Sermon Brief
Date Written: November 5, 2008
Date Preached: October 29, 2008
Where Preached: OPBC (Wed PM)
Sermon Details:
Sermon Series: A Study of the Parables
Sermon Title: The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Part 1)
Sermon Text: Luke 15:11-24 (NKJV)
11 Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’ 20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.
Introduction:
v. 11-12 – Human nature is sinful and selfish!
11 Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood.
In our sinful nature our desire is all about what WE want and WHEN we want it!
Adam and Eve desired the fruit forbidden them by God, instead of listening to God or waiting on Him to teach them or use them… they desired and sought out the forbidden… they took of the fruit… they gave into what they wanted and when they wanted it!
Annanias and Sapphira desired to ‘fit into the community of faith, but also desired the financial gain… they wanted WHAT they wanted and WHEN they wanted it… and they wanted it on THEIR terms!
Since Eden, human nature is cursed, humans are sinful by their very nature, we sin because that is who we are! We are selfish, self centered and for the most part we want what WE want, WHEN we want it!
If you don’t believe me, look at a baby… without the guidance of parents, they NEVER grow out of their selfish, ME, ME stage! And even with the parent’s guidance, the desire for selfishness is always there!
v. 13 – Sin Nature takes us AWAY from God!
13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.
The sinful nature of our hearts desires to get AWAY from God! Get away from God, religion and all those rules and do’s and don’ts. Again this stems from our innate desire to do what WE want…when we want it!
You have heard the term just ‘follow your heart’ haven’t you? What happens when we follow our heart? Well when we follow the desires of our heart we tend to get into trouble!
There may be a season of happiness and contentment, but the fun and good times come to an end. Our selfish desires lead us to squander what God has blessed us with… selfish desire and behavior on our part leads to bad stewardship!
v. 14-16 – We believe we can FIX things…we think we don’t need God!
14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
Have you ever noticed that when bad times come that we always feel that we can ‘fix’ things? I know that I am like that… it doesn’t matter what is going on I believe I can ‘fix’ it and make things better!
It could be something going wrong in the house or on my car, and I think, “I could fix that!” But usually what happens is that I tend to make things worse and I end up calling someone who KNOWS what they are doing and they fix it for me!
But what about the things in our lives? What about the situations of life where we find ourselves hurting and in pain? So many times we think to ourselves, “I can fix this situation…all I need to do is this or that…but I can fix this!”
So many times in life, we come to a point where we think, “I can fix this…” but the truth of the matter is that us trying to fix our life is like us trying to ‘bloom a rose’ for nature… it just doesn’t work!
What are the results of us trying to ‘fix’ things in our life? I know what the results are of me trying to fix things around my house… NOT GOOD! The Bible tells us in Proverbs 12:15, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes…” It also tells us in Proverbs 21:2 where is says, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes…”
We all think, we know what is right…that we know the right thing to do! We think, “I can fix this!” But that is what the Bible calls folly… or nonsense. Proverbs 15:21 tells us, “Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment…”
Folly and ruin are the results of man’s wisdom and man’s attempt to ‘fix’ the things of life. We simply cannot ‘fix’ things like we want to…
v. 17-19 – God’s Holy Spirit can ‘open’ our eyes to the truth!
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’
Like this young man who finally realized his situation, the Holy Spirit brings about conviction in the heart and mind of humanity and opens our eyes to the reality of our condition!
It is at that point when we begin to see the condition of our life, the prodigal looked around and saw the filth and gore he was living in…
It is at this point when we begin to see ourselves for who we are, the prodigal saw what he had become and that he had reduced himself to fighting pigs for their food…
It is at this point also that the Holy Spirit moves us to the point of repentance, the prodigal son realized his folly and the desperate nature of his situation and resolved in his heart to go back to his home… repent of his actions and serve the remainder of his days as a servant in his father’s home…
When we come to the point where there is repentance in our hearts because of the conviction of the Holy Spirit… we long to return to our Heavenly Father. This is what the Bible calls a contrite heart… a repentant heart!
v. 20-21 – Following the Holy Spirit in act of confession and repentance!
20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
Upon the conviction of our hearts and our eyes being opened by the presence of the Holy Spirit… it is revealed to us what we NEED… it is revealed to us what will ‘fix’ what is broken!
We then put a plan in our hearts to move to action… to vocalize and confess our repentance. The prodigal repented first in his heart and then we see he puts feet to his repentance by moving to his father and vocally confessing his sin.
v. 22-24 – The Promise of Salvation!
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.
Now Scripture tells us that when we confess with our mouths with a repentant heart that God is going to forgive us and He is going to save us!
When the prodigal went home, he was seeking forgiveness for how he had lived and for the sin against his father! When he saw his father and confessed his sin, the father quickly moved past that, forgave him and then ‘saved’ him from the life he had come to know and even the life he had resigned himself to have as a servant in his father’s house.
Likewise when we come to God with confession of sin and a repentant and contrite heart, God has promised to forgive our sin and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. He has promised to save us from that sin and is preparing a place in heaven for us!
When we come to Him with confession, He quickly moves past that and saves us from the life we have been living and saves us from the life we may have resigned ourselves to live… The picture here is of unmerited, undeserved favor being shown by the father to the son!
That is the same picture we can apply to our situation when we come to Christ as Savior. The salvation He brings is unmerited and undeserved, and it comes to us thru His love for us…like the father in this parable loved his son.
Just like the young son did not deserve what he got from his father, we don’t deserve what we get from God! If we got what we deserved, it would be an anguish far greater than we could bear! But because of His grace and mercy we are not only accepted by our Heavenly Father, but like the prodigal, we are rejoiced over and celebrated for coming home.
I can see 2 very important and vital principles that come forth out of this parable and they are:
Just like the prodigal son, all sinners have the option of repenting and returning home. It doesn’t matter how wicked or perverse their life is… a truly repentant heart is forgiven and forgiveness brings salvation.
Just like the father in this parable, God has ventured great and elaborate lengths to offer reconciliation to wayward humanity, no matter how undeserving we are (which is all of us) God desires to lavish forgiveness on all who are willing to confess, repent and accept His forgiveness.
We need to understand that God delights in the repentance of all the ‘prodigals’, but His desire is that we never sink so low before coming to repentance. Likewise God cherishes those who love and serve Him and obey His will, but He does not want them to despise the rebellious who have come to repentance…
Next week we are going to look at v.25-32 that focus on the reaction of the older brother!
