Luke 15:22 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.
INTRODUCTION: We would like to celebrate all of the father’s today by letting you know that we (as a society) appreciate who you are and what you do on a daily basis. Thank you for being a covering, for your teaching, training and mentorship to those in your sphere of influence. Your knowledge and wisdom through word and demonstration is essential to influencing the next generation. You are honored in the sight of God. You have been faithful over the few… God will make you ruler over many.
TRANSITION: As we celebrate the men today, we want to take a look at a familiar passage of scripture that demonstrates a father’s love and wisdom on full display. The title of today’s message is “A Father’s Love.” We will cover the following three points:
Point 1: The Actions of a Son
Point 2: The Reaction of a Brother
Point 3: The Interaction of a Father
POINT 1: The Actions of the Son
Luke 15:11 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. 13 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 parable is about a man who had two sons. One son wanted his inheritance early. In his mind, he thought that there was more to life than what he was currently experiencing. He felt that he could do better on his own so he took some Actions that were not wise or beneficial.
Impatient: He wanted his inheritance (blessing/anointing) prematurely. Although the inheritance (blessing/anointing) was rightfully his, he moved out of season. There was a perfecting (maturing) process that he didn’t want complete.
There are many people in the Body of Christ who don’t like where they are in life. In their minds, there are some other things that they could/should be doing.
On one hand, we should have a desire to move to the next level in every area of our lives (ministry, finances, vocation, education, relationships, etc.). However, we must always understand “seasons.” God’s timing might not be the same as ours.
Emotional: This young man made an emotional decision that negatively impacted his life. He made irrational decisions based on how he was feeling. He made a permanent decision based on a temporary circumstance.
Wasteful: This young man gathered all of his belongings and left home. He “wasted his substance with riotous living” (Riotous: disorderly, unruly, uncontrolled, lawless, rebellious, rowdy, etc.)
There are many people in the Body of Christ that are “wasting their substance” on riotous living. They have an anointing, but they are disorderly; a calling but unruly; gifts but uncontrollable; talent but lawless; potential but rebellious.
Like many of us this young man made some bad personal decisions that placed him in an uncomfortable position. Although he was in a self made mess, it wasn’t the end of the road for him. God still had a purpose and a plan for his life. He still had a destiny to fulfill regardless of his past actions. His destiny was not limited/restricted to his season!
Luke 15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee…
? He had an “Ah Ha” moment. He remembered who he was. There had been some seed deposited into him from his youth that said, “You are not restricted or limited to what you are going through. There is a king in you!” He recognized his mistakes and truly repented .
? Humility: He came to himself and remembered who he was. He humbled himself, repented (changed his mindset) and returned home. This is how we should remember this man!
POINT 2: The Reaction of the Brother
Luke 15:25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
? Servant’s Heart: The older brother continued to serve even though his sibling left home. He remained faithful to his Father and continued to serve even though his brother had fallen away.
God needs laborers who are going to serve Him regardless of who comes and who goes! He needs people who are willing to take on the mind of Christ and continue to serve Him through adversity.
As Christians, we must realize that everyone who starts out with us will not finish with us. There are going to be some who fall away. 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
We must be strong in the Lord and guard against the urge to quit. We must not allow our faith to be shaken by circumstances or what anyone else is doing/not doing. We must not led by our emotions (minds/souls), but allow the Holy Spirit to lead us.
Luke 15:26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
? Not Discerning: He was so busy serving/working that he didn’t notice that his Brother had returned home. He was so busy serving (working) that he wasn’t aware of his surroundings. He belonged to the household, but he didn’t know what was going on in the house. He didn’t realize that a lost soul had returned because he was too busy.
While it is important that we serve/work in the Kingdom, we must always be mindful of our surroundings. We have been equipped to deposit seeds of life into people’s lives. We have the Word of God inside of us and we should be encouraging those around us. We must engage each other and display the love of Christ.
Luke 15:28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
? Angry/Jealous: This young man became angry, bitter and jealous because his brother was being celebrated. He had been serving faithfully for years (longevity, seniority). He didn’t appreciate the blessings that he had because he was looking at what his brother was getting.
This young man had a “What About Me” mentality. His brother had been restored, but the he didn’t care. There was no compassion being displayed for his brother, only resentment and offence.
There are some people in the Body of Christ who don’t appreciate the success of their fellow Sisters and Brothers. This can progress to a spirit of jealousy. We need to be mindful if:
There is no heartfelt joy when we see people come to Christ. There is no sincere joy when we see people elevated in the things of God. There is a lack of support for ideas and events that doesn’t surround your area of ministry. There is a tendency to want what someone else has (gifts, anointing, talents, abilities, relationships, resources, etc.).
We must know that God will not forget about us. There is a season for everything and we must allow God to complete that work that he started is us.
The Interaction of the Father
Luke 15:20 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.
Apparently, the father had been looking for his son. “…when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him…” He was waiting for his son to come home.
He probably knew that it would be a matter of time before this young man returned home. Even though he knew this young man would make mistakes, he allowed him to mature (be perfected).
Many times God will allow us to go through some things even though it is not his perfect will for our lives. Our trials and tribulations have a purpose in shaping our character.
This father saw his son coming home and he ran to him, had compassion on him, and embraced him. He probably could see that the young man was not in the same state that he was when he left home (i.e. torn clothes, dirty face, loss weight, smelly, etc.). However, he looked past the outward appearance and saw the humility in his eyes.
In the same manner, God sees us afar off and He runs toward us to embrace us. He looks at our hearts and knows when we are sincere and truly repent. God is willing to forgive us if we are willing to repent.
Luke 15:22 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:
The father welcomed his son back into the family. He didn’t hold his past against him, but he celebrated his return. He instructed his servants to bring certain items in celebration of his son’s return.
The Best Robe: This signified restoration of power and authority. The father was demonstrating publicly that this was his son and that he was still royalty (regardless of past failures). The son was restored to his place of power. This was demonstrating to all that where present that his son was still in charge. This also was done to boost the confidence of the son who was probably feeling pretty humbled.
Regardless of our past failures, God will restore us when we truly repent. He lets us know that we are still his children even though we engage in “riotous living” from time to time.
Ring on His Hand: Signified covenant relationship. The father wanted this young man to know that he was more than a hired servant. He was indeed a son. He was in covenant relationship.
When we repent and confess our sins before the Lord, He restores us to that place of Covenant Relationship. We are not only still children of God, be we are heir to all of the promises of God.
Shoes on His Feet: Signified access granted. The father was letting everyone know that this son still had access to all of the places that he had before. He can walk with his head up with no guilt or shame.
When we are in right standings with the Father, he grants us access to all of the powers of heaven. We don’t have to feel guilty or ashamed.
CONCLUSION: The father in this parable exercised mercy, grace and compassion to both of his sons. Even though both sons had their issues, the father dealt wisely with them both. How much more does our heavenly Father care about us? As we go through trials and tribulations, know that we will miss it sometimes. Let’s identify our deficiencies, repent from our wrong doings, and allow the Lord to do what He does best. He forgives sins and mends broken hearts.
