The Journey Back To The Father's House
Luke 15:11-24
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American novelist Thomas Wolfe wrote a novel that proclaimed You Can’t Go Home Again. The novel was about a an author named George Webber. Webber wrote a successful novel about his family and hometown. Upon returning home he was shunned and faced anger from his friends and relatives because of some of the things he wrote about them. He faced so much hostility that he left his home and traveled to New York, Paris and then Berlin.
Today, there are many who are a part of the family of God and have wandered far from home. Some may feel that it is impossible to return. They think that things can never be the same again. I have good news....YOU CAN GO BACK HOME AGAIN!! Even better than that, you will find that the Father is longing for you to do just that!
Today we celebrate homecoming. Some of you have been gone for some time. And we are thrilled to have you with us today. While it is great that we can enjoy one another's fellowship for a few hours... for some there is another homecoming that needs to take place in your life. Maybe you didn't leave Stockdale because you were called to serve elsewhere, or because you moved to another area. Perhaps you left the church because somewhere along the way you walked away from the Lord. If that is the case, God is sending you a personal invitation for an even greater homecoming than you could imagine.
In this text will consider one of the most well known parables in the Word of God. The parable of the Prodigal Son. Jesus shares with His audience the story of a young man who left his home and his family and took matters into his own hands. At first things were great and he was "living it up". But after a while he found himself in the midst of some devastating circumstances. When he hit rock bottom he made the decision to return to his father's house. When he returned he found grace, mercy, compassion and love. If you will return to your Father today you will find the same response! Let's look to this parable and see "The Journey Back To The Father's House". I would like to begin with:
I. The Precious Relationship Of Those Who Have Left The Father's House
If you have left the church you have left more than an organization or assembly. You have left behind many precious relationships. First and foremost you must realize that:
A. You Have Left Your Father - Scripture tells us that He will never leave us, but we can walk away from Him. This was the case for the prodigal. - v11 And 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 falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
This young man was not abused or treated harshly by his father. He was not thrown out of the father's house, he CHOSE to leave! His father gave him life... loved him... cared for him... protected him and provided for him. Even when he made his intentions known, his father willingly gave him his inheritance.
If you are born again, think for a moment about all the Father has done for you.
Your Father gave you life eternal... He loves you... He cares for you... He protects you and He provides for you. With all of the benefits of this precious relationship, some of you have made a conscious decision to walk away from the Father! But it doesn't end there. Not only have you Left Your Father....
B. You Have Left Your Family - One of the great benefits of the Christian life is the fact that we have many brothers and sisters in Christ. When you rebel and backslide you walk away from your faith family as well. The prodigal left his family behind. Verse 11 tells us that "A certain man had two sons"
We know that there was a brother. We do not know the status of his mother. Maybe he had a sister, aunts, uncles, cousins.... maybe even grandparents. Though we do not have a record of his family tree, we know enough to know that he left behind a family. If you have left the Father's house you have left behind a precious family as well. You have left people who love you and care for you. You have left the sweet fellowship among the brethren. You have left people who can disciple you! You have left a family that can encourage you! You are in a mess and you find yourself alone. It seems that there is no one that you can turn to!
I have good news. When you return to the Father's house you will find that the Father is waiting to welcome you back home. And I am certain that there are many of your brethren who are ready to do the same today!! But, how does one find his/herself in this situation? Why do people leave their Precious Father and their Precious Family?
We find the answer in verses 13-16. It is there that we see....
II. The Prideful Rebellion Of Those Who Have Left The Father's House
Scripture tells us that - Proverbs 16:18 ¶Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. - Some of you are living examples of this verse. Let's examine for a moment:
A. The Cause Of Your Rebellion - If you have left the Father's house the cause of this is....PRIDE!!! That was the case for the prodigal - v13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
This young man was bold enough to ask for his inheritance. Then he took that money and left. Went to a far country. And did what HE THOUGHT WAS BEST! Do you see what I see? He thought that he could handle things on his own. He felt that he no longer needed his father's guidance and direction. Every backslidden person has that same mindset. For whatever reason they feel that they know better than God. Instead of remaining in the Father's house they have gone out on their own. If the prodigal had listened to his father I am sure he would have told his he was making a huge mistake. But his pride prevented him from hearing the wise counsel of his earthly father.
Your pride may be preventing you from hearing what your Father would say to you today! He says "do not forsake assembling together in my house"... but your pride says I DON'T NEED CHURCH! He says "pray", but your pride says "IT IS A WASTE OF TIME"! He says study His Word, but your pride says "I KNOW WHAT IS BEST"! He says "draw nigh unto me", but your pride says "I CAN DO IT ON MY OWN!" And your pride is causing you to go further and further away from your Heavenly Father!
Pride is the cause of your rebellion, but I would like to move further in the text and see:
B. The Consequences Your Of Rebellion - There are many devastating consequences that will arise when you take matters in your own hands. The prodigal learned this the hard way - v14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 15 And 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 fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
We have already seen that he left his family behind. He may not have missed his them at first. I am sure he found plenty of friends when he still had money in his pocket. But it is safe to assume he was all alone there in the pig pen after he wasted his inheritance. That is the way the world's crowd is. When you rebel and turn to the world there are always people around when there is fun to be had. But find yourself in trouble and they will leave you in a heartbeat! I imagine that the prodigal spent some long lonely nights longing to be reunited with his family. Perhaps he desired to get advice and direction from his father. Maybe he wanted to once again enjoy the close fellowship that he had previously had with his brother. If you could ask him, he would tell you that he greatly missed his family.
If you have left the Father's house you may find yourself in a similar situation. Your life is spiraling out of control. Your circumstances are devastating. Your troubles are many. It seems that you have no hope and you find yourself all alone! I ask you to take a moment and reminisce on the family that you left behind at the Father's house. You left a group of people who loved you, they cared for you and they helped you. Don't you miss the counsel you received from your Sunday School teacher? Don't you miss the fellowship that you once enjoyed with the brethren? Don't you miss the encouragement and strength that you once received from others? Are you tired of being alone in the midst of your sorrow? If so, there is hope found in the end of this story!!
After the prodigal had spent his money there was a great famine in the land. He began to work for a citizen of that far country. He was broke, he was alone and he was hungry. The scripture says that "no man gave unto him". - He was at the point of desiring the slop that he was feeding the swine. Simply put he was in a mess! He faced dire circumstances as a result of his rebellion. Because of his pride and rebellion he left the security of the father's house and found himself at rock bottom!
When he was in the father's house he had A home with a nice warm bed, Clean clothes to wear, more than enough food to eat, the love of a father and the fellowship of a family. He willingly chose to walk away from it all. And now he is suffering the consequences!
Those of you who have left your Heavenly Father find yourselves in the same situation. Your pride caused you to rebel. You walked away and took matters into your own hands. And for a while you enjoyed yourself. You took pleasure in sin for a season. Your returned to the world. You went back to what you knew! You went back to what is easy! You went back to what comes natural! Now you find yourself covered in the filth of the world. You stink with the awful stench of sin! You are starving spiritually... You are lonely... You are miserable... things seem hopeless and you feel helpless! You look at your circumstances and you wonder HOW DID THIS HAPPEN TO ME??
Consider the implications of a Jewish boy feeding pigs! This was an utter disgrace for this young man. To stoop to this level means that he had reached absolute rock bottom. I wonder if he looked at his pathetic condition and asked himself "how did I get to this point in my life".
Look at your situation for a moment. You are born again...you have been saved by the amazing grace of almighty God...you have been washed in the blood of Jesus and provided with eternal life...you once enjoyed sweet fellowship with the Father, The Son and The Saints and now your life is consumed with sin. You are going places you never thought you would go. You are doing things that you once preached against. You are involved in sins that once turned your stomach. How long will you go on this way? How far will you stray from the Father's house?
Maybe you DO realize the impact of your rebellion. Perhaps you want to make a change.Maybe you have an intense desire to come home today. I have good news for you! If you will look with me to verses 17-24 we will see:
III. The Potential Reunion For Those Who Have Left The Father's House
We must first address the fact that Satan is a liar! And he will tell you that you cannot go back home again. He would have you to believe that you have gone too far. He will tell you that you have been gone to long. He wants you to thinks that there is no hope of reunion or restoration! That is simply NOT TRUE!!! You can be reunited with your Heavenly Father today!
This is illustrated in the story of the prodigal... consider:
A. The Contemplation Involved In This Reunion - v17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
As he found himself in such as shameful situation the prodigal "came to himself". He realized the severity of his situation. He comprehended the fact that his father's salves lived in better conditions that he did. He decided that he would return to his father and ask to become as one of the hired servants.
Note: It is my belief that at this point the prodigal was not yet repentant of his choices. I think he was looking for a way out of the mess that he was in. And many people reach this point. They find themselves at rock bottom and beg God to bail them out. They make a bunch of empty promises in order to escape their circumstances. THIS IS NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU TO BE RESTORED!!! There must be TRUE repentance!!!
Something unexpected happened to the prodigal when he arrived back at the father's house. Notice:
B. The Compassion Involved In This Reunion - v20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
The prodigal did not know what to expect when he returned. He did not know if he would accept him, reject him or kill him! But I am sure that he did not expect what he received. Before he even made it to the house the father saw him. Why is this? BECAUSE HE WAS LOOKING FOR HIM!! The father was longing for his son to return home! And when he did the father had compassion on him, ran to him and kissed him! He welcomed him home with open arms.
If you have wandered from the Father you can expect the same thing! I am not saying that there are not consequences for sin. But I do know that the Father is compassionate and rich in mercy. If He loved you enough to send His only Son to save you, He loves you enough to restore you! And He is standing there with open arms longing for a reunion today!
I don't think it was the shame, guilt or regret that caused the prodigal to repent. I think it was the father's compassion that caused him to make things right! I pray that you will see your Father's compassion today and that it will motivate you to repent and return!! Let's take a moment and examine:
C. The Contrition Involved In This Reunion - v21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
The Hebrew and Greek words for “contrite” literally mean to be “crushed, crippled, or broken". When the prodigal saw the love, compassion and forgiveness of his father... he was broken! Will you open your eyes and perceive the compassion of The Father? Will you acknowledge your sins today? Will you turn from them and return to the Father? If you will, then you will experience joy that comes when you are reunited with your Heavenly Father!
Not only will there be joy and relief... there will be a celebration! Notice:
D. The Celebration Involved In This Reunion - v22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23 And bring hither the fatted calf, 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.
Everything that the prodigal was missing in his rebellion was restored. His relationship with his father was restored. As a result of this he removed those nasty garments and was clothed with the best robe. He received a ring for his finger. They killed a calf and cooked it. No longer did he have to be jealous of the pigs he was once again feasting in the father's house. There was a great celebration when this family was restored.
I recently saw the story of a young girl who left home when she was 16. She ran away and her family tried unsuccessfully to find her. After a while they assumed that she was dead. But 6 years later someone found her. She was dirty, homeless and hungry. The investigator who found her tried to get her to go home. She refused, she felt that she had done to much and had been gone too long. She figured that her family would refuse to speak to her. But what followed was the last thing she expected. They went to where she was, hugged her, forgave her and took her back home. When she arrived her extended family and friends were waiting and there was a party to welcome her back home.
My friend, It doesn't matter where you have gone, what you have done or how long you have been away. Your Heavenly Father will welcome you home right here today! And you have a family of believers who will rejoice and celebrate your return! Why don't you get up out of the pigpen of sin and come home today! Take the proper steps and begin "The Journey Back To The Father's House"
