The Lost Son Series

The Lost Son

Introduction:

Over the next several weeks, we are going to use the theme of ABC Television Show, Lost. Some of you have not seen it because you have been here for the last year. So I’ll quickly fill you in.

Lost is about a group of people whose plane crashes on a deserted island. They survive and have to work together. The DVD for the first season is out – so when you go home check it out.

But there is more to Lost than just a remake of Gilligan’s Island. The characters are very well developed so we are going to talk about them over the next few weeks.

Tonight, I want to look at the character Jack. Jack in the first Character you see in the show. He is the Doctor. He is a man of patience and civility. He begins the show as the leader. But he is lost.

Not only is he lost by being on the island, but he is last because of the relationship with his father. A relationship that he was never able too repair. The father son relationship was stained to the point the Jack ran away, separating himself from his father.

Some of us here have similar relationships with our parents things are stained. Some of us left on a bad not, some of us are returning to returning to a bad situation. We can relate to Jack.

Others of us have good relationship with our parents – but something is not quite right. We are some how still in rebellion.

All of us can relate to being in rebellion against our heavenly father.

So today we are going to look at a story that Jesus told describing how our Heavenly Father reacts when we come home.

Read Luke 15:11-24

11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now, instead of waiting until you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and took a trip to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money on wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him to feed his pigs. 16 The boy became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.

17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired men have food enough to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired man.” ’

20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.*’

22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening in the pen. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the calf we were fattening and has prepared a great feast. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

Let us Pray.

I Rebellion:

We look at this passage and the first thing we see is a son in rebellion.

Verse 13—

13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and took a trip to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money on wild living.

It was bad enough that he took his share of his inheritance. But he used it on things that his father would not approve of.

We see this later in the story when the other brother is trying to figure out why he can’t have a party.