Just Like My Dad (A Father's Day Sermon On The Prodigal Son)

Good morning, and Happy Father’s Day! Please turn in (or turn on) your copy of God’s Word and scroll to Luke 15.

While you’re turning there, I want to share some photos with you. This past Wednesday, JonWorth encouraged our students to dress like their dad. And the results were hilarious. (Show some of the pictures)

Now, I know all of these students, and I know their dads. I know their dads are godly men who are leading their families to love and serve God. And for all your dads that are doing that, I want to say Glynwood honors you this morning.

But I also know that there are some people here this morning that that have no desire to be like their dad. For whom a dress like your dad night would be a challenge because you have no idea what your dad is really like. For whom “You’re just like your father” isn’t a compliment. And what you do know about your dad, you don’t like very much.

If that describes you this morning, then please allow me to introduce you to my heavenly father, the one true God. He invites us to call him Father. He invites us to not just call Him Father, but Paul says in Romans 8:15

Romans 8:15 ESV

15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Abba! An Aramaic word that could be translated “Daddy” And he gives us a wonderful picture of what He is like in Luke 15.

This may be a familiar story to you. We usually think of this as the parable of the prodigal son. But there’s some problems with that. For one thing, there’s not just one son in the story, there’s two, and they are both far from the father. For another thing, no one really understands what “prodigal” means. So since its Father’s day, lets think of this as the Parable of the Loving Father. Let’s read it together, and instead of focusing on the son, focus instead on the character of the father in the parable. After I read, we’ll talk about what it teaches us about our Abba Father:

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Read]

This is God’s Word. Let’s pray [pray]

One of the cool features of the gospel of Luke is that Luke often tells us the reason Jesus gave a particular teaching at a particular time. And the story of the lost sons is one of those. Look at verse 1:

Luke 15:1–2

Luke 15:1–2 ESV

1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

Then verse 3 says, “SO He told them this parable.”

Jesus shows the sinners, publicans, scribes and the pharisees what our heavenly father is really like.

But He also shows the pharisee and the scribes that the Father heart of God isn’t just for the religious people. That’s why there are two sons in the story. And for all of us who want to be just like our dad, we can look at this parable as a guidebook for understanding the father heart of God— both to the tax gatherers and the sinners, as well as the church people and the legalists.

And the first thing Jesus reveals about the Father is that

1. The Father Doesn’t Play Favorites.

We begin with a certain man blessed with two sons. In this culture, this made him doubly blessed. While daughters are beautiful and desirable, a son kept the family name intact.

We are not told what caused the younger son to want to leave home. But we understand that when he comes to his father and says “Give me the share of property that is coming to me,” he’s essentially saying, Dad, I know when you die I’ll get my inheritance, but can we go ahead and pretend you’re dead now?”

Which had to have broken his heart. Can you imagine? But aren’t we all like that? So many times we want the gifts of God but we reject the grace of God. We wants his presents, but we aren’t interested in having His presence in our lives.

But notice what the Word says— the father divided His property between THEM. That means that later on, when the older brother complains about how he never got anything from the father, he’s lying.

Our heavenly father doesn’t play favorites. Throughout the Bible, there’s lots of stories about human fathers who showed favoritism to one son over another, and it never turned out well. Isaac loved Esau more than Jacob. Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his brothers. Jesse favored all of David’s brothers over David. And on and on it goes.