THE BEST ROBE
Lk. 15:13-24
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. An elderly woman was on a busy street corner. She was confused and hesitant to cross because of the heavy traffic.
2. Finally a gentleman came up to her and asked if he could cross the street with her. Gratefully she took his arm, but grew alarmed as he zigzagged randomly across the street, to the blare of horns and screech of locked brakes.
3. Finally on the opposite curb, she said angrily, "You almost got us killed! You walk like you're blind." "I am blind," he replied. "That's why I asked if I could cross with you!"
4. We're going to read about another instance of the blind leading the blind.
B. TEXT
“13 Not long after that, the [prodigal] son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
C. THESIS
1. The parable Jesus told about the Prodigal Son is one of the most heart-touching stories in the Bible. It’s the story of a person who chose the ways of the world over the ways of God.
2. We’re going to look at the 1). Prodigal’s Dead State, 2). His Return to His Father, and the 3). Symbolism of “the Best Robe.”
I. THE PRODIGALS “DEAD” STATE
It’s interesting that the father, in verse 24, said, “For this son of mine was DEAD & is alive again; he was lost and is found.”
A. OUR CHOICE TO SIN
1. Here is the story of a young man who decided to indulge in the pleasures of sin. He didn't care what God or his family thought of his decision. He wasn't concerned about consequences.
2. He never intended to spend all of his inheritance; he never expected he would be starving; he never planned he would be filthy and wearing rags. He only meant to have a good time!
3. But friends, sin always takes you farther than you want to go, makes you stay longer than you intended to stay, and makes you pay more than you intended to pay.
4. SIN BINDS, BLINDS, & BETRAYS. Prov. 5:22 says, "... the cords of his sin hold him fast."
B. ILLUS.: MY HARMLESS LITTLE SIN
1 Ken Henderson, a traveling merchant, came to Kennett Missouri, in July 2011, selling exotic animals.
2. He had 50 baby alligators, each the size of a pencil. Everyone in the small Missouri town was enamored of the cute reptiles. He sold a good number of them, and then moved on.
3. But a year later, the little creatures weren’t so cute; they had now grown to about 3 feet in length. They were eating several pounds of meat each day.
4. One lady who had bought two of them, was known to take them out for walks on leashes. She thought they were harmless, until they started jumping toward her and snapping at her hands and arms. [Houston Chronicle, A4, "Gators as pets prove to be a pain." April 7, 2012]
5. It's the same with sin. It looks harmless at first; you can't see how it could hurt you. But in time its true nature begins to take control, and what you thought you could control, soon grows into a life-threatening danger, not only to you, but everyone around you.
C. THE INSANITY OF SIN
1. Notice Vs. 17, "When he came to his senses...." This indicates that while in the state of sin he was out of his mind.
2. Sin separates you from God, Isa. 59:2. When people are choosing to sin, they are “dead while they live” 1 Tim. 5:6 and under God’s wrath, John 3:36.
II. THE PRODIGAL’S RETURN
A. TRUE REPENTANCE
1. WHEN DID HE COME TO HIS SENSES? "Surely, when he spent all and became hungry." No, it took a lot more to open his eyes. It wasn't until he was without a friend, reduced to a skeleton, wearing rags, with nothing to hear but the grunting of hogs and munching of husks.
2. John 12:25 Jesus said, “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who HATES HIS LIFE IN THIS WORLD will keep it for eternal life.” I believe the prodigal saw what sin had done to him and he hated it as much as he had loved before. Prov. 8:13 says, “To fear the Lord is to hate evil.”
3. The reason a lot of people slip back into sin is because they never hated their former life or their old sins. That’s like Lot’s wife: she left Sodom but Sodom never left her and she was turned into a pillar of salt.
B. 4 CHARACTERISTICS OF TRUE REPENTANCE
1. True Repentance is SORROW for SIN AGAINST GOD. We usually think our crimes against people are worse than our crimes against God, but this isn’t true. Our spiritual sins are far more numerous and serious than our earthly sins. Your sins offend God!
2. True Repentance is a repentance leading to a CHANGE OF MIND (“metanoia”). It’s not just changing a sinful behavior, but a change about everything. It means to view our life as God sees us in His Word. We become so sorry for sin that we decide to live opposite to how we have been living. There’s a difference between apologizing (feeling bad) about sin and repenting for sin (stopping sinning). Repentance involves apology and action.
3. True Repentance is associated with a BELIEVING FAITH, for this sorrow causes the person to yield himself to Christ. If you feel bad about sin, but don’t trust in Christ, it’s not true repentance! Repentance that doesn’t go to the cross, is a repentance which can’t find the forgiveness found only in Christ! If Jesus isn’t Lord OF all, then He’s not Lord AT ALL!
4. True Repentance TRANSFORMS the old sinner INTO A NEW PERSON. The Prodigal son hit bottom: he was at the brink of death -- and in fact, he "died out" to himself and all his old plans and desires. Then the new obedient son took control.
C. JESUS’ DEATH PAID OUR DEBT OF SIN
1. During the Civil War, the government drafted men into service. A man in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, was drawn. Because of sickness at home he felt he could not leave. The administration permitted him to secure some one to take his place.
2. The substitute enlisted and went out in place of the man who was drafted. In a short time he was killed and buried, and the government made a record of it.
3. But by some oversight on the part of the officials, the name of the man who was excuses was placed in another draft and he was drawn a second time.
4. He went before the authorities and said to them, “You cannot draft me, I am a dead man.” “What do you mean,” came the reply. “Look up the records; you will see I enlisted, I fought, and I died in the person of my substitute.”
5. In the eyes of the law, that man was dead. The substitute fought & died in his place, and the government could not touch him. [Walter Knight’s, “Master Book of New Illus., p. 150].
III. SYMBOLISM OF THE BEST ROBE
A. IT SHOWS THE FATHER’S LOVE
1. The prodigal’s father had been climbing on top of his house to look out for his son every day. One morning he caught just a glimpse of a pitiful, emaciated beggar, stumbling in the distance. Down came the old man—tears flowing— and took off running down the road. The servants ran after him.
2. Before the son had time to react, his father’s arms were about him, hugging and kissing him! The son started reciting his repentance, but the father ignored it (knowing the young man’s heart) and ordered the servants, “Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet” Verse 22.
3. DO YOU THINK THE PRODIGAL NEEDED A NEW ROBE?
a. Yes – he smelled of Hogs! And they DO smell bad.
b. The Prodigal probably had not had a bath.
c. His clothes were in tatters, threadbare, falling apart.
d. They were stained with the filth of his past – the pig slop or worse – was on him. HIS OLD CLOTHES represented HIS SPIRITUAL CONDITION.
4. Isaiah tells us that OUR BEST RIGHTEOUSNESS IS AS FILTHY RAGS! “But we are all as an unclean thing, and ALL our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” Isa. 64:6. [The Hebrew word is speaking of something similar to toilet paper. That’s pretty gross!]
B. IT WAS “THE BEST ROBE”
1. IT WAS UNMERITED & UNDESERVED. The Prodigal Son did nothing to earn it, or be good enough for it. He could never have afforded to buy it (Isa. 55:1). Salvation is a free gift!
2. The Best Robe IS CHRIST’S PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS, given to us. Not only did Jesus suffer for our sins, He also lived a sinless life, which righteousness He willingly transfers to us!
3. 2 Cor. 5:21, “God made Him who KNEW NO SIN to be sin for us that we might be the righteousness of God in Him.”
4. This is why no religion in the world – like the Buddhists, the Muslims, the Hindus, etc., can justify their followers – because their best-lived lives are as filthy rags in God’s sight.
That’s why your “goodness” will never justify you: you must get righteousness from God Himself or you’ll never make it!
5. That’s why Paul said, Phip. 3:9, “...and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from [works], but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that COMES FROM GOD on the basis of faith.” (see also Rom. 3:21)
6. BUT WE HAVE TO ACCEPT CHRIST’S RIGHTEOUSNESS AS OUR OWN. Rom. 13:14, “Rather, CLOTHE YOURSELVES with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”
C. THE SOUND OF GRACE: Ten Most Dramatic Sounds
1. A group of motion-picture engineers classified the following as the ten most dramatic sounds in the movies: a baby’s first cry; the blast of a siren; the thunder of breakers on rocks; the roar of a forest fire; a foghorn; the slow drip of water; the galloping of horses; the sound of a distant train whistle; the howl of a dog; the wedding march.
2. Like these, the sound/sight that moves God the most is the sight and sound of a sinner repenting! The prodigal Father runs to that sound! [James S. Flora in Pulpit Digest]
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: Grace and Works on a Train Ride
1. A train rumbles into the station with warning bell clanging. The doors open, the uniformed conductor steps out, and you climb on board and find your way to a seat.
2. When the train starts out, the uniformed conductor walks through and everyone holds out their paid-for ticket. If the conductor finds you without a ticket, you either pay on the spot or you’re escorted off the train at the next stop. To ride this train, what matters is the paid ticket. This is righteousness by works.
3. Righteousness by grace, on the other hand, works in a very different way. God's train pulls into the station, the doors open and the conductor steps out. Masses of people crowd on board and find their seats, for most everyone wants to ride this train to the city where people never die.
4. The conductor walks through the train to see if everyone belongs on board. But on this train the conductor is not looking for tickets held out. In fact, anyone who tries to pay for the right to be on the train will be escorted from the train at the next stop. That's right; no one can earn the right to be on this train. [Christianity Today]
5. The conductor is making sure that only those NOT WORTHY are on the train. WHY? “Because God will not be put in a position of owing us heaven. God will not owe us eternal life. God justifies men and women as an act of love and grace.” Salvation is a gift. [Haddon Robinson]
6. “But to him that worketh not but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” Rom. 4:5.
B. THE CALL
1. Have you struggled with feelings of unworthiness? Felt defeated in your relationship with God? Have you felt like your prayer life/ walk is defeated? Or you don’t feel like you have God’s approval?
2. First step is repentance and trust in Christ. Second step – Put on Christ. He is our righteousness, holiness, and redemption – 1 Cor. 1:30.
3. Come and receive the Father’s Robe!
