Introduction:
• "In Luke 15, we encounter a story often called 'The Parable of the Prodigal Son,' a title that highlights the son's wasteful choices and, in a way, keeps the focus on our own shortcomings.
• But I believe this name misses the heart of the story. A truer title might be 'The Parable of the Loving Father,' which shifts our attention to the father's extraordinary love and actions in welcoming his son home, rather than the son's mistakes in wandering away."
• Imagine a young man who demands his inheritance, leaves home, squanders it all in reckless living, and ends up broke and broken, feeding pigs.
• Yet, when he returns, his father doesn’t just welcome him—he throws a lavish celebration!
• This story speaks to all of us, whether you’re exploring faith for the first time or have walked with God for years.
• Let’s read our text and then we will dive into four factors from this parable that remind us of God’s incredible love.
Read Text & Pray
I. Don’t Forget the Pigs
i. Remember Where You Came From: The pigsty was the prodigal son’s rock bottom—a place of shame and regret that showed him the cost of his choices.
ii. He thought leaving home would help him “find himself.” Instead, he lost everything—his money, his dignity, his identity.
iii. He ended up feeding pigs, a job so degrading for a Jewish boy that it was unthinkable. He did for a stranger what he refused to do for his father.
iv. In that filthy pigsty, he remembered home—not as a proud son, but as someone who’d settle for being a servant, just to eat the scraps his father’s workers enjoyed.
b. Think of a time you took a wrong turn—maybe not physically, but in life.
i. Illustration: I once heard about a young woman who left her small town chasing fame in the city. She thought she’d find freedom, but ended up alone, broke, and far from God. It was in her “pigsty moment”—sitting in an empty apartment—that she remembered the love of her family and her faith.
1. Like her, the pig pen shows us where our own way leads us.
2. It reminds us where our choices lead when we go without God.
ii. Why Remember?
1. When we’ve been saved for a while, it’s easy to forget what it was like to be lost. We can start to feel “above” others, forgetting our own struggles.
2. Remembering our past keeps us humble and grateful. It reminds us that we’re all sinners saved by grace, whether we’ve been here for decades or just walked through the door today.
c. As you grow in your faith, remember the pigs in your past and stay someone who loves and welcomes everyone, no matter their past.
i. If you’re new: your story matters, and God’s grace covers every pigsty you’ve ever rooted around in.
ii. If you’ve been walking with Christ let me tell you here today, Don’t Forget The Pigs! Remember where God found you.
II. Don’t Forget the Party
a. The father’s response to his son’s return wasn’t a lecture or a punishment—it was a party! And it was a very Extravagant Welcome Home!
i. The son had a speech ready: “Father, I’m not worthy to be called your son.” But he barely got the words out before his father interrupted him with love.
ii. The father called for a celebration, sparing no expense:
1. The Best Robe: Not the son’s old, tattered clothes, but a robe reserved for honored guests, covering his shame with dignity. This points to God’s righteousness that covers our sins.
2. A Ring on His Finger: The ring was a sign of sonship, restoring his authority and place in the family. God doesn’t just forgive—He restores us fully.
3. Sandals on His Feet: Servants went barefoot, but sons wore sandals. The father declared, “You’re not a servant—you’re my child!”
4. The Fatted Calf: A rare treat, saved for the grandest occasions, signaling a feast of joy for the son who was “lost and is found.”
iii. Jesus says in Luke 15:10, “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
1. Heaven throws a party every time someone comes home to God!
2. Illustration: I read about a church that threw a big welcome party for a man who’d been in prison for years. He walked in, nervous, expecting judgment. Instead, they greeted him with hugs, a meal, and a Bible with his name on it.
3. That’s the kind of party God throws—full of grace, no strings attached. We should be that kind of family, celebrating every person who walks through the doors.
b. The Irony of the Son’s Search
i. Everything the son chased—freedom, joy, belonging—was waiting for him at home all along. He didn’t need to wander; the father’s house had it all.
ii. What are you searching for today?
1. Acceptance?
2. Purpose?
3. Love?
iii. Stop running—God has it all waiting for you in His family.
iv. As you grow in your faith, be a place where people find what they’ve been looking for in Christ.
v. Don’t Forget the Pigs, and definitely Don’t Forget The Party!
III. Don’t Forget Who Paid for the Party
a. The Father’s Sacrifice: The father’s grace wasn’t cheap—it came at a cost.
i. When the son returned, the father ran to him.
1. In that culture, running was undignified for an elder, yet this father didn’t care about his reputation—he cared about his son.
2. Deuteronomy 21:18–21 says a rebellious son deserved stoning.
3. If the neighbors had picked up stones, they would have hit the father, who was embracing his son, shielding him from judgment.
4. This father put himself between his son and death, a picture of God’s grace through Jesus.
ii. Illustration: Think of a firefighter who rushes into a burning building to save someone. I have a brother-in-law who is a retired firefighter. There have been times when getting people out of a fire that he would shielded a child from falling debris, taking the blows himself.
iii. That’s what God did for us—Jesus took the punishment we deserved on the cross.
b. The Price of Grace
i. God’s love is for the whole world, but love alone doesn’t save us.
1. We’re saved by His grace—love that pays a price.
2. On the cross, Jesus paid the ultimate price to bring us home.
3. The father’s celebration wasn’t just a party—it was a declaration that his son was worth every cost.
ii. As you grow in your faith, always remember the cost of grace.
1. Jesus paid it all so we could be welcomed home.
2. Let’s share that grace with others—invite a friend, serve in a ministry, or welcome a newcomer. The party’s for everyone!
3. Never Forget Who Paid For The Party!
IV. Don’t Forget When the Party Is Over
a. Back to the Ordinary: The celebration was glorious, but life goes on.
i. After the feast, the son returned to everyday life. The robe, ring, and sandals marked him as a son, but he still had to choose to live like one.
ii. Faith isn’t just a mountaintop moment—it’s walking with God in the ordinary days.
iii. Illustration: Starting a new fitness routine is exciting—new gear, big goals. But the real work happens in the daily grind of showing up. Faith is like that.
iv. The party of salvation is thrilling, but growing in Christ happens in the daily choices—prayer, reading the Word, loving others.
b. Hold On to the Memory
i. Don’t forget the joy of coming home: the smell of the feast, the sound of music, the laughter of loved ones, the taste of celebration.
ii. No matter what life brings—hard days, doubts, or challenges—remember this: Your Father loves you deeply and welcomes you always.
iii. As you grow in your faith, hold on to the joy of God’s grace.
1. Keep coming back to worship, join a small group, serve on a team. These are the ways we live out our faith when the party’s over.
2. If you’re new, I’m sure Bro. Tim and the members here would love to help you find a place to belong—you can talk to one of their leaders in just a moment.
Closing:
• The Parable of the Loving Father shows us a God who runs to us, pays the price for us, and welcomes us home with joy.
• Romans 8:15 says, “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” (CSB)
• He is waiting on the front porch, waiting and looking. He is seeing if you are running home yet. My friend, wait no longer.
• Let’s pray: “Father, thank You for Your grace that welcomes us home. Help us live as Your sons and daughters, sharing Your love with others. Amen.”
