LUKE 15:11-24
RUIN RECOGNITION RESTORATION
INTRODUCTION:
A. The story of the prodigal has always intrigued me, not just because Jesus told it, but because it contains and reveals so many truths that is pertinent to everyday life.
a. One of the outstanding truths it reveals is the downward path of the sinner and upward path of the repentant.
b. There are three truths I want to share with you!
1. The Ruin of the prodigal or sinner
2. The Recognition of the prodigal or sinner
3. The Restoration of the prodigal or sinner.
4. Let’s explore each of these:
I. THE RUIN OF THE PRODIGAL OR SINNER. V.12-15
A. Sin always brings ruin to the life.
a. Here I want to note the things that the prodigal did that ruined his life.
B. It began with a wrong attitude toward his father, and the things the father wanted him to do.
a. One’s attitude is very important to the outcome of their life.
b. We see this clearly in the life of the prodigal.
C. Another thing that brought about the ruin of the prodigal was a wrong desire.
a. Again desires are very important to one’s life.
b. To desire the things of the world is to crush and kill any desire for God and righteousness.
c. Desire often matures into love, and John tells that if anyone loves the things of the world the love of the Father is not in him. (I John 2:15)
1. His desires were filled with selfish motives, disillusioned imaginations.
2. He was also controlled with greed
d. The prodigal reached the point he loved and wanted the things of the world more than he wanted the love of the father.
e. This is why he went to the father and said “Father give me the portion of goods that falls to me.” Luke 15:12
f. The same verse tells us the father divided to them his livelihood.
D. The fourth step in the prodigal’s ruin is that he took his portion of the father’s livelihood, and left home and journeyed to the far country. Luke 15:13
1. To lounge around worldly things soon leads to indulging in worldly things.
a. Here we see a total separation from the father and all he stood for and represented.
b. Here we also see selfishness and self-will surface to the top.
c. Selfishness will not only destroy the person that is possessed by it, but those they associate with if they are not careful.
1. Here in this same verse we see the fifth step in the prodigals ruin, notice it says, “and there wasted his substance (possessions) in riotous living.
2. Riotous living is simply living it up with no regard of personal things or those of others.
3. Soon the prodigal’s passions were gone and so were his so called friends.
E. The sixth and final step of the prodigal’s ruin is, he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country. Luke 15:15
a. He was sent to feed the swine (hogs). V.15
b. This was about as low a person could go in those days.
c. But we find him sinking even lower as he thought of eating with the hogs.
1. This is where he came to himself or recognized what he was, what he had done, and what he needed to do if he was going to live.
F. The last thing that brought about the prodigal’s ruin was his rebellion.
G. I Samuel 15:23 records the account of Samuel telling Saul that “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”
a. I believe this young man was a stubborn young man and his stubbornness led to his rebellion against and rejection of his father.
b. A stubborn heart will cause a person many heartaches, disappointments, and sorrows.
c. One can see it in this young man’s life for his stubbornness led to rebellion and rejection, thus to the far country, and the loss of his inheritance in riotous living.
II. THE PRODIGAL’S RECOGNATION Luke 15: 17-19
A. Now keep in mind he was looking at the husk, slop the hogs were eating; probably elbow deep in their slop when he came to himself. Ch.15:15
1. As he looked at the hogs food he most likely thought, that stuff looks awful, do I really want to eat that, surely there’s something better.
2. That’s when a picture of home popped into his mind, and in his mind he could hear his father away off calling; come home, son come home.
a. Now, we don’t really know what he saw as he looked into the trough that held the hogs food, so we will have to use our imagination, and mine is as good as yours, so we will use mine.
b. While starving and staring at what he had just poured out for the hogs to eat he also saw a picture of his father’s servants with bread enough to eat, and to spare. V. 17
c. He saw himself in the hog pin starving to death. V.17 “and I perish with hunger.”
d. He saw he was to do the unthinkable by eating with the hogs. V. 16 “And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine did eat.”
e. Did you ever stop to think that every sin committed is eating with the hogs, well it is.
f. He saw a loving father who loved him and whose love he had rejected.
1. This is clearly seen when the young man went to his father and asked his part of the inheritance.
2. It is further indicated when a few days later he gathered all together and journeyed to a far country. V. 12 – 13
3. I think he paid no attention to the pleading of both mom and dad to not do such a thing.
4. But he went any way and wasted his substance in riotous living.
g. I also think he saw the well ladened table his mom had always prepared for the family.
h. He saw what he needed to do was to return home, humble himself to his father, confess his sin, ask forgiveness, and to make him like a hired servant.
i. He saw if he did not do this he was going to starve to death for no one gave him anything.
j. These are some of the things that brought about his restoration.
III. RESTORATION
A. Now restoration is simply restoring to a previous position privileges.
a. I think it would be good here to look at how the prodigal went about in gaining his restoration.
B. First he resolved in his heart what he needed to do, and would do.
1. This kind of resolve will give one the strength to do what needs to be done to be rid of sin and sin’s galling fetters.
a. He said I will arise and go to my father.
b. I will say to my father, father I have sinned against heaven and before you.
c. I am no longer worthy too be called your son.
d. Make me like one of the hired servants.
e. He arose and went to his father.
C. Now let’s look at what happened. V. 20-24
a. While he was coming home his father saw him a great way off.
b. Had compassion on him
c. Ran to him, fell on his neck and kissed him.
D. Here the prodigal begins his confession, but I don’t think the father heard one word for he was so happy his lost son had come home and he immediately turned to his servants and began giving instructions to them.
a. To one he said “bring the best robe and put it on him.”
b. To another he said, “put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.”
c. Perhaps to another he said bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost and is found. And they began to make merry.
d. All these festivities restored the rebellious prodigal to son ship.
e. He was not made like one of the hired servants, but was made a son again.
E. You and I my friend are, or were the rebellious prodigal, but when we came to the Father through Jesus the Son we are not made servants, but sons and daughters.
a. Heirs and joint heirs with Jesus to one day rule this universe together.
b. I think if the story went on we would find the father going about the community with his son and telling them, my son has come home, rejoice with me.
c. Jesus said even the angles in heaven rejoice over one sinner that comes home.
