The Rejoicing of Christ’ Unmerited Salvation is incompatible with a wrong heart

Everyone: Provide a one to two sentence summary: What is the Prodigal Son about? Send on Signal/ write on paper

After reading through these phrases we will come back to them at the end:

The Rejoicing of Christ’ Unmerited Salvation is incompatible with a wrong heart. - Luke 15:11-32

3 Intentions of the heart and their outcome’s

We will begin with some introductory context. The first heart we will see is a heart intending to fulfill sinful desires, the second heart is the one seeking the Father in humility and the third is the heart intending to be glorified. One heart is left with a life shambles, One heart leads to a celebration with the Father, and another heart leads sitting outside of the party alone and isolated from the Father.

Luke 15:11 (NASB 2020)

11 And He said

Context/introductory questions

Who is He, who is he speaking too. (Who What Where When)

Luke 15:1 NASB 2020

1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near Jesus to listen to Him.

Luke 15:2 NASB 2020

2 And both the Pharisees and the scribes began to complain, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

” Speaking to the Pharisee’s and The scribes

Struggling with “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

One of three parables in Response to the Grumbling of the Pharisee’s

Rejoicing in repentance- lost sheep and lost coin

A heart intending to fulfill Sinful Desire’s lead’s to Ruin vs 11-16

Luke 15:11 (NASB 2020)

11 “A man had two sons.

“Sinner and Pharisee”

Luke 15:12–13 NASB 2020

12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that is coming to me.’ And so he divided his wealth between them. 13 And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey to a distant country, and there he squandered his estate in wild living.

The Tax Collector’s and Sinners is the Younger

A son would normally receive his inheritance at the death, here he says go ahead and give me what i’m owed now. Im out. It is also the Father that accommodate this and allowed this to happen. Pharisee’s you think you understand the Love God let me show you something that makes no sense but display’s God’s mercy, graciousness, and patience.

Wild Living/Prostitutes Lk 15:30 “30 but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’”

Question: What might have motivated this decision?---Gratification of immediate desire’s

JC Ryle Summarizes the heart of mind of this younger son well:

We have in these words a faithful portrait of the mind with which we are all born. This is our likeness. We are all naturally proud and self-willed. We have no pleasure in fellowship with God. We depart from Him, and go afar off. We spend our time, and strength, and faculties, and affections, on things that cannot profit. The covetous man does it in one fashion, the slave of lusts and passions in another, the lover of pleasure in another.- JC Ryle

Prov 16:25 “25 There is a way which seems right to a person, But its end is the way of death.”

Luke 15:14 NASB 2020

14 Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began doing without.

Prov 16:18-19 “18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling. 19 It is better to be humble in spirit with the needy Than to divide the spoils with the proud.”

Luke 15:15–16 NASB 2020

15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he longed to have his fill of the carob pods that the pigs were eating, and no one was giving him anything.

Carob pods can be found in the southern Levant, the Mediterranean, and southern Europe. Being high in fat, they provided a cheap means to feed pigs that were being prepped for slaughter. In the parable of the prodigal sign, it is a testament to how far off-track he really is when he longed to be fed with the pods—food with strong associations with an unclean animal

To a Jew Pigs were unclean, this is not just living among animals but living among the worst of them. He was in desperation for the food that was left for the slaughtered - the things about to die. He was not even given that!

JC Ryle again has a great summary of this situation.

Sin is a hard master, and the servants of sin always find it out, sooner or later, to their cost. Unconverted people are never really happy. Under a profession of high spirits and cheerfulness, they are often ill at ease within. Thousands of them are sick at heart, dissatisfied with themselves, weary of their own ways, and thoroughly uncomfortable.- JC Ryle

Question: How are we tempted to today to start this path? What are our desire’s that may lead us astray if they rule our live’s? Some here may have experienced ruin and some have yet to experience it by God’s grace

Laziness displayed in idol-ness: movies, apps, games with unchecked time

Lust to be loved - relationships

Peace from Sources outside of God- anxieties about future, school

A heart intending to Seek the Father in humility leads to Celebration with the Father vs 17-20

Luke 15:17 NASB 2020

17 But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired laborers have more than enough bread, but I am dying here from hunger!

What is meant by Senses hear? This is more then he smelled something. Literally meaning he came to himself. There was a clarity of himself and his situation.

Luke 15:18 NASB 2020

18 ‘I will set out and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight;

Where does repentance begin?

Does it stop here? The awakening of spiritual senses to your surroundings? What if the story stopped here?

Luke 15:19 NASB 2020

19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired laborers.” ’

Question: If an unbeliever were to hear this phrase what is the natural thought? What is wrong with this statement if you were to hear this online or in a public school setting? Why does this in human wisdom sound wrong?

A right view and the place to Glorify God’s grace Luke 17:10 “10 So you too, when you do all the things which were commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’ ”- JESUS

Luke 15:20–21 NASB 2020

20 “So he set out and came to his father. But when he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

What happened after he came to his senses? Are good thoughts enough? Faith w/ out works verse enter? This is the exemplified true belief! The combination of the mind coming to its senses by the power of the Spirit and returning of the man to the Father. Had he stopped at the thought he would have never actually made it to the Father. The true belief lead to a true change in direction.

Luke 15:22–24 NASB 2020

22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet; 23 and bring the fattened calf, slaughter it, and let’s eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.

The father sent his slaves scurrying. The best robe was a sign of position and the ring also, especially if, as many hold, a signet ring is meant (cf. Gen. 41:42; Esth. 3:10; 8:2); such a ring conveyed authority. In his destitution the son went barefoot. But this was fitting only for a slave and the shoes marked him out as a freeman. The fatted calf was clearly an animal carefully looked after for some special occasion. Its use now shows that the father felt that there could scarcely be a more special occasion than this. The old man’s overflowing joy finds expression in his memorable opposition of dead to alive again and of lost to found. In the feast where they began to make merry perhaps the son found some of the solid pleasure he had looked for in vain in the far country.

Leon Morris, Luke: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 3, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 260.

Ephesians 2:1–10 NASB 2020

1 And you were dead in your offenses and sins, 2 in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Question: What is the typical response when someone’s hits rock bottom? What is stirred up in the life of this young man after finding this reception?

Thankfulness for the grace of God knowing you sinned against heaven

Contentment in any status knowing everything is more than he deserved

Does this categorize your life?

A Heart intending to be exalted in Pride Leads to Separation from the Father and the Body vs. 25-31

The Pharisee’s who objected the Lord for receiving sinners and eating with them.

Luke 15:25–28 NASB 2020

25 “Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28 But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him.

What caused him to respond in anger?

Was he mistreated, did he view himself rightly? Was it his things to distribute. Why did he not go in? Who really missed out by not going in. The self righteous and the fool had the same choice to go in, one chose not to.

The follow text provides more of an amazing insight to the thought life of this older brother

Luke 15:29 NASB 2020

29 But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you never gave me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends;

I deserve this, Entitlement: Why he “deserves” a reward. He believed the Father was unfair, he believed he was better that the Son and he was worthy to be celebrated. He had no fault and obeyed perfectly. “So Many Years” look at how hard it has been for me.

Even if he did Obey perfectly? Do we deserve something back for obedience or is that simply the baseline/least we should be doing anyway.- the unworthy slave whos works are filthy wrags before the Lord

He never got the calf himself. How silly is this! His desire is to eat that calf, its literally inside if he would go in. His end goal is in front of him but the problem is that it wasn’t about him.

Last reason for the anger People pleasing? A reputation among others as the purpose for the gift lk 15:15 His desire to celebrate and be recognized in front of his friends led him to become jealous. In this scenario, he is not being praised

Luke 15:30 NASB 2020

30 but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’

He was angry because he thought the Father is Unfair

Luke 15:31–32 NASB 2020

31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’ ”

The Pharisee’s were consumed with their own wisdom, their own pride, and their own glorification or respect among men. The outcome of this exaltation will lead them to miss eternity with Christ and the others coming to Christ in humility recognizing their own sin. Eternity will be full of those who Glorify God for his amazing mercy not those who think they have any shot at stealing God’s glory by their own God given abilities.

Take Away Idea’s and a Question:

If we think that our wisdom is above God’s ways of doing things watch out- you might miss the party

The right view of ourselves will protect us from Ruin

A reminder where our own wisdom and life choices will get us when we are short sighted. What about when our friends seem to have more joy? Is our joy found when we are glorified or when God is glorified in his plan of redemption.

Where is your heart?

Chasing Sinful Desire’s indicated by:

Laziness in video games

Self satisfaction

Chasing your own Glory indicated by:

angry when someone else is praised and your not

consumed with your reputation

Alway’s dwelling on what you deserve

Making sure everyone knows what you accomplished

Chasing the Father indicated by:

Thankful for the grace of God knowing you sinned against heaven

Turning from your sinful life and setting out for a new life with the Father

Content to take on lowly positions and serve