“A Rebellious Rascal Repents and Is Restored”
Luke 15:11-24
David P. Nolte
I am speaking today of a fellow who went into a foreign country, lived foolishly and after suffering much privation repented and came home to a welcome But for this moment, I want to commend those who, apart from the prodigality, have something in common with the boy. They went into a foreign country, acted valiantly, suffered privation, laid their lives on the line for our freedom and too many didn’t get to come home – they are our veterans – thank you! PRAY.
Sometimes the best lessons are learned by the mistakes we make and the failures we experience. I’m not suggesting that we purposely go make mistakes or fail just so that we can learn, but as it is inevitable that we will make mistakes, and we will fail. But don’t make the mistake of failing to learn from them.
Have you ever noticed how impressed we are by winners? Most of our admiration is reserved for people who have succeeded; who seem to have it all together; who appear to have the Midas Touch. But we don’t always know about the mistakes they made or the failures they experienced along the way to stardom.
This is the 4th in a series of 5 about “the lost is found.” Turn to Luke 15:11. I will read the narrative bit by bit as the sermon progresses. Let’s begin at verse 11: “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.” Luke 15:11-12 (NLT2). There are 4 considerations, the first of which is:
I. THE UNTHINKING DEMAND:
A. Mark Misulia wrote this paraphrase, “Feeling footloose, free and frisky, a feather-brained fellow forced his fond father to fork over the family farthings and he fled forth to far foreign fields.” He had not thought things through.
1. He was unthinking in his demand.
2. He was unthinking in his desire.
3. He was unthinking in his departure.
4. His was unthinking in his disdain.
a. He gave no thought to his father.
b. He gave no thought to his brother.
c. He gave no thought to his responsibilities.
d. He gave no thought to consequences.
B. He should have realized
1. You can’t make foolish choices and achieve the fruit of wise ones.
2. You can’t sow wild oats and grow sweet corn.
3. You can’t go the way of the world and the way of God at the same time.
4. You can’t do wrong and be right.
C. Have you ever had second thoughts like these?
1. “If I had only been thinking, I would not have said that!”
2. “If I had only been thinking, I would not have done that!”
3. “If I had only been thinking, I would not have gone there in the first place.”
D. The boy was in the far country because of his selfish, thoughtless demand. But we are grateful to those who, unselfishly, risked their lives on foreign soil for our freedom. Thank you veterans!
E. Concerning unthinking demands, a young man made it plain that he demanded, like his brother before him, a new car for graduation.
The big day came and he was miffed when his dad handed him a small gift. He opened it and it was a Bible. He sulked for awhile. Time came for him to depart for college and for some reason he packed his unread Bible. Feeling homesick in the dorm, he picked up the Bible and to his surprise found an envelope with a check for enough to buy a new car. After a soul-search he came to his senses and humbly apologized to his father and mother for his selfish demand..
But, back to the text: “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living.” Luke 15:13 (NLT2). Having made his unthinking demand and having taken his departure, he engaged in
II. THE UNCHECKED FOLLY:
A. The boy went to a far country where, as Mark Misulia wrote, he “frittered away his fortune feasting fabulously with faithless friends.”
1. “It’s Party Time! Let the Fun Begin! Let the Good Times Roll!”
2. Still unthinking, the boy spent money like it was water and indulged every whim and all desires.
B. The Bible speaks of those who live foolishly
1. “With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. But that isn’t what you learned about Christ.” Ephesians 4:17-20 (NLT2).
2. “The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.” Proverbs 14:8 (NIV).
C. Good counsel for us all is, “My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them! They may say, ‘Come and join us. Let’s hide and kill someone! Just for fun, let’s ambush the innocent!” And “My child, don’t go along with them! Stay far away from their paths. They rush to commit evil deeds. They hurry to commit murder.” Proverbs 1:10-16 (NLT2).
D. Wisdom and folly do not mix. They are as antithetic and opposed as water and oil or light and dark.
E. Hugh Davidson tells about a woman who lived back in the twenties and was one of the wealthiest people of her day. She always wore the same ragged black clothes and even though she looked so poor she always carried $50,000 in negotiable bonds.
She and her son only bought day old bread and could often be seen rooting through the garbage cans looking for food. Her son had some kind of infection in his leg but he ended up dying from it because she couldn’t find a free clinic to treat him. She had millions of dollars but no sense whatsoever. She was as foolish in her tightfisted parsimony as was the prodigal in his wasteful folly.
The text continues, “About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.” Luke 15:14-16 (NLT2). Next we notice
III. THE UNDESIRABLE SITUATION:
A. He was “Fleeced by his fellows, fallen by fornication, and facing famine, he found himself a feed-flinger in a filthy farmyard. Fairly famishing, he fain would have filled his frame with foraged food from fodder fragments. ‘Fooey! My father’s flunkies fare finer,’ the frazzled fugitive forlornly fumbled, frankly facing facts.”
1. Ripped off and dumped by fair-weather friends, he was in a dark hole.
2. He was homeless, hopeless, and friendless.
B. Our veterans, too, were often in undesirable, miserable situations when serving on foreign fields. But they were not there as Foolish Prodigals, they were there as Faithful Protectors.
C. But due to his own foolishness, the boy was down and out in a far country.
1. Out of resources.
2. Out of friends.
3. Out of confidence.
4. Out of hope.
5. Out of options.
D. For a Hebrew to take care of pigs was one of the most degrading of all tasks. Mendy Kaminker wrote, “There is probably no animal as disgusting to Jewish sensitivities as the pig. It’s not just because it may not be eaten: there are plenty of other animals that aren’t kosher either, but none of them arouse as much disgust as the pig.”
1. Take a candid inner view – do you find anything disgusting?
a. Any attitude?
b. Any hatred?
c. Any lust?
d. Any covetousness?
e. Any unresolved grudges?
2. Folly will put us in one undesirable situation after another
E. A few years ago, some folk were at Crater Lake and for some reason perhaps to be daring, perhaps for a picture, one of the young ladies foolishly stepped over the barrier and she fell to her death. She had put herself in an undesirable situation. The Prodigal had put himself into one, too.
Back to the text: “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’ So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.” Luke 15:17-24 (NLT2)
The Runaway Rascal had repented and was royally restored so we witness
IV. THE UNDESERVED WELCOME!
A. “Frustrated by failure and filled with foreboding, he fled forthwith to his family. Falling at his father’s feet, he forlornly fumbled, ‘Father, I’ve flunked and fruitlessly forfeited family favor!’” I believe that not a day passed without that father lifting eyes to heaven and prayer and turning his eyes down the road, praying, hoping for his son’s return.
1. He gave that boy freedom of choice, and he left home.
2. But that same freedom of choice might bring him home again.
3. And when he saw that boy in the distance he broke land speed records running to him, embracing him aa a son, not a servant.
B. Mark continued. “The farsighted father, forestalling further flinching, frantically flagged the flunkies to fetch a fatling from the flock and fix a feast.”
C. Allow me to digress again – when our veterans returned (except for the Viet Nam vets who were shamefully disdained) they received a well deserved welcome home! The boy received a welcome he did not deserve.
D. The returning Prodigal is you and me if we regret, renounce and repent of our sins.
1. We are welcome! The Father has been waiting!
2. “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” Hebrews 4:15-16 (NLT2).
E. My brother and I were estranged for a couple of years. I lamented it so John said, “Why don’t you just go see him?” So I did. I knocked on his door and half expected rejection – but he threw his arms around me and welcomed me. Thanks, John.
The Prodigal decided to just go see his father. He did not expect a gracious reception; he knew he didn’t deserve it – but his father ran eagerly to welcome him. But not his brother, “The fugitive’s fault-finding brother frowned on fickle forgiveness of former folderol. But the faithful father figured, ‘Filial fidelity is fine, but the fugitive is found! What forbids fervent festivity? Let flags be unfurled. Let fanfares flare.’ And the father’s forgiveness formed the foundation for the former fugitive’s future faith and fortitude.”
Jesus will do the same for you! Turn your heart toward home – no matter where you’ve been there is love, grace and welcome there. Don’t try to spruce up first, just come in your rags and the Father will run to meet you. JUST AS I AM
