Introduction

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I stand before you today with a heart full of joy and a spirit brimming with eagerness to share with you the profound truths hidden within the pages of the Holy Scripture. We gather here, not as mere spectators, but as active participants in the divine narrative of redemption and grace. We are not simply observers of God's story, but we are characters within it, each playing a unique role in the grand unfolding of His plan.

As we turn our hearts and minds to the Word of God, we find ourselves in the gospel of Luke, chapter 15, verses 11 through 32. This passage, my friends, is a familiar one. It's a story we've heard time and time again, a story that has left an indelible mark on our understanding of God's love and mercy. It's the story of the Prodigal Son. Let's read together:

And He said, 'A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' So he divided his wealth between them. 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. Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. But when he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.' So he got up and came to his father. 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. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.' And they began to celebrate. Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. 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.' But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him. 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 young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.' And he said to him, 'Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.'

Prodigal's Predicament

The predicament of the younger son in this parable is a reflection of our own spiritual condition when we choose to live apart from God. The younger son, eager to assert his independence and experience the pleasures of the world, asked his father for his share of the inheritance. This was an audacious request, akin to wishing his father dead. Yet, the father, in his love, granted the son's request. The son, now free from the constraints of his father's house, set off to a distant country where he squandered his wealth in reckless living.

This is the first aspect of the son's predicament: the misuse of freedom. We have the freedom to choose our path, to make our decisions. But like the prodigal son, we often misuse this freedom. We choose paths that lead us away from God, we make decisions that harm ourselves and others. We squander the spiritual wealth that God has given us on worldly pleasures that provide temporary satisfaction but ultimately leave us empty and broken.

Next is the consequence of his choices. The son, having spent all his wealth, found himself in a severe famine. He was so desperate that he took a job feeding pigs, an unclean animal in Jewish culture. He was so hungry that he longed to eat the pods that the pigs were eating. This is a vivid picture of the spiritual famine that we experience when we live apart from God. When we choose to live for ourselves, when we chase after worldly pleasures, we end up spiritually malnourished. We find ourselves in a place of desperation, longing for the spiritual food that only God can provide.

The third aspect of the son's predicament is his realization of his condition. The son came to his senses and realized his folly. He remembered his father's house where even the hired servants had more than enough to eat. He decided to return to his father, confess his sins, and ask to be made one of his hired servants. This is a picture of repentance. It's the moment when we realize our spiritual poverty and our need for God. It's the moment when we decide to turn away from our sinful ways and return to God.

The fourth aspect of the son's predicament is his unworthiness. The son knew that he had sinned against his father and against heaven. He knew that he was no longer worthy to be called his father's son. This is a picture of our own unworthiness. We have sinned against God and against heaven. We are not worthy of God's love and mercy. Yet, like the father in the parable, God is always ready to welcome us back, to forgive us, and to restore us to our rightful place as His children.

Paternal Passion

In the heart of the father, we see a love that is relentless, a love that is unconditional, a love that is passionate ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO