the son--

He is filled with compassion and he RUN— HE RUNS— when he sees us broken and coming to him.

He is filled with compassion and he is overjoyed!

He wraps you in fine clothes, he put shoes on you, and gives you a family ring!

He puts you on his shoulder like the lost sheep, he calls all of his people to tell all about the lost treasure that was found!

He was waiting for you, compassion filled him and he RAN to YOU!

With arms wide up!

I didn’t tell you the best part about when I drove around the block.

As I drove around the block, I didn’t want to leave my dad.

I looked at Brittni with tears in my eyes, and she just said, go ahead drive back.

As I got out of the car my dad meet me halfway down the drive way as we embraced and cried, and laughed and cried some more.

When we turn ourselves away from evil and sin, from the brokenness and we come back to the father— He sees you and he runs to embrace you.

While being in my earthly dad’s embrace is special.

Nothing compares to being in the arms of our loving, compassionate, caring heavenly father.

Look I promise you that there is nothing that you have done in this life to separate you from God’s love.

His unrelenting, unmatched, his never giving up, his compassionate, never ceasing love, forever and ever love.

Romans 8:38 ESV

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,

Romans 8:38–39 ESV

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Now we could end the story right here and it would be an amazing story of redemption and we see this reunited relationship of father and son.

Up to this point we have only talked about the younger son.

Enter into the scene the older son, the older brother.

Don’t lose sight of others being found

The older son walks up to see this massive party taking place.

What is happening here, as he was in his father’s fields working!

He is told that his good for nothing, wanted dad dead brother is back and they are celebrating his return.

Older siblings come here:

We all know that mom and dad have a favorite and it’s not us.

Kidding of course it is.

not really they don’t have favorites.

But this older brother is seeing all this done for his younger brother and he has had it.

He refused to go in and see his brother.

So the father comes out.

the son throws a little pity party, but rightfully so listen.

Luke 15:29 ESV

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.

Luke 15:29–30 ESV

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!’

Luke 15:

The son is ticked off.

He wouldn’t even say “my brother” he said this son of yours.

Yet listen to the father’s response

Luke 15:31–32 ESV

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.’ ”

Luke 15:

The father is telling the son that he is always with him, and that everything he had was his.

This showed another truth; that one can be lost even when they are home.

The older brother who still had all of his inheritance never experienced brokenness, or even the need to be saved.

The younger brother was lost but was now found.

The father said it was fitting, meaning that we had to celebrate this new life.

When we share our faith with others do we get fired up when they go from being lost to found?

Or if someone from school that you do not get along with were to come up to you one day and say, I had a huge change in my life, I was lost but now I’m found would you believe them?

Would you celebrate with them or would you stay outside of the party upset, bitter, and lost?

Jesus never tells us if the older brother ever went into the party, something tells me he stayed outside.

This does not have to be your fate.

We all needed a rescuer.

Ephesians 2:3–5 ESV

among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

Eph 2:

Remember your salvation that he come with a cost that you went from being lost to being found.

On Monday, Evey celebrated her one year anniversary of being a believer.

We made a cake, and prayed from her, it was an amazing day.

This picture shows the joy of what was lost but now is found.

I hope that you have experienced this joy and that overwhelming love that is indescribable.

If you haven’t why not?

What is stopping you from coming inside the tent to rejoice that you who were once lost is now found.

Nothing you have done can change God’s love for you.

He is willing and able— He is watching and waiting for you to come towards him— so he can run and get you.

Go to him in your brokenness and your hurt for his embrace is the best embrace.

God loves lost things and he absolutely loves you.

Let’s pray