The Prodigal Son

Service Notes

Send-Off tonight

Bring Up Nate Wilkerson / If he is here

VBS Review

Bible Reading

We look at the first two of the 3 stories in this chapter.

Same story, same them; the Father’s Joy.

Heaven rejoices when this lost sinner is found, recovered, restored.

Why do angels rejoice? Because they find joy in what the Father finds joy in?

We should read Luke 15:2 as the angels would not as murmuring like the pharisees. Luke 15:2 “2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.”

Charles Dickens called this the greatest short story ever written. Doubtful he knew how incredible wonderful it is.

Jeff Mize “He told me last week this was his favorite story because we all are the prodigal.”

As a teen I used to sing along to a song that said..

Part of me is the prodigal Part of me is the other brother But I think the heart of me Is really somewhere between them Some days I'm running wild Some days we're reconciled But I wonder all the while Why you put up with me

When I wrestle most days To find ways to do as I please

Eager to get to the prodigal love of the Father and to demonstrate their is more than one way to sin from the older brother.. but it will do us well to spend time looking at this younger brother today.

Luke 15:11–32 (KJV 1900)

11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:

12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:

23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:

24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.

26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.

27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.

28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.

29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:

30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.

32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

Introduction

Charles Dickens said it is the best story every written

Questions we must ask ourselves.

What would Jesus’ original hearers have thought about the descriptions of the prodigal son, of the loving father, and of the elder brother?

Would they have related with the rebel child?

Would they have judged the father as lenient?

Would they have related and understood the issues that the elder brother had?

Tell the Story / Again

1. The Far Country (our need for repentance) 2. The Prodigal’s Return (repentance defined) 3. The Father’s Welcome (the motive for repentance)

Far Country

Wherever you are not in fellowship with God your life is a far country. You do not belong there.

Luke 15:13 “13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.”

Selah telling us during covid she was homesick. We said “ you are home.” She says I know “I am tired of being here,”

Publicans & Sinners knew they were far away

Luke 15:1 “1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.”

They should have been able to see themselves as people in the pig pen.

A sinful state is also a state of constant discontent.

Younger son wanted more than the Father was offering him in life.

Luke 12:15 “15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”

Without hope or help

Luke 15:16 “16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.”

Sin promises freedom but brings slavery

John 8:34 “34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.”

“Sin always takes you further than you want to go, costs you more than you want to pay, and keeps you longer than you want to stay.”

We all were born prodigals

The Prodigal walks away from home. Luke 15:12-13 “12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.”

Here is the beginning of our story. Romans 1:23-25 “23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”

shameless request and then a shameless rebellion

no love for the father

no love for the family

no desire for accountability

no love, except a love for self

Isaiah 53:6 “6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned every one to his own way; And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Prone to Wonder

Believers have been justified.

Those who have repented of sin and trusted in Christ as Lord and Savior, God declares them right before him on the basis of Christ’s righteousness and substitutionary death. 2 Cor 5:19 “19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.”

We have been seated in Heavenly Places. Ephesians 2:6 “6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:”

As sung in Come thou Font of Every Blessing

Jesus sought me when a stranger Wandering from the fold of God He to rescue me from danger Interposed His precious blood (means of justification)

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it

Confession is ongoing in the life of a believer. 1John 1:9 “9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Declared justified & called to confess our sins are not contradictory

God declares us just / He forgives our future sins—as well as our past and present sins—since our future lies before Him as an open book

We know we have been declared just / We know we have have been justified as of all our past and present sins, and our justification is the judicial ground for the forgiveness of future sins.

Justification occurs once for all time, yet confessing sin and receiving forgiveness is ongoing until we are glorified and sin no more. Romans 6:9-10 “9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.”

As we live our lives and unfortunately sin, we need to return to God in repentance and faith and seek his forgiveness. Yet we do so on the basis of Christ’s work applied to us in our justification. Such an experience is not a new justification but a renewed application of our justification.

Thank God for our limitations and the famines that drive us home.

Luke 15:14 “14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.”

The Father is calling the wondering Christian to come home

Can you relate to the words of the old hymn-writer William Cowper?

Where is the blessedness I knew When first I saw the Lord? Where is the soul-refreshing view Of Jesus in his word? What peaceful hours I once enjoyed; How sweet their memory still; But they have left an aching void The world can never fill.

The Prodigal’s Return

We do well to pay close attention to what this story teaches us about repentance.

Reasons to repent

Without repentance, there is no forgiveness of sins. Acts 11:18 “18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.”

A blessed life is a forgiven life. Psalm 32:1 “1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.”

Our reluctance to repent can often result in divine discipline.

David reflected on his sin and the season during which he kept silent, he explains effects of his transgression in physical terms: Psalm 32:3 “3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old Through my roaring all the day long.”

Rock bottom is a wonderful place if it causes you to look up.

Luke 15:16-17 “16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!”

How to come home

The prodigal became aware of his sinful state.

Luke 15:17-18 “17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,”

Realized more than discomfort but became aware of his sin.

The Prodigal woe up from being self-deceived.James 1:22 “22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

The law of God is to awaken us to our sinful state. Mark 10:19-20 “19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.”

Jesus confronts the hearts of the self-deceived. Matthew 5:21-22 “21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”

Picture a train moving along a track on which there are many stations. Murder is the station at the end of a line called ‘Conflict.’  Most people will never go near that station, but all of us have travelled somewhere on this line.

The Prodigal has sorrow for his sin.

Luke 15:18-19 “18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.”

He has a proper understanding of the weight and direction of his of his sin.

His sin was ever before him Psalm 51:3 “3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: And my sin is ever before me.”

His sin was before His father. Psalm 51:4 “4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, And done this evil in thy sight: That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest.”

The Prodigal confesses his sin

The son has something in his heart to say Luke 15:18 “18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,”

The son confesses to the Father that he has sinned against him. Luke 15:21 “21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.”

No excuses. No shifting the blame. A sincere confession of wrong without any expectation.

As seen in the life of David as well. Psalm 32:5 “5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, And mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.”

True confessions means you will accept consequences

We seen this from the man on the cross beside Jesus. Luke 23:40-42 “40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.”

Luke 23:43 “43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

True confession doesn’t demand forgiveness

Luke 15:21 “21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.”

When Jacob approached Esau and repented, he didn’t expect mercy, let alone compassion. Genesis 32:10 “10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.”

Corinthian Repentance

Biblical repentance must also be distinguished from worldly or fleshly repentance.

Paul writes a letter with a very heavy heart.

There is a wordly grief. 2 Cor 7:10 “10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”

Worldly grief is essentially self-pity for having been exposed and having lost stature, favor, or respect in the eyes of men.

Godly grief occurs when one considers that the sin in question has dishonored God.

The Prodigals change of heart leads to a change of action

Luke 15:20 “20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”

Seen in the life of all believers.

It is impossible to place your faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior without first changing your mind about your sin and about who Jesus is and what He has done.

A change of mind or perspective is of no value if it isn’t accompanied by a change of direction, a change of life and action.

A new King reigns within our hearts.

What God commands we now desires to practice

What God forbids we now desire to avoid.

The prodigal, like Zaccaeus, desires to make amends.

Luke 15:19 “19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.”

Luke 19:9 “9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.”

The prodigal developed a hate for sin and its consequences.

Luke 15:17 “17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!”

Repentance brings a hear about God’s Word Psalm 119:128 “128 Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; And I hate every false way.”

What we now treasure we see would only bring death. Romans 6:21 “21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.”

The Father’s Welcome

Luke 15:20-22 “20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:”

Jesus died on the cross so that we can find our way home to God.

Do you ever feel homesick? Or like you don’t really fit anywhere? Like you’re missing something – or someone?

The theme of losing your home – of exile – is central to the stories in the Bible.

It starts in Genesis when Adam and Eve were expelled from their original home in God’s garden.

And with the Israelites enslaved in Egypt, we learn again and again about people being displaced, and longing for home.

The parable of the prodigal son, too, is about two brothers who lost their way.

One, who left home to explore his own destiny and ended up mired in debt with no community around him.

The other, who stayed home but ended up rejecting his closest family.

This parable reveals something very important: that there’s always a way back.

God runs to welcome us home, and the way he ran to meet us is through Jesus

Maria’s husband died not long after she gave birth to their daughter Christina. She was left to carry the burden of caring for the family alone, she expected that when Christina came of age she would help share the load but when she came of age Christina was fixated on big city life, Maria knew her daughter, maria knew the big city and knew what it would take for her daughter to survive and contently warned her to stay home, but one day Maria woke up to find Christina gone and all her belongings but Maria immediately determined to go to the big city and find her daughter. She didn’t have alot of money, she didn’t have any connections, she didn’t know where to look so before she left she went to a photo booth and took as many pictures of her self as she could afford. So she went to the city and everywhere she went bars, clubs, hotels, she hung a picture of herself. until she ran outta money and pictures and she went home with a broken heart. Some time later her daughter Christina was leaving a hotel after a long night. Life had caught up with her, and now she would rather sleep on a cot in her mammas house than the scores of beds she had been in in the big city. As she exited a hotel she looked up and saw a picture of her mother she took it down off of the wall only to find a note on the back of it in her mothers handwriting that simply said “Christina wherever you are and whatever you’ve done, it doesn’t matter I LOVE YOU COME HOME!

Conclusion

Today as we look at the cross I can tell all of you. Come home! All ye who are weary come home.