You Can Come Home Again

Introduction

Good morning and welcome back!

This morning we are going to be jumping into the New Testament, over to the Gospel of Luke, looking at a familiar parable that Jesus told.

Like I mentioned last week, we know that on many occasions throughout the Bible Jesus spoke and taught the people through the use of parables and examples to help the people understand the abstract concepts in ways that were applicable to their lives.

This parable that we will be looking at this morning is no different.

Jesus is going to use a situation that the Jewish people are all too familiar with and he is going to teach them, and hopefully us as well, something about the nature of God and the nature of God’s love toward us.

So, let’s get into it this morning.

First, I will read the passage found in Luke 15, starting in verse 11 and then we will break it down just a bit.

So, again Luke 15, starting in verse 11 . . .

Scripture Focus

Luke 15:11–24 NIV - Anglicised

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no-one gave him anything. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ 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. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “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. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

The Fall of the Son

Now, I will tell you up front that this is only part of the entirety of this parable.

In this one, Jesus is actually teaching about several different aspects of God.

In the second half of the parable, that we will not talk about this morning, Jesus actually focuses on the second of the two sons.

But this morning we are looking at son #1, the younger of the two.

So, again Jesus starts out . . .

Luke 15:11–12 NIV - Anglicised

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

So, this younger of the two sons has come to his father demanding his inheritance from his father, which is actually a great insult to his family.

You see in those days, Jewish tradition dictated that when a man gets to the point that he can no longer take care of his property and/or his money or when he dies, then the inheritance is divided up among all the male children.

However, on this occasion, the younger son decides that he wants his inheritance now, instead of waiting on the proper time.

So, the father obliges his wishes and divides out the son’s portion of the inheritance and presents it to the son.

And the great offense is the implication of the son asking for his inheritance right then and there.

He is essentially saying to his father, “you are dead to me” or “useless to me.”

“Give me what’s mine and leave me alone.”

Basically a spoiled brat.

So, what does the son do with this new found wealth?

Invest it?

Save it?

Start a business or a family of his own?

Nope . . .

Luke 15:13 NIV - Anglicised

“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.

The KJV translates the “wild living” as “riotous living.”

And what’s interesting is the meaning of the word “riotous.”

It means:

Uproarious or boisterous as in a “riotous party.”

Abundant or luxuriant. Unrestrainedly excessive.

Lacking moral restraint, indulging in sensual pleasures or vices.

Immoral, unchaste, lewd.

Undisciplined, spoiled.

So, here’s our son, living it up.

Living a life with all of the world’s pleasures and abundances.

Living to please himself and only himself.

He has no discipline, no regard for anyone else, is lacking all moral restraint, and living under the old adage, “if it feels good do it.

In other words, He IS LIVING THE AMERICAN DREAM!

Or what some people think is the American dream.

But it is all about to come to a screeching halt!

You see, sin has its pleasures for a season.

Here’s the problem though, the son can’t see this coming.

He is being blinded and deceived by the devil.

All the son can see is that he is having a good time, living the good life and can’t see what is around the bend.

You see the devil is the father of lies and he’s not going to tell you the whole story.

You see, he is a liar and a murderer and is not going to tell you the truth.

He is going to do everything he can to deceive you and trap you because his only agenda is for you do die lost and go to hell.

That’s all he is after.

And our son here falls right into the trap.

But, the fun comes to an end . . .

Luke 15:14–16 NIV - Anglicised

After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no-one gave him anything.

After a while of living this way, under his own rule and own authority, a famine comes to the land.

The son now finds himself in a dire strait.

There is no food to eat and now he is penniless because he has squandered all the inheritance that the father has given him.

The son is down and out and doesn’t know what to do.

He finds a wealthy landowner and takes a job feeding the pigs.

This was as low as you could go in the Jewish tradition.

Jews were not to tend to or even touch unclean animals but our son had been so overtaken by sin and the world that he was in amongst the filth of the pigpen and to make matters worse, he was so hungry that even the slop of the pigs was beginning to look good to him.

Things were hopeless and had nowhere to turn.

He had hit rock bottom.

The Son Finds the Way

And unfortunately this is where many people will meet their end.

They hit rock bottom and they stay there.

However, our son here found a different way.

My thoughts are here that his father taught him something that stuck with him.

The Bible goes on to tell us . . .

Luke 15:17–19 NIV - Anglicised

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’

The son began to come to his senses and is now sorry for what he has done, how he has lived, and wants to go home.

He decides to return to his father and beg forgiveness and to be hired on as a servant.

He knew he had blown his inheritance and just wants to be in the father’s house.

He didn’t care what he had to do, he just wanted to go home.

So the son returns to the father with the idea that he would confess to his father, in essence repent of his sin.

So, the son rose up and gathered up the courage and swallowed his pride.

And look what happens next . . .

Luke 15:20–24 NIV - Anglicised

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. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “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. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

And you can get the picture here that the father was going out every day looking for his child to return home.

Looking over the hillside waiting for his lost son to come back to him.

And the day came when his son did come home.

And the father was so excited he ran to his son, overjoyed to see him, hugging and kissing him.

And even when the son tried to say he was sorry, the father didn’t care.

The father already knew that his son was sorry for what he had done.

And instead of punishing the son and reducing him to a servant, the father restores him.

Returns everything he had lost.

And not only that, they throw a big party.

And why?

Luke 15:24 NIV - Anglicised

For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

What’s the Point?

Now, this is an excellent story of a father’s love toward his children, isn’t it?

But what does it have to do with us?

You see, the father in this story is God and we are the representation of the Son. T

his is not only an example of a father’s love for his son, this is also an example of the Heavenly Father’s love for us.

God has promised an inheritance to all His children.

However, in order to receive this inheritance, we have to be children of God.

So, how do we become children of God?

Only, through His Son Jesus Christ.

Our Bible tells us that:

Galatians 3:26 NIV - Anglicised

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,

And granted most of his here know this.

Most of us here know about Jesus, and many at one point actually knew Jesus.

I would venture to even say that even several of us at one time made a confession to Jesus that we are sinners, on a path straight to Hell and acknowledged both His ability and our desire for Him to save us from God’s judgment on our sin.

But what have we done since then?

Have we continued to live a holy life, pleasing to God and fruitful in service to God?

Or have we done like the son, taken what God has given to us and squandered it away, took all the blessings from God for granted and are now left with nothing.

Have we hit rock bottom?

No hope, no possible way back home, which is what the devil wants you to think.

But are we really left with nothing?

Remember, the son was so down and out that he had hit rock bottom.

But he came to his senses he realized how he was wrong for so many years, how he had been selfish, how he had wasted all the things that His father had given him.

When he had realized this he humbled himself and acknowledged his sin.

He acknowledged his transgressions.

So, so the son returned to the father with a humble attitude.

He returned wanting to be a servant, not even wanting to be a son anymore, not caring about what he could get or what he was due.

He had no hope, nowhere to turn.

He wanted only to serve the Father.

He wanted to just go home.

And when he came to the father, what happened?

The Father had compassion on him.

The Father was overjoyed that his child had returned to Him after so long.

The Father realized the son’s condition.

The Father realized that the son was sincere and that the son had learned and repented of his sins.

Through all the son’s misdeeds the Father never stopped loving him.

The Father never lost hope in His son.

The Father never gave up.

And all it took was the son to come home, and the Father restored Him.

Altar/Challenge

And we are no different than the son and God is still God.

God still wants to do the same thing for us, if we will allow him.

And this is God’s message for us today.

God is waiting for us.

God has not given up hope on us.

God wants us to come home.

We can go home again.

God wants to grant us our inheritance.

The only thing left to do is to humble ourselves admit we have been wrong, admit that we have sinned, admit that Jesus is the way to God and trust that God will take care of the rest.

Are we willing to do that today?

Let’s pray . . .