12/7/25 A.M. Luke 15:11-20 “Living a Reckless Life”
I have a CRAZY STORY to tell you. You all who were here last week probably remember me telling you about a situation I had where I was really SCARED. I was faced with a VERY RECKLESS PERSON. For those of you who weren’t here, a couple of years ago I was on South 75 and a RECKLESS driver flew around me, lost control and slid sideways down the road while passing me. He hit the wall and bounced off and crossed all of the lanes to just smash into the other wall. He basically circled me doing 75 miles an hour sliding sideways. Thankfully, my car only got a little dent out of the deal but man I was SCARED!!!
Now here’s where I’m going with this. THIS IS CRAZY but this past Monday, on the way to preach a funeral in South Tulsa, I was driving down, once again, South 75, and a guy flies past us, and Rachel said, “Wow, what is he doing?” Silas and Abby looked up in time to see this guy LOSE CONTROL and slide sideways down the road passing a car, sliding across all the lanes of traffic and smashing against the wall. WOW!!! De Ja Vu!!! But what a TEACHING MOMENT!!! “Hey kids, when you drive like an IDIOT, when you live RECKLESSLY, that’s what happens!!!” Abby is 19 and Silas is 14 so this was GREAT for them to see. And I’m so thankful that this time we were spectators instead of joining in on the fun. And I sincerely hope no one was hurt, but the reason I brought this up is because so many people live a very RECKLESS LIFE.
Proverbs 14, Verse 16 tells us,
“A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.”
I don’t think that this Verse is telling us that a WISE MAN lives with a SPIRIT of FEAR. He doesn’t walk around SCARED all of the time. But I do think it is telling us that a WISE MAN is CAUTIOUS. He uses good JUDGMENT. He DEPARTS from EVIL. He doesn’t do STUPID THINGS. HE DOES NOT LIVE a RECKLESS LIFE!!!
Luke 15 is an interesting Chapter to me. In it Jesus gives not one or two but three PARABLES. And with each parable the message that Jesus is trying to give becomes LOUDER. In Verses 3-7 Jesus gives the parable of the SHEPHERD who is responsible for 100 sheep. So what happens? He loses one of them. Now most of us would say that’s understandable. Sheep are DUMB ANIMALS. They like to wander off. It would be hard to keep track of 100 sheep. Well, if you read the parable you’ll see that that this shepherd goes out and finds the one lost sheep. Hoorah!!! Good for him. He is a good, responsible, trustworthy shepherd.
In the second parable, found in Verses 8-10, a woman has 10 pieces of silver. 10 pieces of silver that DO NOT have a mind of their own. They are NOT in any way responsible for themselves. But yet this woman LOSES one of them. You know, maybe you think I’m being too hard on her but I think she was a little bit irresponsible.
She should have put them somewhere for safe keeping. Maybe in the COOKIE JAR or a place she would remember.
But she lost one of them and she couldn’t blame it on anyone else. It was her fault, unless she was married then it’s DEFINITELY her husband’s fault!!! “But all’s well that ends well RIGHT?” She lights a candle, she sweeps the house, and she DILIGENTLY SEEKS IT. And the COIN is found. Great. Wonderful. I bet her poor old husband was HAPPY.
But this third parable is what I want to bring my message on. A man had two sons. So let’s read Luke 15, Verses 11-20.
“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.
14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
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.”
This has to be one of the top passages of scripture that has ever been preached on. Luke is the only one who included this parable in his book. I have preached from this passage before but this morning the Lord has given me a different way to look at it. So I want to preach a message this morning entitled,
“Living a Reckless Life.” But before I do let’s go to the Lord in Prayer. Brother ____, would you lead us?
As I read through this passage I kind of imagined a REBELLIOUS YOUNG MAN talking back to his father. “I don’t WANT to live under YOUR ROOF anymore. I don’t want to obey YOUR RULES. I want to do things MY WAY. I’m TIRED of it all!!!”
The HORMONES RAGE at certain ages. Us parents aren’t as smart as we used to be. We just don’t understand.
I remember feeling that way. I remember wanting to get out on my own. I remember thinking I WAS SMART ENOUGH to do it MY WAY. Thankfully I had wonderful parents who CONTINUED to LOVE ME and BE PATIENT with me, and they didn’t KILL ME, EVEN when I was STUPID.
But as we see here in these Verses this young man begins to LIVE a VERY RECKLESS LIFE. He begins RACING DOWN the ROAD of DESTRUCTION. And it was a step by step process. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. Sin will TAKE YOU farther than you want to GO, KEEP YOU longer than you want to STAY and COST YOU far more than you want to PAY. And that’s EXACTLY what happened to this young man.
And so how did this RECKLESS JOURNEY BEGIN.
I. Well, we see in Verse 12, this foolish young man WANTED the WEALTH without the WORK.
“Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.”
“I want my share NOW!!! I don’t want to stay here on the FARM and WORK. I don’t want to CONTRIBUTE. I’m NOT COMMITTED to YOU or ANYTHING on this farm. I want the BLESSING!!! of being your child but I don’t want the COMMITMENT.”
Can you imagine the PAIN this must have caused this father. To have your own SON want WHAT YOU HAVE more than to have a RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU. That would be heartbreaking. That would be hard to take.
And I have to think our Heavenly Father feels the same way. So many people want the BLESSINGS without the COMMITMENT. I’m NOT PREACHING a WORKS SALVATION HERE, I’m PREACHING COMMITMENT.
You see, a little earlier in Luke 9, Jesus had been teaching the people and he performed a great miracle of feeding the multitude with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Now he was alone with his disciples and he asked them who the people thought that He was and they answer, Elias, John the Baptist, or one of the prophets. And then He asked who THEY THOUGHT He was and Peter answers, “THE CHRIST of GOD.” And so Jesus says in Verses 22-25.
“Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.
23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?”
Now THAT is TOTAL COMMITMENT. DENYING your own WANTS and DESIRES. Taking up your CROSS DAILY. GIVING your ALL to JESUS is COMMITMENT.
And how many of the MILLIONS of people setting in the churches around our nation today really understand this?
I look at this story and I have to ask WHY? Why would this father give up half of what he owns and give it to this BRATTY, unthankful WRETCH of a child?
Maybe it was the only way to keep PEACE. Maybe this young man had caused so much STRIFE and CONTENTION in the home that this father was glad to see him go. “Here’s your money now get out of here!!!”
But I don’t think so. He was the father. He could have sent him packing with NOTHING. I think … I think he gave him THIS GIFT because he LOVED HIM.
And I think we’re no different from this WRETCH of a CHILD. We don’t deserve ANYTHING but yet God gave us His all. His only begotten Son. He gave us Jesus. And after ALL that God gave us so many still won’t COMMIT to Him. They want Heaven, but NOT the COMMITMENT. They want the PEACE of GOD, but NOT the COMMITMENT. They want the ENTERTAINMENT of WORSHIP but NOT the COMMITMENT of WORSHIP.
This young man wanted the WEALTH without the WORK. He began his journey LIVING a RECKLESS LIFE.
II. He also WASTED the WEALTH he had been given.
Take a look at Verse 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.”
It didn’t take him long did it? He’s got money burning a hole in his pocket. He wasted the GREAT OPPORTUNITY that he had. Think about it.
He could have bought a business or a home. Maybe a farm of his own. But NO, he tore up the road like a mad man. He went to a FAR COUNTRY. He WASTED HIS WEALTH.
Now we don’t know what Riotous living actually was. It probably involved a lot of drinking alcohol. I can imagine him telling the bar tender, “Fill’em up again. I’m buying another round for my friends.”
He probably hosted a lot of parties. Maybe bought a lot of TOYS. Took some long TRIPS. And I’m sure he was involved in IMMORALITY. And all of those things ATE UP the MONEY.
Have you ever known anyone like this? They WASTED ALL of the BLESSINGS that had been given to them by their Father. Maybe they had a beautiful singing voice and what did they do? They used it for their own glory.
ILLUS: I remember years ago I was working with a fellow named Robin. A pretty good guy. I think he had his radio going and Carrie Underwood came on. He was talking about Carrie Underwood how much he liked her voice. I said “Yeah, she’s a good singer but someday Taylor Swift will be bigger.” I had seen Taylor Swift on TV and I knew she would make it big. He laughed and said, “There’s NO WAY Taylor Swift will be bigger than Carrie Underwood.” Well, I was right and he was wrong. But here’s the SAD PART.
If you look at and read the lyrics of some of Taylor Swift’s songs, I truly believe she has sold her soul to the DEVIL. Parents please listen. If your kids listen to Taylor Swift, listen to the lyrics of her NEW SONGS. They MOCK Christianity AND THEY MOCK JESUS. They are NASTY and VULGAR. She is NO LONGER a wholesome singer. I thought about reading some of them from the PULPIT but there is NO WAY I could do that. If you don’t believe me pull it up for yourself.
Listen, get mad if you want to but I honestly care about our young people. There are other so-called artists that may be even worse. I want you to get this. When we or our kids LISTEN TO and ADMIRE people who are living in WICKEDNESS, it’s DANGEROUS and it’s RECKLESS. It’s another mile down the RECKLESS ROAD of LIFE.
God has given each one of us TALENTS. Some more than others and they’re all different. DON’T WASTE THEM.
And so this fellow like so many today “Wanted the Wealth without the work, He Wasted What he had been given.”
And now we see…
III. He WOUND UP where he shouldn’t have ever been.
Look at Verses 14 and 15.
“And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.”
You know what this Verse tells me? Life happened. Things got tight. Food got scarce. And the friends disappeared.
No longer was he LIVING a RIOTOUS LIFE.
No longer is he buying ROUNDS of DRINKS and going to PARTIES. Now he’s just trying to SURVIVE.
Survival mode will drive you to do things you never thought you would. I betcha there wasn’t any PIGS on his father’s farm and now he’s feeding them for a stranger. We don’t know how much he was getting paid … maybe nothing. Maybe it was a “Feed my pigs and it’s all you can eat of the HUSKS or PODS that you want.” But here’s the deal. The HUSKS or PODS didn’t satisfy his hunger. The GRAIN had been REMOVED. He was starving to death and NO ONE would give him anything to EAT. You know what I think? His RECKLESS LIFE had just CRASHED. Now here’s the question? Would it be a FATALITY or would something GOOD come out of it?
I mean that’s the question that needs to be asked today. Life comes along for every one of us. And sometimes we CRASH. So how do we handle it?
ILLUS: I was talking to a dear sister in Christ this week and that was the question. Some of her LOVED ONES are living a RECKLESS, DANGEROUS LIFE and they have CRASHED.
Now what are they gonna do? Are they gonna LEARN from this? Will they SURVIVE.
And we talked about what we can do to help. And it comes down to something SO POWERFUL but yet SO SIMPLE. We can PRAY!!!
You see, that to me is SURVIVAL MODE. Life happens. We CRASH whether it’s our fault or not. Whether we have been living reckless or not. Maybe someone else comes flying down the road and CRASHES into us. It doesn’t matter. I cry out to God. Psalms 57, Verses 1-3 tell us,
“Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.
2 I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.
3 He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.”
I don’t know what you’re dealing with today. I don’t know what BURDENS you face. But I do know that God hears us when we cry out to Him.
And so this fellow like so many today “Wanted the Wealth without the work, He Wasted What he had been given. He WOUND UP where he shouldn’t have ever been.”
IV. And finally, he WOKE UP to a WAY to LIVE.
You see, at this point it looked like there was NO WAY to Live. He was literally starving to Death. But then he WOKE UP.
Verses 17-19. “And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.”
Do you know what I see here? A fellow who has lived a RECKLESS LIFE and he CRASHED. And he CRASHED HARD but now he has come to REPENTANCE.
Repent means to: feel or express sincere regret or remorse about one's wrongdoing or sin. It also means a CHANGE in DIRECTION. This fellow turns around and he goes home.
If you read on down in this Chapter this fellow packs up what little bit that he has and he begins the LONG JOURNEY HOME. And when he gets there his old daddy is waiting to welcome him home.
He’s WATCHING for him and he sees him coming up the road and he runs out and GRABS and HUGS him.
He puts new clothes on his back and food in his belly. He throws a BIG PARTY for him. He is NOT a servant but a SON.
Can I tell you something folks? I don’t know who or if there’s anyone here that needs to hear this but God gave this to me. Please listen, it’s never too late to REPENT.
It’s NEVER TOO LATE to WAKE UP and REALIZE the MISTAKES that you have made.
It’s NEVER TOO LATE to accept responsibility for what you have DONE.
It’s NEVER TOO LATE to turn around.
And folks, it’s NEVER TOO LATE to GO HOME.
This fellow “Wanted the Wealth without the work, He Wasted What he had been given. He WOUND UP where he shouldn’t have ever been. And finally, he WOKE UP to a WAY to LIVE.”
I’ve always kind of thought of this parable that Jesus gave being mainly pointed towards younger people. And I still believe that but we don’t know how long it took for this man to come to himself. It may have been MONTHS but I betcha it was YEARS. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been gone, our Father is waiting for you to come home.
ILLUS: I think I’ve mentioned this before but I had an old uncle. He’s been dead many years now. I like him a lot but I think he could be kind of hard. But his youngest daughter left the house and went down a road he didn’t want her to. She married a man that was mean and she also had a child by him.
Things got worse and worse until she CRASHED and she called her daddy, my uncle, you know the fellow that could be kind of hard, and she said, “Daddy, can me and my little boy come home?” And he said, “You pack your things and you and that boy come NOW!!!”
And our Father in Heaven loves you even more deeply. If you’re heading down the wrong road, you can come home now.
If the Holy Spirit is speaking to your heart this morning, don’t tell him NO. Please come.
Let’s Pray
