The Father's Care for the Faithful Son

This morning we talked about the prodigal son who came home finally to his father after a time of sin and pleasure. He wasted his living and ended up poor and destitute eating those things that were thrown to the swine.

It was truly a miraculous thing when he came back to his father. He repented of his sin and realized the love and mercy of the father. It was a truly wonderful parable that the Lord gave. After receiving him back, his father gave him a robe and a then threw a party on his behalf.

Yet his brother became angry. He was upset that his father was making merry over his brother, the prodigal son, that had returned.

We are going to study this interesting person and see his example to the faithful son of God and the faithful child in the home.

I. The Faithful son sometimes can get discouraged

That is what happened here. No doubt that the the son in this story was one that had been living with a certain burden. It was a burden that was mainly self-imposed. It was not one that was given to him by the Father.

Because of the care and concern and the heartbreak of the Father over the lost son, it is often perceived that he is somehow neglected or overlooked. But that is farthest from truth. We will talk about that as we go on.

But the faithful son gets discouraged.

A. Discouraged from hearing reports of those that have returned from the far country

He might start to look at it with awe and amazement

He might want some of the amazing experiences that come with living in the far country.

Have you not done that. Have you not wished you could experience some of the things that the world enjoys without guilt or seemingly judgement. Have we not thought how easy would be to go into the far country at times. Especially when a hurt comes or a trial comes.

B. Discouraged over the perceived attention the prodigal son receives

Often a prodigal will seem to get more praise than he that is faithful and it can be discouraging.

Much like when a new Christian who comes out of the world makes such growth and advancement that it almost stuns us.

Sometimes you will here statements that are negative such as

II. The Faithful Son has a propensity to the sin of envy

Maybe he doesn’t smoke, cuss, or watch bad movies. Maybe he try to keep his life free of sin as best he can on the outside, but when he has the sin of envy in his life, whether he realizes or not he is hurting himself and his family far more than he realizes.

The Faithful son is wrong in this, he must guard himself from this sin

Proverbs 14:30 AV

A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

Proverbs 23:17 AV

Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.

Part reason he has this propensity to envy is because he does not see or understand that wonderful position that he is in.

As a result, he can become unthankful for what God has been doing in his life, because there was not great, overnight change.

So he might at times wonder what God is doing, and why he doesn’t have some great change in his life. He desires to see God working in His life.

But can I encourage you that if you are following God and serving the Lord, then you are what God wants and desires for your life.

III. The Faithful son gets the blessing of always being with the Father

Let make this clear, the best son of God is the one who becomes a son of God and never backslides in his life.

I want to speak to some of our young people, and remind them that the same is true in the family. You are blessed of your parents when you serve God with your life and stay close to your parents and honor them. You are the most blessed.

A. A Faithful son never sways far from the father’s side

Psalm 119:67 AV

Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.

By the way, that is a good thing. It is good to stay close to God. It is good to stay by his side.

B. A Faithful son does not have to learn what it means to be backslidden

It is far better for you and I, no matter who we are, from this day forward, to not have a major backsliding our lives. It is not good to going back and forth, experiencing the world, experiencing the far country.

We shouldn’t desire it, we shouldn’t wish for it, we should always be thankful that we are near to the Father.

C. A Faithful son does not have to live with regrets

Trust me, you don’t want to learn the ways of the far country, you don’t want to have to live with the regret that comes with the far country.

Remember what from this story alone you don’t have to miss:

1. The regret of wasting God’s that which has been graciously given

It says he wasted his substance in v.13

2. The regret of riotous living

Riotous means Luxurious; wanton or licentious in festive indulgences

Using license; indulging freedom to excess; unrestrained by law or morality; loose; dissolute; as a licentious man. [.] 2. Exceeding the limits of law or propriety; wanton; unrestrained

v.13

It is living without any limits of sin in anyway, words that might be near it in the Bible are wantonness, reprobate.

IV. The Faithful son has all that the father has

The Bible has many encouragement to us to take a look at our lives and take an inventory of the blessings that God has given us. If you consider the Faithful son, and all that he has and look at your life as a faithful son of God you will realize that you have been blessed likewise.

A. The Father’s Finances

His Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills

Ps 50:10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.

He returns far more than we invest on this earth

Luke 6:38 AV

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

We get 100 fold on our investment when we get to heaven

Matthew 19:29 AV

And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

B. The Father’s Fellowship

We already talked about this somewhat in our last point

But we get to spend time with the Father. His eyes are always upon us and we can look to Him, ask Him questions, seek His Word, have continual fellowship. Never be alone, never without help.

Hebrews 4:16 AV

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

C. The Father’s Fire

The Power of the Holy Spirit because we are living a holy, consecrated life of devotion to the father.

But the Father’s Fire means even more, the Father’s Passions - he does those things that the Father is excited about it.

D. The Father’s Future in his Kingdom

Revelation 20:6 AV

Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

E. The Father’s Favor

Luke 1:28 AV

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

Don’t get the idea that Mary was the favorite of the father any more than the faithful son was the the favorite of God.

Rather, God says that the one who is pure, obedient, submissive to God is favored of God.

The Father’s Care for the Faithful Son

Luke 15:25-32

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