The Heart of the Father

THE HEART OF THE FATHER Given March 27, 2022 Craig Minke LK 15:11-24 The theme for this week is God's great act of removing our sins and the shame that sin brings. God has done all the work necessary to reconcile the world to himself. In Luke, Jesus tells a parable of a father who forgives his prodigal son and goes above and beyond to restore him to full sonship.l Think of a time when you did something as a child that you knew you would get into trouble for. * And because of your actions, you hid or stayed away. * Maybe you broke your mom's favorite vase or * Neglected to do something that your dad told to you do. * Or maybe it was a promise to your father you would be careful when you asked to borrow the family car. * We have all had these experience growing up in family life. Sometimes those experiences get carried over into our relationship with God. * Sometimes we stay away from God because we think that we are not worthy, or * That we have done something that disqualifies us from his love. * We even think that God's response to us will be according to the level of how much we think we need to grovel to get back in his good graces. Today we will look at a story of a son who hit rock bottom, and is highly fearful of returning to his father. * Here is a son who insulted his father demand his family inheritance even before his father was dead. * It is a story of a son who had no kindness and love for his father's values * It is a story of a son who felt his father was old fashioned and did not know how to live life. * It is a story of a son who abandoned all sense of family and moral values to live his life in an enlightened way, who chose a path of immorality Although we know this story as The Parable of the Prodigal Son, * the story is more about the heart of the father. * We will be looking at three facets of the father's heart: his compassion, confession, and celebration. * Let's read this story found in Luke 15 LK 15:11-20 11 Then Jesus said, "There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.' So he divided his property between them. 13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16 He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands."' 20 So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. (NRSV) Today I want to look at 3 ASPECTS OF THE HEART OF THE FATHER 1st - COMPASSION OF THE FATHER In this first section, we are going to consider the compassion of the father. * To add some context lets look at this story in a little more detail * The son comes to his Father and asks for the inheritance of his o First off inheritance are usually given after a death. o The son is tired of waiting for his father to die and demands his inheritance right away. o Maybe he has to give up his retirement nest egg (savings) in order to meet his sons demands. o This would be hard on him * The father has grants his inheritance to him, and the son heads off to go live it up and party hearty. o The son learns that everybody likes him while he has money and shares it. o Prov 19:4 Wealth attracts many friends, but a poor man is deserted by his friend. * Will Rogers said "To many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want, to impress people that they don't like" * James Frick said "Don't tell me where you priorities are. Show me where you spend your money, and I'll tell you what they are." * Thomas Tusser said "A fool and his money are soon parted." * He was having some fun, until the money runs out and the fun is over. o This is the money his father has worked his whole life for in order to provide for his family and children. o His friends who flocked to him when he had money now all disappeared. o He soon learned that if he wanted money he would have to earn it. o Satan the liar says sin promises freedom, but it only brings slavery, sin promises success but it only brings failure, it promise life (the good life) but it only bring death. As Rom 6:23 says the wages of sin is death. o The son thought he would "find himself" but he only lost himself o When God is left out of our lives, enjoyment becomes enslavement. o As someone once said "Sin will take you farther then you intended to go, keep you longer than you intended to stay, and cost you more then you intended to pay. God's word talks about the pleasures of sin in Hebrew 11:25 HEB 11:25 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. o Moses understood the principle of pursuing the pleasures of sin, righes, pleasure. o Verse 25 says yes there is pleasure in sin but it only lasts for a very short time. o But as many have learned you can't sow wild oats and then pray for crop failure. o The prodigal had not made right choices in life * Now - back to the story of the prodigal - He must find employment o Doing the most degrading job a Jew could imagine and that is to feed the pigs, which were better fed than he was, and that's not saying much. o As you know to the Jews, pig were UNCLEAN, FILTHY. o He probably at some of the food that he was giving to the pigs o He soon reach rock bottom. * No money * No food * No friends * Probably no clothes * Having reached rock bottom or the rope with no hope in sight o Then the son come to himself -FINALLY BEGINS TO THINK o He decides to come home but o Feels great shame and unworthiness at the same time. o Having run out of options he feels that maybe his father would accept him back as a servant on his property. One thing that we need to understand is that a son who asked for his share of the inheritance was essentially saying to his father, * "I wish you were dead." * This would have been unthinkable, and it would have scandalized their family in front of the whole village. * In fact, in that culture a father was expected to shun a child that asked for such an outrageous request. * For all intents and purposes, that son was now considered dead. In the event of the son's return, it was likely that the people of this town saw him coming. * Knowing the disgrace and shame he has caused his father, it is likely he would have been treated harshly upon his return. But then we see the father in the story. * The father sees the son from far off. * Perhaps he is seeing a commotion. * Perhaps the father has been keeping an eye out for him this whole time. * We don't know. * What we do know is, he takes off running, most likely with robes lifted past his knees-a shameful way for a man to expose himself. * Suddenly, the son is no longer the focal point, and it's the very scandal of their father's running and exposure of skin that hides the shame of the prodigal. * The father would rather bare the shame than to see it upon his son. The Father likely knew what kind of condition his prodigal son would have been in, and he responded with compassion. * Similarly, God saw humanity distancing itself from him. * He saw our lostness, our guilt and shame and had compassion on us. * Look what it say in Romans 5:8 ROM 5:8 8 But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. (NRSV) o Last week Mupe talked of the Father's love for us. o There was no hesitation by Jesus to lay his life down for us and pay the penalty for our sins. o Notice also in Ephesians 2:13 EPH 2:13 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. * Jesus did not hold back he took our SHAME, he took our SINS and nailed it to the cross * All so we can once again COMMUNE WITH GOD be at one with him without the BARRIER OF SIN. * That is the love and COMPASSION the father has for every one of us just as the FATHER IN THE PRODICAL STORY LOVED HIS LONG LOST SON. 2nd - THE CONFESSION LK 15:21-22 21 Then the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'22 But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly, bring out a robe-the best one-and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. (NRSV) In this section we are going to look at the confession of the father. * No, I did not say that incorrectly. * Did you notice in verse 22 that it indicates that it wasn't the son's attempt at confession that moved the heart of the father. * In fact, he interrupts the son's bumbling attempt at confessing. * The son presupposes his disqualification as son, but the father throws him a party instead. We see that the father even kisses his son. * According to their customs, a kiss would have signified a death to the past as well as approval. * Both of which the prodigal son received. * The father has his best robe placed on the son as well as his signet ring and a pair of shoes. * In other words, his past identity as a barefooted slave was now past him, and the father confesses that his son is now o worthy of honor (the robe), o authority (the ring), and o freedom (shoes). Today as God's children we wear the robe of righteousness that is ours in Christ. * We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit which acts as our engagement ring to assure us that we will receive everything promised to us. * The Heavenly Father confesses about us being included in Christ? * Do we know our place in him? * Have we truly looked into all that is ours by being placed in Christ? 3rd - CELEBRATION LK 15:23-24 23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!' And they began to celebrate. (NRSV) In the last two verses we are looking at the celebration of the father. * Now, if the party were supposed to just include his immediate family, then a goat would have sufficed quite nicely. * But instead, we see the father instructing them to kill the fattened calf. This would have fed the entire village. * As Jesus pointed out to the pharisees earlier in this chapter, LK 15:7 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (NRSV) There was an old story that many have heard, there are even songs related to the story. * A son had left his village as a disgrace. * He had brought shame and dishonor to his family. * He went to live in a big city and to get away from the situation that he had caused in his village. * After a while he began to miss his family but was unsure as to whether he would be welcomed home or not. * He wrote to his father to let him know that he was taking the train back home to his village. * He told his father that if he is still welcome to come home, then the father should place a yellow flag at the train station near their village. * The son indicated that if he did not see the yellow flag then he would stay on the train and keep going. When the train came near to the village, the son was extremely nervous. * He was afraid to even look out the window as he feared the worst. * But when they got within a mile of the train station, he peered out the window and saw something that he couldn't even imagine. * Lining the street were dozens of yellow flags leading to the train station. * There were flags on fences, flags in trees, flags on people's rooftops and a grand assortment of yellow flags at the station itself. The father was so overjoyed to have his son back that he made his joy unmistakable. * Think of how the father felt as he went around to all of his neighbors to get permission to plant flags on their properties, their trees, fences, and on their roofs. * This shows a father who is only thinking of how much he wants the son to know that he is forgiven and then to celebrate the reunion. * How might our lives be different if we were convinced that we wear the robe of righteousness at all times? o Is there not a tendency in our lives when we mess up to pull away from God, in fear that he may reject us, or not love us anymore. o Sin does create barriers, but through Christ's sacrifice those barriers have been removed. o Because of our failures do we still feel unworthy to approach God. o The story of the Father in the prodigal son shows a father has his arms wide open waiting for us. Just as the prodigal son being brought back to life was the cause of the father's celebration, in the same way our Heavenly Father rejoices over humanity being placed in the Son of God. * The heart of the Father is to see us truly live as who we are: honored, favored, and free children of God. Let's sum this up. * First, the father was moved by compassion for the son. o Rather than having his son bear shame and guilt, the father covers it up and places it on himself. o Likewise, Jesus, who is one with the Father, goes to the cross in our place and takes our shame and guilt upon himself, fulfilling the Father's compassion for us * Second, despite the prodigal son's attempt at confession, it is the confession of the father welcoming this son fully back into the family that gets the attention. o Though we are instructed to confess our sins, it is not an attempt to get into God's good graces. o We are already in because of Christ, who has confessed that he will draw all people to himself. o We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. * And lastly, the father celebrated the son's return in grand fashion. o And in Christ, the heart of the Father was pleased to welcome us into his great fellowship between Father, Son and Spirit where the celebration will continue without end. o From our story today o We can SEE THE HEART OF OUR HEAVENLY FATHER. o We worship a God a FATHER who yearns for us and want us to come home. o Our Father longs for us to be in RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM o Our Father has COMPASSION ON US o Our Father celebrates when we listen to him as we read the scriptures o Our Father celebrates when we commune with him in prayer. o Thank you God - for your love. CLOSING PRAYER