A Story of Two Sons

INTRODUCTION

A little girl wakes up to another dreary day of survival and poverty during the era we know as the Great Depression. As she makes do with what little food and worn clothes her parents could provide for her 5 other siblings, she wonders some days if life could be different. She knows nothing of Jesus or the Bible, because no-one in her family goes to church. She wonders to herself if there is any meaning and purpose to her little life, surrounded by poverty and spiritual darkness. Her parents scrape up what they can to feed and clothe them, but it’s never enough. Her home is shabby and run-down, and people look down on her because of her poor appearance. She is probably ignored by others at best and rejected at worst. What will today look like? Will it always be this way? Why is life so empty and meaningless?

There are so many people that are lost in sin and darkness, desperate for meaning and love. Today, we are going to hear what God’s Word has to say about this in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, or as I like to call it - A Story of Two Sons. Please open your Bibles to Luke 15:11.

Luke 15:11–32 (CSB)

Luke 15:11–32 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. 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. 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.” ’ 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. 25 “Now his older son was in the field; as he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he summoned one of the servants, questioning what these things meant. 27 ‘Your brother is here,’ he told him, ‘and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 28 “Then he became angry and didn’t want to go in. So his father came out and pleaded with him. 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.’ ”

PRAY

Why did Jesus tell this story?

To condemn the scribes & Pharisees for their rejection of tax collectors & sinners

To explain the love of God the Father for repentant sinners

To contrast the response of repentant sinners & self-righteous religious people

Context & Setting

Basic Facts about Luke & Cultural Context

Author: Luke, quoting Jesus Christ

Original Audience: Jewish Scribes & Pharisees, Tax Collectors & Sinners

Where this was taught: Jesus & His disciples were traveling during this parable. We do know that He had recently been in the house of a Pharisee.

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.”

PURPOSE: This is part of a longer series of parables about lost things that Jesus told the scribes & Pharisees in order to correct their self-righteous indignation at his welcoming of "tax collectors and sinners.”

Key Concepts: The inheritance (or “estate”) was a common Jewish tradition, in which the father would divide his possessions among his sons upon his death. The firstborn would receive a double portion. It was very uncommon for a father to distribute his estate before his death.

(DON’T RE-READ VERSES - SHORT PARAPHRASE ONLY!)

Luke 15:11–12 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.

Younger son’s heart was selfish; ungrateful; entitled; willful.

Selfish: took no thought of anyone but himself

Ungrateful: didn’t appreciate what he already had

Entitled: assumed his inheritance could be taken at any time

Willful: intended to waste all his inheritance no matter the cost

Though the Father had every right to withhold the inheritance from his sons until his death, he acts graciously & generously despite likely being hurt by this request.

It amounts to the younger son telling his father:

“I wish you were dead.”

Luke 15:13 CSB

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.

This implies that he most likely planned to squander it before he asked his father.

He squandered his God-given blessings by living foolishly.

Luke 15:14 CSB

14 After he had spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he had nothing.

This introduces a couple of principles:

1. foolish living will take everything from us.

2. foolish living doesn’t plan for tomorrow.

Luke 15:15 CSB

15 Then he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.

For a Jew, this would have taken away their breath when Jesus said this - this would be the lowest thing a Jew could do.

A rabbinic saying runs, ‘Cursed be the man who would breed swine’ (Baba Kamma 82b).

Morris, Leon. Luke: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 3. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988.

From Privilege to Pigs.

Luke 15:16 CSB

16 He longed to eat his fill from the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one would give him anything.

How hungry he must’ve been to “long” for pig food! This would have been revolting to the Jewish listeners.

But even though he longed for it, he wasn’t even allowed to eat it.

“No one would give him anything” implies that while his sinful living left him destitute, no-one cared. He was alone, and hungry, and penniless.

This is a powerful picture of what it looks like when we are lost in sin.

Truth #1: When We Sin, It Leaves Us Empty (Luke 15:11-16)

SUMMARY

The younger son wanted to cash out & spend all the money he was given to fill his life with things he thought would bring him satisfaction. We don’t know for sure what he actually wasted his money on - we just know it was spent on foolish living. Sinful living left him hungry and penniless.

ILLUSTRATION

Caught between the Wheels of Iniquity

Proverbs 5:22; Jeremiah 5:3

Preaching Themes: Evil, Repentance, Sin

You read, sometimes, a dreadful story of a man being entangled in machinery. Perhaps it was only one cog of a wheel that caught a corner of his coat, but it gradually drew him in between the works, and rent him limb from limb till he was utterly destroyed. If only that piece of cloth could but have given way, so that the man’s life might have been spared! But it did not, and though he was only held by the tiniest part of his garment, that was sufficient to drag him in where the death-dealing wheels revolved.

And it is just so with sin. You cannot get in between the wheels of iniquity and say, “I shall go just so far, but no further.” No; if you once get in there, you will be ground to pieces as certainly as you are now alive! There is no way of escape but to turn yourself right away from the evil thing that God hates.250

250 C. H. Spurgeon, “Decided Ungodliness,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 45 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1899), 627.

Charles Spurgeon, 300 Sermon Illustrations from Charles Spurgeon, ed. Elliot Ritzema and Lynnea Smoyer (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017).

APPLICATION

Find New Life and Ultimate Joy in Jesus Christ

———

Luke 15:17 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!

This was the turning point. Rock-bottom.

He realizes the father was even generous to his hired workers, and his desperation leads him to action.

Luke 15:18–19 CSB

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.” ’

He was desperate & humbled. He had come to the end of himself.

DON’T MISS THIS!

We can’t leave the pig pen until we humble ourselves (“no longer worthy”).

Luke 15:20 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.

“But while the son was still a long way off” — My favorite part! This means the father was actively scanning the horizon for the son’s return!

“Filled with compassion: — Before the son even got a chance to speak, the father’s heart was “filled with compassion” at the sight of his son.

Runs. Throws Arms. Kisses. It’s extremely important that you get this — this would’ve been shameful & undignified for a grown man to do in their culture.

Adult men, especially wealthy and honorable men, did not run

He would’ve had to pick up his tunic and become a spectacle.

The Dignified Became Undignified. The Honorable Became a Spectacle.

Sound familiar? It’s what Jesus did for us on the cross!

Luke 15:21 CSB

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.’

Notice the father doesn’t let him finish with “Make me like one of your hired workers.” It’s almost like we can picture the son reciting his memorized confession & the Father is like, “yeah, yeah, I know. I know you’re sorry. I know what you’ve done. But you are MY SON, & I LOVE YOU. Welcome home.”

Truth #2: When We Repent, the Father Forgives (Luke 15:17-21)

SUMMARY

The younger son had to hit rock bottom to “come to his senses”. He humbles himself and realizes he sinned against not only his father, but against GOD (first & foremost). He recognized he was unworthy and would take anything the father gave him, even working as a servant. When he is nearly home, he is met with compassion and affection from his father, rather than the angry scolding and disappointment he was expecting.

APPLICATION

Leave your Life of Sin & Receive the Forgiveness of God

Leave the Pig Pen of Sin behind!

———

Luke 15:22 CSB

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.

The father shows urgency in blessing his son (who squandered his portion of all the father worked for his entire life).

Do you see the contrast?

Back in the far country of his foolish living, no-one would give him anything, now he is given everything and restored back to his family

Luke 15:23–24 CSB

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 best food. The biggest celebration.

Instead of having wrath, the Father has compassion.

Instead of being disappointed, the Father is joyful.

Instead of judging, the Father invites him.

Instead of a lecture, the Father throws a party.

Truth #3: When We Repent, the Father Blesses (Luke 15:22-24)

SUMMARY

The younger son is treated with the utmost care and is re-established as a son with honor and dignity.

He is given “the best robe” in place of his rags

He is given a signet ring for his dirty hands (used for hard labor, pig slop)

He is given sandals for his bare feet

He wasn’t even allowed to eat pig slop but now gets to eat the fattened calf for only the most special of occasions

He was alone and destitute, but now he’s surrounded with friends celebrating his return

OFF WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

APPLICATION

We must welcome and bless fellow sinners with love & grace.

———

Luke 15:25–27 CSB

25 “Now his older son was in the field; as he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he summoned one of the servants, questioning what these things meant. 27 ‘Your brother is here,’ he told him, ‘and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

Older brother probably hard at work in the field for his Father.

We can understand his frustration & anger, to some degree.

Has anyone here seen somebody get a really nice house or car or job and you think: where’s MINE?! Don’t I deserve it??

Luke 15:28 CSB

28 “Then he became angry and didn’t want to go in. So his father came out and pleaded with him.

He becomes jealous & angry when he sees his father’s celebration & joy towards the prodigal son rather than towards himself.

Father takes action to include older son in celebration.

The Father’s pleading with the older son is a mirror image of the problem Jesus is addressing. Remember, Jesus greatly desired the scribes & Pharisees to celebrate the fact that the tax collectors and sinners were coming to hear His teaching - not to turn their noses up at them with disgust.

Luke 15:29–30 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.’

“Been slaving many years for you” — He saw himself as a slave, not a son. He was working for the Father’s approval & love, when he was a son & heir by birth!

“I have never disobeyed your orders” — Self-righteous, letter of the law, but also probably dishonest claim

“Yet you never gave me a goat...” — His bitterness is obvious to us, though in the moment, he certainly felt justified.

We see a transactional relationship here (Son’s good behavior earns him Father’s love)

“this son of yours” — Disdain & disgust: won’t even claim him as his brother!

The Father calls him “this son of mine” (Luke 15:24) while the older brother calls him “this son of yours”

“who has devoured your assets with prostitutes” — We don’t know for sure whether the younger son wasted his money on prostitutes or not - but he felt that he deserved a party and honor way more than his brother was receiving!

Proverbs 29:3 CSB

3 A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but one who consorts with prostitutes destroys his wealth.

He is infuriated that his hard work seems to not have brought joy to his father - though we know it did

Ephesians 2:8–10 CSB

8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

DON’T MISS THIS!

The older son can’t understand the Father’s love & grace for such a sinner because he doesn’t understand the Father’s love & grace for himself.

Truth #4: When We Are Self-Righteous, We Are Slow to Forgive (Luke 15:25-30)

SUMMARY

When the older son returns home from working in his father’s field, he is met with a confusing scene: a huge celebration is happening while he had been hard at work. He is bewildered to discover this is happening for his younger brother, of whom he had essentially disowned. His anger is kindled at the news of his return and at the proceeding celebration, and bitterness and jealousy come out in his conversation with his father as a result, revealing his self-righteous pride.

300 Illustrations for Preachers Putting Your Image on Toast

Putting Your Image on Toast

Proverbs 8:13

Preaching Themes: Pride

A Vermont company has created a toaster that will allow individuals to burn their images onto a piece of toast. The president of Vermont Novelty Toaster Corp says, “You don’t have to be famous or Jesus to have your face on toast.”

The demand for such a product may be a reflection of our culture of pride and narcissism.

—Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell151

THEY SOLD OUT OF THE SELFIE TOASTERS! THEY WERE $100 EACH!!

Pride! Christian, let’s be honest, how often do we think more highly of ourselves than we should? [ENCOURAGE]

John 6:37 CSB

37 Everyone the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never cast out.

APPLICATION

Humble Yourself & Repent of Self-Righteousness

———

Luke 15:31–32 CSB

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.’ ”

Truth #5: When We Are Forgiven, We Are Free to Rejoice (Luke 15:31-32)

SUMMARY

Instead of condemning the older son, the Father shows grace and patience in response to his anger & bitterness.

He reassures the older son that he will not take away any of his inheritance & that when he stays with the Father, he has it all.

“Everything I have is yours” is a wonderful reminder that we will be blessed when we stay with the Father (not always in material wealth or possessions - but because we experience the riches of God’s goodness, love and grace).

The Father reminds the older son that the return of his brother was cause for the greatest celebration, and invites him to rejoice in it as well.

[Original Meaning of “But we had to” is “It was necessary to celebrate and rejoice”, the right thing to do. It’s not optional or obligatory.]

“This brother of yours” The Father reminds the older son that the prodigal son is his brother, not just “this son of mine.”

Understanding our Forgiveness Frees Us to Rejoice in the Repentance of Fellow Sinners

APPLICATION

Because we are ALL sinners...

Celebrate and Rejoice when Other Sinners Repent

———

BIG IDEA: No Matter the Sin, God Rejoices to Forgive and Restore You!

Whether you are guilty of self-righteousness or self-indulgence!

CONCLUSION:

Summarize, Clarify, & Encourage

So, as we conclude, I want to bring your attention back to the poor little girl and her siblings who grew up with nothing during the great depression. This is her story:

“There were six of us children and we were raised during and after the great depression. We were very poor and lived in a poor-looking house. None of us went to church and knew nothing of salvation. There was a Baptist church in town and one day a kind older woman came by and asked if she could pick us up for church. As we had no place to go and I’m sure mom needed a rest she said OK. The older children didn’t go but three younger ones went of which I was one. May Skelton was the woman’s name and she had no children of her own. This was the changing point of my life. I loved it and she kept taking us to church every Sunday. I was saved at the age of 11 and have served the Lord ever since. When I went home and told my dad that I had gotten saved he made fun and said "Old Lady Skelton” talked me into it. Not so. It was for real.

The Lord has led me for 70 years now. Most of my siblings were saved. Of that I am sure. The greatest blessing was after many, many years of witnessing to my older brother he was saved at age 85 and died at 87. Praise God! The icing on the cake is that all of my children are saved & serving the Lord. Then my grandchildren are saved and THEN the great-grandchildren are being saved. All because one woman took the time to reach out to some poor, needy children.”

This is not a made up story to make a point in my sermon - because one lady none of us will ever meet, in some small, unimportant town, reached out in love and compassion to some poor & hungry children, my grandma visited a Baptist church and heard the gospel & the Father embraced her in His loving arms and forgave her sins and adopted her into His family.

Later on, she married my grandpa, who was not a Christian at the time. God used my grandma to call him out of a life of debauchery & sin and He forgave him of his sins & then you know what happened next? God called him to preach the gospel. He was my pastor til I was 18 years of age. Then my mom got saved & the other kids got saved, and now, the message and good news of the gospel is at work in her grandkids and great-grandkids, in my life & my family here in Decatur, TX and my sister Lindsey’s life & her family in Springfield, MO, and my brother Shane’s life & his family in Madison Heights, VA & clear across the Atlantic Ocean in Cape Town, South Africa, where my brother Blake and his family are missionaries & church planters.

What would have happened if Mrs. Skelton was like the older brother? She could have turned her nose up at my grandma and her sisters. They were poor and penniless. Had nothing to offer.

You just never know what God might do when we reach out in compassion and humility to people lost in sin. We all need his grace. We all need forgiveness.

Invitation:

I’m going to invite everyone to bow their head and get into an attitude of prayer together.

Let me ask you a couple of questions:

Where is your heart in light of this?

Are you seeing some painful evidence of sin?

Which brother are you?

Self-indulgent and foolish one: “I deserve every material thing the world can give me, I am entitled to get what I want, no matter who I hurt in the process. I live for what gives me pleasure.”

Maybe you're a Christian, Self-righteous and bitter: “I deserve God’s grace. I’m a pretty decent person, why wouldn’t God want me in His family? I am so glad I have it all together.” GOD’S LOVE ISN’T FAIR — AND THANK GOD IT ISN’T!

Jesus used another parable that compared a Pharisee & tax collector:

(QUICK PARAPHRASE)

Luke 18:9–14 CSB

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee was standing and praying like this about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I’m not like other people—greedy, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even raise his eyes to heaven but kept striking his chest and saying, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this one went down to his house justified rather than the other, because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

1 Peter 5:5 CSB

5 In the same way, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. All of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

So let me ask again:

Where is your heart in light of this?

Which brother are you?

Explain the Gospel

Maybe you’re here today and realize you are dead in your sins & know you need Jesus to rescue you and give you new life. THE GOSPEL IS FOR YOU!

“Today is the day of salvation” — don’t wait another second. Believe on Jesus as the Savior of your sins and that God raised Him from the dead so that you could have new life in Him! A New Creation.

Maybe you see your self-righteousness brought to the surface and realize you need to confess your pride and arrogance, thinking God is lucky to have you on His team. Humble yourself and confess it today. THE GOSPEL IS FOR YOU!

Let’s take some time to confess our sin together, we are ALL guilty of these sins more than we would like to admit — but that’s what makes the love and grace of God so POWERFUL and RESTORING. He rejoices to forgive and restore you - TODAY.

Let’s spend some time in prayer

— Allow Time for Confession —