Keep Hoping! Series

“KEEP HOPING” Luke 15:11-24

FBCF – 2/18/24

Jon Daniels

INTRO – Life is all about relationships. They bring us great joy & happiness – b’day parties, holidays, vacations, special occasions, celebrations of accomplishments & victories. Happiest moments in our lives come in our relationships.

But they also bring us the greatest heartache & pain. This is especially true for us as Christ-followers when that relationship is deeply damaged as a result of someone becoming a prodigal.

- A child that we poured our lives into, striving to raise them right, in the church & in the things of the Lord. And yet they turn & walk away from the Lord – & your heart is broken.

- A grandchild who had a seemingly strong, vibrant relationship w/ Jesus who is now so far away from the Lord - & your heart is broken.

- A friend w/ whom you shared your life & your heart, but now they have abandoned you & abandoned Jesus - & your heart is broken.

I want to simply say to you today: There is HOPE, & that hope is found in Christ Jesus alone. He sees your pain – He knows your pain - & He enters your pain w/ you today.

EXPLANATION – Luke 15:11-24

“Parables” series – Reminder that a parable is an earthly story w/ a heavenly meaning. Jesus told them to teach His followers what the K’dom of God is all about, who is in the K’dom & who’s not, & how we are to live as citizens of the K’dom of God. So far we’ve look at:

- The Parable of the Sower – Luke 8 – As members of the K’dom of God, we have to keep sowing the seed of the Gospel everywhere. And we need to have good soil in our hearts.

- The Parable of the Good Samaritan – Luke 10 – As members of the K’dom of God, we need to love every person who is need – which is every person we will encounter every day of our lives.

- Next week, the parable of the Persistent Widow – Luke 18

Today, another very familiar parable – One writer: “the greatest & most-beloved story ever told in human language” (The Preacher’s Outline & Study Bible – Luke – p. 300) – Parable of the Prodigal Son. Word “prodigal” not actually in the Scriptures but has been used throughout the years to describe the actions of this son. “Prodigal” – can be an adjective to describe someone or something – means “wastefully extravagant.” Can actually have a positive connotation – “generous, lavish.”

Or it can be a noun to describe a person who is wasteful w/ their money & possessions. Like the boy in this story, we could just call him a “prodigal.” We call him the Prodigal Son b/c of the importance of the father’s relationship w/ the boy in this parable. The father is just as important as the son in this story – maybe more important. Could call it the Parable of the Compassionate Father, or the Parable of the Father Who Never Gave Up Hope.

APPLICATION – Because of the Father’s love, there’s always hope for a prodigal.

Some of you – some of US – have prodigals in our lives – sons or daughters, grandsons or granddaughters, a friend, maybe even a spouse. As we look at this parable today, I want to simply say to you: DON’T GIVE UP HOPE! 5 statements to encourage us to keep hoping:

KEEP HOPING IN SPITE OF THEIR SELFISHNESS – V. 11-12 – One of first words a child learns: “Mine!” And always w/ an exclamation point. Many, if not most prodigal situations begin w/ a selfish heart – a “give me” attitude like this son – not “Please”, “May I have?”, “Would it be ok w/ you?” Just “GIVE ME!”

- Give me my inheritance – Didn’t matter to the son of how he hurt his dad, or how the loss of this money could damage his father’s estate. Didn’t matter that the son was essentially telling his father, “I wish you were dead.” Just GIVE ME!

- Give me my independence – I want to live MY life MY way on MY terms & MY schedule.

Selfishness is so painful, so difficult, so damaging to relationships. It is evidence of a heart that is hardened toward God or doesn’t know God at all. It shows a heart that is not filled & controlled by the love of God.

- 1 Corinthians 13:5 – Love “does not demand its own way” (NLT).

As hard as it is, like the Father in this story, we must keep hoping for our prodigal, even when they are being driven by their selfishness.

KEEP HOPING IN SPITE OF THEIR SINFULNESS – v. 13 – After snubbing his father & padding his bank account w/ Daddy’s money, this young man went into a “far country” & launched into a season of sinful, sensual, reckless, riotous, immoral, irresponsible behavior. Word for “reckless” means to live “wildly, in debauchery.”