Grosey's Messages

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

 11 And he said, "There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.' And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to2  one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

 17 "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise 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 as one of your hired servants."' 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'3  22 But the father said to his servants,4  'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate.

 25 "Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.' 28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29 but he answered his father, 'Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!' 31 And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'"

Luke 15 The Seeking Father.

The parable in this passage focuses on the character and nature of the God of the Bible. It's usually called the parable of the Prodigal Son but I prefer to call it the parable of the Loving Father. Jesus uses this story to teach us about the character and nature of His Father It's no good to believe in God if you believe in the wrong kind of God. You can know what God is like by how He responds to a rebellious son in this parable.

What a great story! In just a few short words, Jesus shows us the selfishness and sinfulness of a rebellious son. Charles Dickens once wrote about this parable, "The Prodigal Son is the finest short story ever written."

In the story, the younger son demanded to receive his inheritance although his father is still alive. According to Jewish law, a father who had two sons was to leave 2/3 of his estate to his older son and 1/3 to his younger son. This younger son came to his dad and said, "I know you're gonna' drop dead someday, but I don't want to wait–give it to me now." The Father was wounded by this harsh demand, but he granted it. He probably had to take some time to sell some of his land or livestock or liquidate other assets, but he eventually comes up with 1/3 of his net worth and hands it to his younger son. Immediately the son takes the money and runs. He walks out of his father's life and heads for the "far country." Here is a perfect example of a rebellious, disrespectful child.

The Reality Of Sin's Pain 

Because of his foolish decisions, this boy found himself in a mess. He learned some valuable lessons!

1. Sin Brings Shame - Here is a Jewish boy who finds himself feeding the pigs! For a Jewish man to stoop to this level would mean that he had reached the very bottom of the barrel of life! He must have been filled with shame! Those who heard Jesus say this must have been shocked beyond belief! (Note: Those who allow sin to have its way in their lives always come to shame sooner or later. The shame of a wasted life! The shame of a wasted youth. The shame of wasted opportunities. But, worst of all, there is the shame of a wasted eternity! It is a disgrace to sacrifice your finances, your fitness and your family on the altar of sin and self-indulgence! What a shame to live that way and what a shame to die that way! It doesn't have to be! Sadly, many live like Hell and don't seem to be bothered by it at all! There will come a day, when they will be ashamed in His presence, 1 John 2:28! )

2. Sin Brings Suffering - Here he is, no home, no help and no hope. No one cares for him at all. He is starving and would have taken the pigs food if he could have. He is suffering because of the choices he has made! (Note: Sin has not changed! It always brings suffering, Pro. 13: 5 The righteous hates falsehood, but the wicked brings shame and disgrace. 6  Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, but sin overthrows the wicked.
 13 Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.   14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.   15  Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous is their ruin.  16  In everything the prudent acts with knowledge,  but a fool flaunts his folly.

Many suffer in this life because of the things they lose to sin, health, wealth, family, etc. But, those who allow sin to play itself out to its ultimate conclusion find that Hell is all they have to look forward to at the end of the way! Friend, don't let that happen to you!)

3. Sin Brings Sadness - No one cares whether he lives or dies! He is alone and lonely. He is hungry and broken. What a sad shape to be in, but for this young man, it was the first step in getting him home. (Note: Nothing is any more sad than a life broken by sin. Nothing hurts as badly as seeing a life that was once filled with potential, dashed to pieces on the cruel rocks of wicked living. It doesn't have to happen, but you might as well know today, you will not go into the far country and come back happy! No one ever wandered off into sin and came back glad they did. They all returned broken, defeated and humbled, Ill. David and Samson. If that is what it takes to get you started toward home, the praise the Lord!)

STEPS TO RETURN HOME TO GOD

If you have wandered away from God and allowed sin to take control of your life, it's not hopeless. The son took three specific steps to return to his father and these are the same three steps you need to take to return to your heavenly Father.

1. The first step is to realize!  In verse 17 Jesus said, He came to his senses." This is the turning point of the parable. Before you can return to God, you must first realize you are in a mess without Him.

2. The second step on the road back home is repent!

After he realized the shame of his situation, the next thing the prodigal son said was, "I have sinned." In verse 18, he admitted his rebellion was a sin against God. That's what the Bible calls confession. Confession and repentance are two sides of the same coin. Confession always precedes repentance. When you confess your sin you aren't notifying God of what you have done–He knows. Confession occurs when you agree with God your behavior is sin, and at the same time you display a measure of remorse and regret over your sin. That's what we hear in his statement, "I have sinned against heaven."

3. Return!

After he came to his senses, and admitted his sin, he was ready for the final step. He said in verse 18, "I will go back." Two of the most powerful words in the human language are, "I will." It was by an act of his will he decided to demand his inheritance to run away from home, and it was by an act of his will he decided to get out of pig sty and head back home.

Only the Lord can change our wills. And He does.

The Reality of the Father's Love

But God is A GOD WHO REGRETS YOUR REBELLION: HE RECEIVES REBELS

As this young man headed home, he did not know what he might find there. What he found was incredible! He found a father who had been longing, looking and living for his son's return. He found a father filled with love, compassion and grace who received him and loved him back into fellowship! The father wouldn't even allow the son to finish his little speech. He just loved him back into a right relationship.

The whole point of this parable is found in verse  1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."   3 So he told them this parable:

God receives sinners!  The Lord Jesus receives Sinners! 

This is the amazing truth of the gospel. It is the difficult thing that people need to understand. I often have this conversation with young and old Christians. How can it be that God can receive me? What if I slip? What if I willingly run away into sin?

But God is A GOD WHO RUNS WHEN YOU RETURN

The wayward son didn't fare so well in the far country. He lived high on the hog for a while, but pretty soon he was low with the hogs! Jesus uses six words in verse 13 to describe what happened: He "squandered his wealth in wild living." Scholars have discovered a similar story to this existed among Jewish rabbis for many years before Jesus told it. In the earlier form, the younger son ran away and spent all his father's money and when he came crawling home, the father rejected him. So, as Jesus was telling this story, the Pharisees and tax collectors were thinking, "Yeah, I've heard this one before." His audience of Pharisees and tax collectors expected Him to say, "One day the father saw his son returning. He waited with his arms crossed. The broken-down son begged his father to take him back. But the father looked away from him and said, 'Forget it! You had your chance. You've chosen to love like a pig, now go back to your pigs. You've made your bed, now lie in it!'" In the original story the father turned his son away and told him he was getting exactly what he deserved.

Deuteronomy 21:18-21 says, "If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey…his father and mother shall bring him to the elders and say, 'This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a profligate and a drunkard.' Then all the men shall stone him to death."

Verse 20 says, "While he was still a long way off, his father saw him."

I guess the point of the parable is that the Father had been looking for him to return every day. He had looked out down that long road waiting and looking and longing for his son to return.

Then it says, "he was filled with compassion and he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." The Greek verb there indicates he kept on kissing him. We would say he "smothered him with kisses."

He didn't wait for the son to reach him, he ran to meet the son. He hugged and kissed his rebellious son before the son said one word!

Remember the son had been working in the pigpen. He looked and smelled awful, not exactly the kind of person you want to hug and kiss! The father could have said, "Oh, you're back–good. Clean yourself up before you come into this house!" But instead, the father accepted him "just as he was."

And God the Father, the Creator of the Universe will welcome you the same way–just as you are. Now, this is a revolutionary portrayal of God. Jesus said God runs to meet us when we decided to return to Him. Some of you have drifted out of fellowship with God. You have walked away from the presence of your heavenly Father. You see, whenever you choose to sin and disobey God, you are leaving His holy presence. Right now, do you sense God is far away from you? Guess who moved.  But God is a loving heavenly Father who is longing for you to return. He is looking for you to return to Him.

Charles Spurgeon described this scene. He wrote: It was not with icy eyes that the father looked on his returning son. Love filled his heart as he beheld him. There was no anger in his heart toward his son. It was true that it was all his own fault, but that did not come before his father's mind. It was the state that he was in, his poverty, his degradation, that pale face of his so wan with hunger, that touched his father to the quick. We read that the father RAN! The compassion of God is followed by swift movements. He is slow to anger, but He is quick to bless. God comes flying in the greatness of His compassion to help every poor soul that returns to Him."

A GOD WHO RESTORES YOU WHEN YOU REPENT

When he finally came to his senses in the pigpen, the son rehearsed the speech he was going to give to his dad. He said three things in verse 21. Two of his statements were right and one of them was wrong. First he said, "I have sinned against heaven." That was right. Primarily, all sin is against God, so he had confessed his sin to God. Second, he confessed to his father, "and I have sinned against you." Right again. One of the hardest things for any of us to say is, "I was wrong. Will you forgive me?" That's what he was saying. But look at the third statement. He said, "I am no longer worthy to be called your son."

The father refused to entertain the idea his son would be a servant. He wanted the son back in a relationship and back in a fellowship. If you have never trusted the Lord Jesus to be your Saviour, He wants you to come to Him and become a child of God. "To as many as received Jesus to them He gave the right to become children of God."  The fellowship was broken. Immediately the father commanded his servants to bring the best robe. He took that beautiful robe and lovingly placed it around his son, covering all the filth and dirt of his mistakes. That's a lovely picture of how God covers our sin with a robe of righteousness.

Sons often wore family rings that had the family seal engraved upon it. Stamping the ring in wax was like a signature.

It was the seal of his sonship. God gives His Holy Spirit to indwell every believer as the seal that they will always be His child.  The Holy Spirit is the family seal for the child of God.

The father put a new ring on his finger symbolizing his full status in the family. Slaves didn't wear shoes, but sons did. So the father had sandals put on his son's feet. The Father restored everything the son had lost! And here's the bonus! The father commanded the fattened calf to be killed. It is a great day when anyone comes back to the Lord!

Have you wandered away from God? Are you willing to say, "Father I have sinned against heaven and against you?" Are you willing to return to Him? If you are, He has a message for you. He is saying, "I'll treat you as if you never left!"

My friend, if you need forgiveness today, Jesus offers it. Glance again at verse one in this chapter to see the audience to whom Jesus was speaking. Some were Pharisees who thought they were sinless–they didn't need forgiveness. But there were tax collectors and other sinners there as well. Jesus was trying to tell them God is like a father who will welcome you and lovingly forgive you when you come to Him and repent of your sin.

Next week: the Pouting Son.  The only one who should have been unhappy at the prodigal's return was the fattened calf.