Spoken at SGBC, 201 Yuma St., Globe, Az

5-17-98, Luke #114, 15:11-32

The Prodigal Son

"The man, Jesus, who is Christ the Lord, receives sinners and eats with them." This is the awful accusation the Pharisees and scribes brought against Christ in Luke chapter fifteen verse two. These self-righteous pastors and leaders of Israel cared nothing for the man on the street, especially if he was a Gentile. Further they were appalled that Christ would have anything to do with such people. For the purpose of showing these men His concern for the souls of the lost and what their attitude ought to have been He shares with them and us three parables.

The first is the parable of the lost sheep. By this parable Jesus reveals the love He has for the person who knows he is lost and in need of a Savior. As we saw last week, Jesus did not come to save people who, in their own opinion, are good and righteous. Rather, He came to seek and to save sinners. He came to redeem the lost, people burdened with guilt, aware of the wrath and punishment due them. Such lost sheep Jesus seeks, finds, and saves through the gifts of repentance and faith. Having made His point, Jesus then tells the Pharisees that there is rejoicing in heaven when a sinner is saved. (Luke 15:7 NASB) "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more JOY IN HEAVEN over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous persons who (think they) need no repentance."

To emphasize the urgency and determination with which the Seeking Savior goes after His lost sheep Jesus uses the parable of the Lost Coin, (Luke 15:8-10). Just as a poor woman would pull out all stops in search of a day's wages she had lost so Jesus will search for, find and save the objects of His love. Those He loves are the lost sheep given to Him by God for salvation. Jesus seeks, receives, saves, and eats with sinners, "Praise the Lord."

The third parable used by Jesus is the most familiar and wonderful of the three. As I read and explain the parable of the Prodigal Son remember the point Christ seeks to make by using these three parables. That point is this. God, in Christ, loves His lost sheep. Though they are lost He will seek them out and give them the gifts of repentance and faith. In this way He draws them back to Himself. When they come to Him by faith in Christ they are received, forgiven, and saved.

The characters in this parable are quite familiar to us. The "Certain Man" who had two sons is God. The first son may be compared to the lost sheep of the previous parable in that he left his home and family to live in the wilderness of sin, he was lost. The second son may be compared to the ninety-nine self-righteous individuals, (first parable), who needed no repentance. They believed they were acceptable to God the Father because they were keepers of His commandments. The parable is primarily concerned with the first son, his sinfulness and the Father's willingness to forgive him when he returns. Let's take a look.

(Luke 15:11-13 NASB) And He said, "A certain man had two sons; {12} and the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' And he divided his wealth between them. {13} "And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living."

In these three verses we are reminded of the solemn truth that sinners do not, by nature, wish to dwell in the Father's house. They do not want to live under His roof and authority. They feel burdened and restricted, they must be free. This does, of course, make no sense. For one has all he needs in his father's house. Nevertheless, the sons of men, all the sons of men, would rather live in the wilderness of sin than in the presence of and in fellowship with God the Father.

We see a reasonable picture of this when, in the course of time, a young man rises up against his parents. He has been cared for and loved all the years of his life but that doesn&rsquot matter to the young man. His parents have expected and, in a sense, look forward to the day when the boy will be old enough and mature enough to be on his own. Such a parting is good and needs to take place for the good of all. But to often before a timely and proper separation can take place there is an uprising of sorts. This young has the body of an adult but he is naive and immature, he is not ready to leave. Yet he is unhappy at home. He resents being told what to do and what not to do. He has wants and fleshly needs that the parents will not allow him to gratify while he lives under their roof. He feels fenced in and is determined to break out of the bonds he is tied with and the moral perimeters that his parents, and God, have put in place. "I&rsquom leaving this place! It's my life and I want to run it! I&rsquoll not be told what to do any longer, I&rsquom going out to have some fun. So, give me what is mine, I am out of here!"

This is sort of what Adam and Eve did when they rebelled against God in the garden. They had nothing to complain about. Their Father had provided for all their needs. Yet, they busted out on their own and each of us has followed suit. We have left our Father's house to live in a place far away from home where we can sin without interference. There was no reason for us to go astray. We were not mistreated by our Father. Though He knows, God still asks why in Jeremiah 2:5-31 NASB. "Thus says the LORD, "What injustice did your fathers find in Me, That they went far from Me And walked after EMPTINESS AND BECAME EMPTY? ("What sin did I commit against your parents that made them and you leave Me? Of course, God has done nothing wrong. It is man who has sinned and because of sin he has lost the good sense he once possessed.) . . .{13} "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, THE FOUNTAIN OF LIVING WATERS, (What a beautiful name for God!) To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns, THAT CAN HOLD NO WATER. . . .{17} "Have you not done this to yourself, By your forsaking the LORD your God, When He led you in the way? {18} "But now what are you doing on the road to Egypt, (always a symbol of the world and evil) To drink the waters of the Nile? Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria, (another symbol of the world, evil and of sin) To drink the waters of the Euphrates? {19} "Your own wickedness will correct you, And your apostasies will reprove you; Know therefore and see that it is evil and BITTER For you to forsake the LORD your God, . . ."

This discontented son who took all that was his and left his Father's house is named "Every Man." For the scriptures declare that, "ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE." (Romans 3:12 NASB)

That forsaking the Lord leads only to that which is bitter and evil is seen in the next section of the parable. Luke 15:14. "Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be in need. {15} "And he went and attached himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. {16} "And he was longing to fill his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him."

When this young man left home he had no intention of being hungry or of feeding pigs. He was seeking the good life and indeed tried his best to find it. He spent all he had but found that his need, his emptiness was not satisfied. Was it not our God who said, ". they went far from Me And walked after EMPTINESS AND BECAME EMPTY?" Is it not God who still speaks to us from the scriptures and asks, "Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance. (Isaiah 55:2 NASB)

Mankind has spent all they have and still they are empty. Still they have needs that have not been met. A famine blankets land in which men dwell. There is nothing but pig food to be found. No one can give you what you need. For your neighbor has the same treasure you possess, emptiness and bitterness as opposed to the joy, satisfaction and contentment they desire.

Now some men, indeed I must say most, continue all their lives in the wilderness of sin. These do not recognize their own starvation. They are out of their minds, in that they do not understand their true condition. They continue year after year marrying and giving in marriage, working and playing. They look and sound happy but are in fact without hope and without God in a barren land. They continue to turn to man for the meeting of their needs. These people are not in their right minds, they are spiritually insane and do not know it. (Ecclesiastes 9:3 NASB) "This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil, and INSANITY IS IN THEIR HEARTS THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES. Afterwards they go to the dead." This is true of the vast majority of men. But some do wake up. Some do come to see the vanity and futility of their lives without God and they seek Him. Some, like the prodigal son, come to their senses.

{17} "But when he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, (The least of all the servants of God have all they need and more.) but I am dying here with hunger! {18} 'I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; {19} I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men."

Can a man who is insane heal himself? Can one who does not have good sense repair his mind? Of course the answer is no. Yet here is the record of a man who came to his senses. A moment ago he left his Fathers house to live a life of sin and pleasure. His heart was set against his Father and was bent toward and attached to worldly lusts and treasures. What has happened? How has he come to his senses and those around him have not? What has made the difference between this man and a thousand others? What has opened his eyes to the truth so that he wants to return to his Father to confess his sin and ask forgiveness? Beloved, God the Father through God the Holy Spirit has made the difference. We see how this takes place in Ephesians 2:1-5 NASB. "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, {2} in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. {3} Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest."

The whole world is here described as being in slavery to sin, self and the devil. Paul is writing to Christians who came out of the world and were now saved. They were all at one time trusting in man, serving the devil and looking lustfully at pig food like the prodigal son. How did they escape? How did those once dead in sin come to life and go home to God? What caused them to come to their senses? Well it had to do with the mercy of God. Look with me at verse four and following.

The situation was grave . . {4} "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, {5} even when we were dead in our transgressions, (living in a far and distant land of sin and unbelief . . ) MADE US ALIVE together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)" The answer to how have we come to our senses is this, GOD MADE US ALIVE. Though we were dead and insane God brought us to life and renewed our minds. He performed a spiritual resurrection. Hear also the words of 2 Timothy 2:24-26 NASB. "And the Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, {25} with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, (The minister of the Gospel is to carry on his ministry in the afore mentioned way knowing that if the people, opposed to Christianity, are to change God must intervene. God must grant or give them repentance. Hear the rest of the verse.) . . If perhaps GOD MAY GRANT THEM REPENTANCE LEADING TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH, {26} AND THEY MAY COME TO THEIR SENSES AND ESCAPE FROM THE SNARE OF THE DEVIL, HAVING BEEN HELD CAPTIVE BY HIM TO DO HIS WILL."

Here we see what made the difference between the prodigal son and the rest of the people around him. He was a sinner just like them, dead in trespasses and sins, "But God" did something to him. God gave this man life. He gave him a new mind with which he understood the truth. In a moment he was brought to his senses. In a moment he saw his sinfulness and the futility of the life he had lived. In a moment he recognized the famine of truth that surrounded him. In a moment he knew he would never find real food while dwelling among the living dead. In a moment he knew he must go home to his Father to confess his sin and ask forgiveness. God the Holy Spirit raised this man from the dead and gave him a new heart. God granted him repentance. That is why he made the decision to go home to his Father.

Most often the grace of salvation comes to a person after they have heard the Gospel preached. That this is its purpose is seen when Christ commissioned Paul to preach to the Gentiles. By Paul's preaching God intended ". . to open their eyes so that they may TURN FROM darkness TO light and FROM the dominion of Satan TO God, in order that they may RECEIVE FORGIVENESS OF SINS and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.' (Acts 26:18 NASB) The Gospel, says Paul in Romans one, is the power of God for salvation. In some way or another the good news was communicated to the prodigal son and he was changed. He was raised from the dead and was now determined to go home to his father. Surely the question was on his mind, "Will my Father accept me after all that I have done?"

{20} "And he got up and came to his father. (Here is repentance. He turned his back on the life he had been living and went home.) But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and FELT COMPASSION FOR HIM, AND RAN AND EMBRACED HIM, AND KISSED HIM. {21} "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven (God) and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'(Here is a man in his right mind. He recognizes and admits his sin plus he has a right view of himself. He knows he is not worthy to be called a son of his Father. But in spite of his sin and unworthiness God, the Father, receives and eats with his repentant son. Praise the Lord!) {22} "But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe (here is the robe of the righteousness of Christ) and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; {23} and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and be merry; {24} for this son of mine was dead, (in trespasses and sins) and has come to life again; he was lost, (a sheep outside the fold of God) and has been found.' And they began to be merry." Here is the joy that Jesus said occurs in heaven when a sinner repents. (Luke 15:7+10)

Don&rsquot you suppose that this son was the happiest he had ever been. May I place some beautiful words in his mouth. (Psalms 116:3-8 NASB) {3} "The cords of death encompassed me, And the terrors of Sheol (death and the grave) came upon me; I found distress and sorrow. (This is what the prodigal found in the distant land, far away from his Father's house.) {4} Then I called upon the name of the LORD: "O LORD, I beseech Thee, save my life!" {5} Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yes, our God (our Father) is compassionate. {6} The LORD preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me. {7} (Now he speaks to his once troubled and fearful soul.) Return to your rest, O my soul, For the LORD, (my Father) has dealt bountifully with you. {8} For Thou hast rescued my soul from death, My eyes from tears, My feet from stumbling." What a wonderful and joyous thing it is to be saved from wrath to come. What joy fills the heart of one who has left the desert of sin and has been accepted back into his Father's house. But not every one is happy about the conversion of a sinner. The Pharisees were not and neither was the older brother.

{25} "Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. {26} "And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things might be. {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 became angry, (Can we hear the Pharisees complaining, "He receives and eats with sinners?") and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began entreating him. {29} "But he answered and said to his father, 'Look! For so many years I have been serving you, and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a kid, that I might be merry with my friends; {30} but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with harlots, you killed the fattened calf for him.' {31} "And he said to him, 'My child, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. {32} 'But we had to be merry and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found."

The one son wanted to be loved and celebrated FOR his good deeds. He represents those who expect to be saved by keeping the law. The other son, the prodigal son, came to his Father hoping, praying, begging that he would OVER LOOK HIS DEEDS for he knew that the very best of them were sinful. One says "I am the one worthy of being your son." The other says, "I am not worthy to be your son." One is yet dead in his sin and that is clear for he believes himself to be good and in fact declares that he keeps all the commands of his Father. This man needs no salvation for he does not believe he is lost. The other was dead but is now, by grace through faith in Christ, alive and united to his Father. He was a sheep lost among a million goats but God the Holy Spirit found him and raised him from the dead. And the moment new life flowed from God into him this man ran back to his Father's house. There he discovered that no matter what a sinner does in his life he will be welcomed home when, by grace, he repents of his sin to rest, for salvation, in Jesus Christ the Lord.

This parable is meant to encourage all to come to Christ for forgiveness and acceptance with God. It is meant to show us how we are to think of the lost. We must realize that they are savable and minister truth to them when given the opportunity. No matter how wicked and evil they might be God is able to bring them to their senses. He is able to make them alive. The moment God the Spirit breathes new life into a dead sinner he will do exactly what the prodigal did. He will see and smell the condition he is in and will run home to God through Christ. When he does seek God's forgiveness by resting for acceptance in Jesus he will find heaven filled with joy as it always is when a sinner comes home.