Introduction:
Today is Blue Cross Sunday and the theme for the sermon is ‘Giving hope to the addicted in Christ’. The Blue Cross is a Christian organization whose major activity is the fight against alcohol and substance abuse. Alcohol and drug abuse has been a major problem throughout the ages but it has never been so widespread as it is in our generation. The fight against this global problem can only be won through a propagation of the love of God. The gospel reading today is a parable about a “Father’s” love for his children. The younger son chose the pleasures and provisions of the world over the joy that abounded in his father’s presence. Separation from God and self-reliance is a recipe for failure whereas the presence of God and reliance on Him is a recipe for success. The younger son, separated from his father and reduced to a life of poverty and hunger, was convicted by the Holy Spirit to turn away from evil and return to his father. When his father saw his son returning, he ran to meet and welcome him home. In Jewish culture, grown up and elderly men do not run in public as it was a distinguishing mark for servants and slaves. If the Father ran to welcome his son clothed in rags and smelling like a pigsty, then there is hope for the addicted in Christ.
Step One: The Father’s love
a) God is love
Hope for the addicted is found in the father’s love. Jesus Christ became a man to reveal the character and nature of God and to give us a right conception of Who God is. God is love, and loves us no matter how much we hurt Him by our evil deeds. In fact, He hurts even more than the hurt we inflict on ourselves.
b) God made provision
God is love and has made provision to meet all our needs. He created everything that man would need even before He created man. He also made provision for everything that man would need in his new life even before He saved us.
c) God gives access
God loves us, made provision for us and gives us free access to His provisions. He keeps His Covenant of grace with us because it does not depend on us, but on Christ and His finished work on the cross. Christ took our place on the cross, was made sin with our sinfulness, and bore the full judgement of God on sin for our forgiveness and redemption.
Illustration:
This Parable about two sons was told to an audience of tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees and Scribes. (Luke 15:1-2) The younger son, a representative of sinners, wanted to be in control of his own life. He did not value the fathers love, neither did he respect His authority. The father nevertheless grants his request even though it broke his heart. God loves his children but will not force them to act against their will. He wants us to freely love and serve Him. Unfortunately, when we leave and fail in life, we blame God for not stopping us when He had the power to do so. God does not stop us for the same reason He didn’t stop Adam and Eve from eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God does not stop us for the same reason He didn’t stop King David from having an affair with Bathsheba and murdering her husband Uriah. God does not stop us for the same reason the father in this parable did not stop his son from leaving home. God loves us so much that He not only allows us to make our own choices but also respects our decisions even though He knows what the consequences will be.
Application:
God understands the pain parents go through when their children, attracted by the pleasures the world, leave home. God is, however, able to use the tragic situations in their lives to bring them back on the right path. As parents we should always love them and be ready to welcome them home.
Step Two: The sons rebellion
a) He trusted in his own ability
Parents are not always to blame for their children’s rebellion. The father’s love in todays parable, was not enough to prevent his son’s rebellion. Rebellion is the result of rejecting God and putting your trust in someone else or in your own ability. The younger son believed he was capable of taking care of himself without his father’s help.
b) He trusted in wealth
He demanded his inheritance while the father was still alive and put his trust in the wealth that he had been given rather than the person who gave it to him.
c) He trusted others more than his father
He trusted others more than his father. He did not even realise that his so-called friends were only using him. You only get to know your true friends when you have no money. When he made the wrong decisions and lost his wealth, all his so-called friends deserted him.
Illustration:
Separation from God always leads to lack and famine. There is no one who can provide and meet your needs better than God. Lack and famine are so prevalent in the world today, but unfortunately, many people are seeking refuge in the wrong places. They seek refuge in clubs and bars where alcohol and drugs are offered to provide a temporary escape. Only Christ can offer the lost a permanent escape by giving them the love and acceptance they are searching for.
Application:
Poverty, lack and hunger can bring conviction and lead to repentance and restoration. When the younger son came under conviction, he did not try to make any excuses for his behaviour. He made the decision to turn away from evil and turn to God.
Step Three: The witness of the Holy Spirit
a) Convicts of sin and leads to repentance
God loves us and through the witness of the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and leads us to repentance. Both sons in today’s parable were sinners. One son sinned when he left home and¬ the other sinned while staying at home.
b) Leads to restoration
The younger son, convicted by the Holy Spirit, saw his true condition and came to His Father asking for forgiveness and was restored to the favour of God. On the other hand, the elder son could not see his true condition, and believed his good works could earn him the favour of God. Our good works, as illustrated by the Law, can never be good enough as we are not capable of keeping the Law.
c) Leads to God’s blessings
Jesus Christ paid the penalty for sin to restore us to God’s presence and blessing. He was tempted in all ways as we are, yet did not sin and by His sacrifice took our sinfulness upon himself and gave us His righteousness.
Illustration:
The elder son who stayed with his father, like the Pharisees and many self-righteous people today, wants to earn whatever they receive. He had access to his father’s provisions but would rather work for it. He, like the Pharisees and Scribes, was angry and resentful that sinners are being welcomed into God’s Kingdom. The truth is that apart from Jesus Christ, no one has sacrificed and done so much for God that they deserve to be accepted into His kingdom. No one should turn anyone away because they feel they are better and the only ones deserving to be accepted into the Kingdom. Instead, we should behave as the loving father did. He runs to welcome his son, hugging and kissing him, taking no notice of his rags, filth and smell. He commanded his servants to bring the best robe and lovingly placed it around his son, covering all the filth and dirt of his mistakes. The father put a new ring on his finger symbolizing the restoration of his full status in the family. He had sandals put on his son’s feet because it was only slaves who didn’t wear shoes and He ordered the fattened calf to be prepared for a feast to celebrate the return of his lost son. In the words of Ken Gire, ‘for the son’s lost dignity, the father bestows on him a robe of honour. For his bare servant’s feet, he puts on them the sandals of a son. For the hand that squandered an entire inheritance, he gives a signet ring that reinstates the son’s position of authority in the family business. For his empty stomach, he hosts a feast fit for a king’.
Application:
Jesus died to reconcile us to the Father and make us joint heirs with Him. Yet, many of us are living without God’s blessings and find ourselves hungry, lonely, in rags, and sitting among those things that defile us. The only solution is to follow the example of the younger son by turning from evil and turning to God.
Conclusion:
The two sons are a picture of the religious leaders and sinners. Sinners are returning home and being forgiven and welcomed by the father. Some of us here must have heard the hit song in the sixties titled “tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree.” With the benefit of technology, the young ones can listen to it on YouTube. This song is about a son who rejected his parents love and provision and left home to enjoy the pleasures of the world. When he fell on hard times, he turned to crime and ended up in jail. After serving his sentence the time came for him to be released. He had nowhere to go and he didn’t even know whether his parents were still alive and if they were alive, they would be very old. But just in case they were still alive he decided to write them a letter telling them he was being released from jail and would be passing through their town. He said he was sorry for all the hurt he had caused them and that if it was possible, he would like to return home. In the letter he wrote that he knew there was an old oak tree in front of their house and if they wanted him back, they should tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree. If he saw no ribbon, he would continue the journey and not come off the bus. As the bus turned the corner where he knew his old home was, he could not bear to open his eyes and look. Many things flashed through his mind. Were the parents still alive? Would they want him back? When he finally opened his eyes, he saw the old house with two elderly people standing on the porch and looking in the direction of the bus. Then he saw the old oak tree in front of the house and could not hold back the tears. He did not see a yellow ribbon tied around the old oak tree. What he saw were hundreds of yellow ribbons tied around every branch of the old oak tree.
Personal Response:
God is a loving Father who will forgive us no matter how far we have gone astray from him because of the sacrifice of His beloved Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. The whosoever refers to each one of us and the Father is waiting to welcome us home. Amen!
