vREJOICE WHEN SOMEONE ACCEPTS CHRIST
Luke 15:11-25
THE WORD DRAWS LISTENERS TO CHRIST
Earlier in the chapter Jesus taught the word and tax collectors and sinners
came to hear. As usual, the Pharisees and the scribes were there to pass
judgment on Jesus. They murmured that Jesus treated the sinners with
kindness and therefore was disgraceful to be in their presence.
Jesus responded with three parables that showed His love for sinners.
Jesus uses the parables to show there is joy in heaven when one
sinner repents
The parable of the lost sheep. The owner leaves his flock to go
find the lost sheep.
The parable of the lost coin. The owner assuming a married woman
loses one of ten coins of her head ban. She searches the house to find
the lost coin. There is joy in her household.
THE SIN OF THE YOUNGER SON
V:11 Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
This was an unusual request because the estate was not divided until the father
died. This would be like the son saying to the father, I wish you were dead.
Out of compassion, the father complied with the son's request. While it is not
stated, the younger son thought he would have more freedom and fun in
life if he was not under the father's rules.
A FOOLISH DECISION
V:13 "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.
The younger son only receives a portion of his inheritance. The Land remained
with the family. He may have received money and livestock to sell.
Having little or no management skills, he lived like there was no tomorrow.
Lacking the father's advice, he did not keep track of how much he was
spending or who he was spending it with.
The distance country may not have been a long way from home, but a long way
from fellowship with the father. Unlike the lost sheep or the lost coin, the father
did not go looking for his son. The father had servants and or hired hands who
could have been sent to look after his son. This was not the case. The
father allowed the son to learn from the decisions he made. The best way
to experience life is to do life and see how it turns out. In a way, the
younger son is to be admired because he took the chance to do something
different. He was foolish because he could not see the blessings of his
father’s guidance and direction.
He left his right mind when began to think that his father’s rules were
too restrictive. He chose the lust of the flesh over the guidance and
care of the Father. Perhaps he thought fun in the sun and an easy
life without responsibilities was the way to go. The grass always looks
greener on the other side of the fence.
Some foolish decisions lead to enlightenment that changes one's outlook
forever. The first thing the son learned is you need a rainy day fund. The
second thing he learned is that people who help spend your money
are not your friends. The third thing he learned is fun doesn't last long.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN
V:15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
Life's lessons never end. The younger son learned that foolish living leads to
tough times. To survive tough times, unexpected decisions have to be made.
To eat, he took a job with substandard pay. He put himself in a situation
where he had to do what a good Jew would not do, eat with pigs. His foolish
decision impressed upon him the value of the life he ran away from.
You don’t miss fresh water until there is none to drink.
THE BEGINNING OF THE SON’S RESTORATION
V:17 "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20 So he got up and went to his father.
Sometimes the foolish have to hit rock bottom before they look up and see
their mistakes. Rock bottom to the younger son was an empty stomach and being
treated less than a servant. All those who spent his money were long gone
and he was left sleeping with pigs.
Proverbs 22:6
Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it.
What the younger son had going for him was the father’s teaching.
Rock Bottom was a wake-up call to remember the love and generosity
of his parents. He compared his desperate situation with the benefits
he had at home. What he ran away from was what he needed for a successful
life.
His father taught him right from wrong. He didn't realize his wrong
until the consequences hit him in the face. His turnaround was to
admit to himself that he had sinned against God and his father.
He realized that his disobedience was the cause of his desperate
situation. He also realized that in his fathers house was and abundance
of everything he needed.
He realized that he had the best life at home. He also realized that his
disobedient behavior disgraced the family and the community. He knew
his action deserved stoning to death according to the law by the city
leaders.
The text says when he came to himself he realized that his father’s servants
was treated with respect and had food to eat and clothes to wear.
He also recognized that he had forfeited his right to be called a son. He
made up his mind to go to the Father to confess his sin and ask to be treated as
a servant.
THE FATHERS FORGIVENESS
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him, and kissed him.
21 "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
Since the community knew the son's sin, they could have stoned him as he was
coming to the father. The father running to the son may have been to
protect the son from the community.
Deuteronomy 21:21
21 Then all the men of his town shall stone him to death. You must purge the evil from among you.
Let me suggest that the father was a praying man. He knew the word and trusted
the Lord to bring his son home. The father was expecting the Lord to answer
his prayer. He didn’t need to go looking because he had put his son in the Lord’s
hands. His compassion says the father had forgiven the son before he saw him coming.
The father welcomed his son home with hugs and kisses. The kiss represented
affection and reconciliation.
It was important for the son to confess his sin before his father. His sin had been
forgiven the day he left home. The Father did not accept the son’s request to be
treated as a servant.
The father did not judge the son because of his sins. The father made no
mention of the son's sinful activities. The past was the past. The son's restoration
was the father's priority and joy. Forgiveness should be immediate so you can
get back to the business of effective prayer.
THE FATHERS CELEBRATION
22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
The Father began immediately treating his son as restored and in fellowship
with Him. The father ordered the servants to bring the best robe. The
best robe may have been reserved for guest or was the father’s robe.
The family signet ring was placed on his finger indicating full sonship..
The sandals put on his feet indicated the father treating him as a son and not a servant.
The killing of a calf was enough food for the community. The father
celebrated the son’s return before the community. The father did all he could to
make his returning son feel loved and back in his proper position.
The son was dead to virtue, but his return made him alive in righteousness
He was lost in the world and his return found him in fellowship with his father.
We are all sinners in need of forgiveness and restoration. It is the mercy of God
that allowed Him to send His Son as the atonement of our sins.
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