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“THE
LOST SON AND THE LOVING FATHER”
READ IN THE BIBLE
(LUKE
In the Bible, the gospel
of Luke, chapter 15, we have, not three parables, but one parable in three
parts. This chapter describes for us a
threefold parable. We have in the first
part the story of the Shepherd, a type of the Son of God, the good Shepherd, with its emphasis on suffering. In the second part we have the story of the
woman, a type of the Spirit of God,
with its emphasis on seeking. In the third part we have the story of the
Father, a type of God the Father,
with its emphasis on singing. This threefold parable is
all concerned with “lost things”. The
first part is concerned with lost sheep. The second part is concerned with lost silver.
The third part is concerned with a lost son. On previous
occasions we have written and recorded messages on the first two parts of this
parable, the lost sheep and the lost silver.
This parable, with its emphasis on “lost things”, reminds us of a
“golden text” in the gospel of Luke which is found in, (Luke
1. THE SON’S DEPARTURE (Luke 15:11-13a)
We read in these verses,
“A certain man had two sons; 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. And not many days after the
younger son gathered all together, and took
his journey into a far country”. In
this parable there are two sons which represent two classes of sinners. For the time being we want to focus our
attention on the younger prodigal son who left his fathers house and went
astray. The first thing we notice here is,
THE SON’S DESIRE. He said to his father, “Give me the portion of goods that falleth to me”. Many young people are like this prodigal who
cut ties with their parents as soon as possible. They move out of their parents’ house. They want their freedom and independence so
that they might do “their own thing” without parental constraint. The lesson here is that we have all gone astray from God.
God has a loving Fathers heart and wants us to come back to Him. It says in, (Isaiah
53:6) “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own
way”. Dear reader, are YOU aware
that you are lost and astray from God and that you need to come back to
God? In effect, YOU have taken your journey into a far country and
thus you are away from God. You have “turned
to your own way”. You may think the path
you have chosen for yourself is acceptable but God warns in His Word, (Proverbs
2. THE SON’S DEGRADATION (Luke 15:13b-16)
We read in these verses,
the son “took his journey into a far country”, “and
there wasted his substance with riotous living. (The older son said to
his father, regarding the younger son in, (verse 30)
“He hath devoured thy living with harlots”.)
And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and
he began to be in want. And he went and
joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to
feed swine. And he would fain have
filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave
him”. The younger son began to
feel the consequences of his choices in life.
He was finding out by bitter experience that the ways of sin are
hard. We read in, (Galatians 6:8) “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the
flesh reap corruption”. He wasted
his substance and he was wasting his life.
Here we have THE SON’S
DISTANCE. He was in a “far country”
away from the father and the father’s house.
He was in a land where a mighty famine prevailed. This “far country” with its “famine in the
land” is a picture of this world, a world of sin without God. Dear reader, can you see yourself in the
actions of the prodigal son? You want
God’s blessings in your life but you do not want God. Covetousness is characteristic of your
life. Wastefulness also marks your
life. You have wasted your life, your
talents, and your blessings from God.
You are in the “far country” of this world and world system which is
alienated from God. There is a “famine
in the land” as far as you are concerned.
The things of this world have lost their attraction for you. They can no longer satisfy your heart which
feels empty and unsatisfied. There is a
reason for this and that is because God has put eternity into your heart. You were created for God and His glory. It says also in, (1 John 2:15, 16) “If any man love the world, the love of the
Father is not in him. For all that is in
the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life, is not of the Father, but is of the world”. THE
SON’S DESTITUTION resulted in THE
SON’S DEGRADATION. The son’s path
away from the father led him into a disgraceful and degraded condition. He was reduced to desiring swine’s food in a
strange country in a stranger’s field.
We are reminded of the desperate poverty of those who serve sin and
Satan. Sin is a hard master, and the
servants of sin always find it out sooner or later. Many who claim to be happy with their ungodly
lives, if they were honest, would confess, there is a “famine within” their
heart. They are “in want”. It says in, (Isaiah
57:21) “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked”. What is the solution to this
problem? Notice what the prodigal son
did which brings us to our next point;
3. THE SON’S DECISION (Luke 15:17-19)
It says in these verses,
regarding the prodigal son, “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. I will
arise and go to my father, and I will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and
before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy
hired servants”. Notice at least
three important steps that resulted from the son’s decision;
·
“HE CAME TO HIMSELF” – Here we have THE SON’S DELIBERATION. He began to consider his situation. He began to change his mind. The psalmist also felt dissatisfaction and
took similar action when he said, (Psalm 63:1) “O God,
thou art my God; early will I seek thee: My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh
longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is”. To the
psalmist this world became a barren place.
He could find nothing to refresh his soul, to fill the void in his heart
and life. Instead of seeking
satisfaction in the things of this world, he began to seek after God. Here
is the first step to salvation. It is called repentance. Dear reader, have YOU repented of your
sins? Have YOU ever had an “awakening
experience? “Repentance” means a change
of mind about ones sinful deeds. In true
repentance, there is an element of remorse for sins that leads to a definite change
of attitude and action. The Lord Jesus
Christ said in, (Luke 13:3) “Except ye repent ye shall
all likewise perish”. “Repentance”,
or turning away from sin, by itself, is not enough for salvation; there must
also be a turning to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith. (Acts 20:21).
·
“I WILL ARISE AND GO TO MY FATHER” – Here we have THE SON’S DETERMINATION. Following
his review of his situation and his repentance, we have his determination to
return to his father. We read in, (verse
20) “He arose, and came to his father”. Genuine repentance is much more
than mere words. The prodigal son began
to think rightly and to act in a correct manner and he began to move in the
right direction. You must determine to
come to God by a definite act of faith.
·
“I WILL SAY UNTO HIM, FATHER, I HAVE SINNED”. – Here
we have THE SON’S CONFESSION. The events following the son’s decision
are a picture of a person turning to God in true repentance and faith. The son repented of his sins. He made his decision to go to the Father. He was ready to confess his sins and no
longer excuse his sins. He would say, in
effect, like David, (Psalm 51:3) “I acknowledge my
transgressions”. He would say, in
effect, like the publican, (Luke
It says of the prodigal
son in, (verse 20) “He arose and came”. He was now about, “to learn of the
love in THE FATHERS HEART”, “to be received
into THE FATHERS HOUSE” and “to share
in THE FATHERS HAPPINESS” .perpetually. Next, then, we want to consider;
4. THE
FATHER’S HEART (Luke 15:20)
We read in this verse, “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”. O what a reception the
prodigal son received. It was far more
wonderful than he ever imagined. “When he was yet a great way off” tell
us much about the love of God. The penitent man was received readily,
pardoned freely and completely accepted by the Father. So it will be for YOU, dear reader, when YOU
come to God in faith for salvation. We
see in this story the infinite love of the Lord Jesus Christ toward
sinners. He is willing to receive all
who come to Him, and how complete, and full, and immediate is the pardon which
He is ready to bestow. We read in, (Hebrews 7:25) “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the
uttermost (evermore) that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make
intercession for them”. We read
also in, (Psalm 86:5) “He is plenteous in mercy”. Dear reader have YOU ever come to Him
in faith that you might be saved? The
God of the Bible, the God and Father of our lord Jesus Christ, is a God of
love. We read in, (1 John 4:8-10) “God is love.
In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent
his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but
that He loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation (satisfaction) for
our sins”. Like the prodigal son,
when you repent and confess your sins and come to the God in faith, you will
learn of and experience the love that is in THE FATHER’S HEART. The
father’s gracious reception of his son meant that he would be given a place in
THE FATHER’S HOUSE:
5.THE FATHER’S HOUSE (Luke 15:21-24)
We read in these verses,
“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”. “But the father said to his
servants, bring forth the best robe, and
put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet”: “And bring
hither the fatted calf, and kill it;
and let us eat, and be merry”. “For this
my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry”. It was a grand and gracious reception
the father bestowed upon his returning son.
It is a picture of how the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, receives the
repentant sinner who comes to Him in faith for salvation. It says of Christ in, (Luke 15:2)
“This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them”. Notice that the son was lost but is
now found. He was dead but now he is
alive again. It is a picture of
salvation, of the conversion of a sinner.
It is a picture of being “born again” that we read of in (John 3). The unsaved are described as being lost as we
have previously stated. They are
described as being, “dead in trespasses and sins”
(Ephesians 2:1). Dear reader,
this is a description of YOU unless you have been saved by the grace of
God. The Lord Jesus Christ said in, (John 5:24) “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth
my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall
not come into condemnation; but is
passed from death unto life”. Have
YOU had this experience in your life? The
prodigal son came home to the father’s house and received a grand
reception. He was given the
best robe. The garment is a picture of
salvation. (Isaiah
61:10) He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation; he hath covered me
with a robe of righteousness”. Upon
the hand of the returning son was placed a
ring. This signifies eternal love
and an unending relationship with the father.
When a person gets saved they are saved eternally. Those who are saved have eternal
security. The returning son was given shoes
for his feet. Slaves and servants had no
shoes. The shoes on his feet marked him
as a freeman, not a servant. He was
received as a son who could stand in the presence of his father in full
forgiveness and acceptance. All who are
saved by the grace of God are brought into the family of God as adult sons as
we read in (Galatians 4:5, 6). The fatted
calf was a prize animal reserved
for a feast in honor of a very
special guest. Dear reader do YOU know
for certain that you will have a place in the Father’s house? The Lord Jesus Christ said to his own, (John 14:2, 3) “In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it
were not so, I would have told you. I go
to prepare a place for you. And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where
I am, there ye may be also”. In
order for you to have a place prepared for you in heaven, you must be prepared for the place by being saved from your sins.
6.THE FATHER’S HAPPINESS (Luke 15:24b, 25b, 32)
Eternal joy will be the
portion for all who are saved for heaven.
In the first part of the parable in Luke 15, when the Shepherd found the
lost sheep, He said, (Luke 15:6, 7) “Rejoice with me;
for I have found my sheep which was lost.
I say unto you, that likewise joy
shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth”. In the second part of the parable when
the woman found the lost silver she said, (Luke 15:9,
10) “Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which was lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God
over one sinner that repenteth”. In
the third part of this parable in Luke 15 which we are considering about THE LOST SON AND THE LOVING FATHER we read, (Luke
15:23, 24, 32) “Let us eat and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive
again: he was lost, and is found. And
they began to be merry. 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”. When
a lost sinner is saved by the grace of God there will not only be joy in the
heart of that person but there will be joy in heaven as well. (Luke 15:24) says, “They
began to be merry”. The joy
begins at conversion. “It is begun”. It will never end. God’s salvation is an eternal salvation
therefore there will be eternal joy as well.
The prodigal sinner saved by the grace of God can say like the hymn
writer:
Once as prodigals we wandered
In our folly, far from Thee;
But Thy grace, O’er sin abounding,
Rescued us from misery:
Thou Thy prodigals hast pardoned,
Loved us with a Father’s love;
Welcomed us with joy o’erflowing,
E’en to dwell with Thee above.
In closing, I urge YOU
to take advantage of this present time while you can and receive the Lord Jesus
Christ as YOUR personal Savior. The
Apostle Paul was traveling the Damascus road when God saved him. The first African, an Ethiopian eunuch, was
returning from Jerusalem in a chariot when God saved him. YOU are traveling the “highway of life”,
passing through time on the way to eternity.
There are only two destinations before you. It will either be eternal joy in heaven or eternal
sorrow in hell. Now that you have read this
message you have come to a “crossroads” on your life’s journey. Which way will you go? You can remain on the “broad way” to eternal
destruction and hell by doing absolutely nothing. But, heaven can be your eternal destiny by believing the gospel message and by a
definite act of faith, receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal
Savior. Please give this matter your
most serious attention. Your eternal
destiny depends on your decision.
Christian Messenger