In what ways do you view God?
In 2006, a sociologist at Baylor University released a study done by the Gallup organization that
identified four views people had of God.
• 31.4 percent believe in an "Authoritarian God," a God who is angry at humanity’s sins.
• 23 percent believe in a "Benevolent God" who is forgiving and accepting of anyone who
repents.
• 16 percent believe in a "Critical God" who has a judgment-eye on the world, but he’s not
gong to intervene, either to punish or comfort.
• 24.4 percent believe in a "Distant God" who is more of a "cosmic force that launched
the world then left it spinning on its own."
We need to understand that God’s love is unconditional. He is a good good father to all of us.
Jesus’ prayer – Our heavenly father
Do you feel comfort — because your father was affectionate?
Do you feel respect — because your father was disciplined?
Do you feel distance — because he was emotionally unavailable?
Or do you feel pain — because he was absent or harsh?
You see, the word father carries emotion. And that is why many struggle to relate to God
I once heard someone say something that stayed with me:
“The way you see God as Father… is often shaped by the way you experienced your earthly father.”
If your father was affectionate, God feels approachable.
If your father was strict, God feels intimidating.
If your father was distant, God feels unreachable.
A man who had grown up with an abusive father once shared,
“For many years, I found it difficult to call God ‘Father’ in my prayers. The word felt threatening rather than comforting. But as I began to experience God’s gentleness, His provision, and His patience, the very word that once wounded me slowly became the word that brought healing.”
So to understand the love of the Heavenly Father, we must lift our eyes above human limitation… and see the perfection of His heart.
Luke 15:1 - Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man [a]receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying:
Jesus tells this story in response to religious leaders who could not understand why He welcomed sinners. Through this parable, He pulls back the veil and reveals what God is truly like — not distant, not harsh, not reluctant to forgive — but compassionate, patient, and extravagantly loving..
the deeper focus is actually the heart of the Father — His love, grace, patience, and restoration.
The Father’s Love Gives Freedom (Love that Releases)
Luke 15:11 - Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
The story begins with a shocking request. The younger son approaches his father and asks for his share of the inheritance. In that culture, this was more than financial audacity — it was relational rejection. It was equivalent to saying, “I wish you were dead. I want what is yours, but I do not want you.
Yet the father does not argue. He does not restrain. He does not threaten. Instead, he divides his property and gives the son what he asked for.
Here we see the first dimension of the Father’s love —
1. Love that gives freedom/choice
This is worldly love – that is conditional
We need to earn man’s love. See the love of men. How is it?
Can someone love you at all times. No, only if you behave pleasing to them, they will love you.
- If you love me, you’ll do this.
- You can’t go there / meet them
- If you’ll do this, I will love you
So, many of times, we try to earn man’s love – husband, wife, mother, father.
We think if I do this, if I behave like this, God will love me more. No, God already loves you so much. It is free. Don’t try to earn God’s love.
You may be a sinner – God loves us so much
You many be struggling with addiction – God loves you so much
You may not be perfect – God loves you so much
God loves you the way you are. He cant love you greater than what he loves you now. Many a times, we try to earn God’s love.
- Father, our God’s unconditional love gives us choice – some of our choices may hurt him. It may hurt us too. Like the choice of the son to take the share of the property and leave definitely grieved the heart of the father. But still, he let him go. He gave Him that free will
Same applies for us too. God doesn’t force us to act in a certain way.
In Eden, God placed the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil within reach. He did not fence it. He did not hide it. He did not remove the serpent.
Why? Because obedience without choice is automation — not love.
When Adam and Eve chose to eat the fruit, it grieved God. Their choice fractured fellowship. Yet, God did not create robots who could not disobey. He created children who could choose.
Even knowing the cost — He still gave them freedom.
The Rich Young Ruler — Love That Lets You Walk Away
Luke 15:13 - “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.
The father did not stop the son from going away.
But the love of our Father is very so:
- Our love doesn’t force us to have a relationship with me – you must pray, you must ready the Bible – then only I’ll love you – It doesn’t control us this way
When the rich young ruler came to Jesus, he was sincere, moral, and spiritually hungry.
Mark 10:17 - As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus says to obey the commandments and he replies that he has been following them since childhood.
Mark 10:21 - Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Notice - Jesus did not run behind him.
He did not dilute the call. He did not negotiate discipleship. Love spoke truth — and then allowed choice. Even when the choice was rejection.
I think he is the only person in the gospels who came seeking Jesus and went away sad.
Spiritual insight:
God allows us to walk away, not because He stops loving us, but because forced love is not love.
2. The Father’s Love Waits Patiently (Love that Watches)
Luke 10: 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 Scripture gives a beautiful clue:
“While he was still a long way off, his father saw him…” (Luke 15:20)
When Jesus says, “While he was still a long way off, his father saw him,” He is revealing far more than physical eyesight — He is unveiling the posture of the Father’s heart. For the father to see the son at a distance means he had been watching long before that day. This was not accidental sight; it was intentional waiting. Day after day, perhaps at dusk when travelers returned, the father’s eyes would drift toward the road.
Many a times, we move away from God.
This shows:
• God’s love is patient.
• He never stops looking toward the road of our return.
• Even when we forget Him, He has not forgotten us.
Rev 2:4 - But I have against thee: That thy first love thou didst leave!
Not that we do not love him. But days pass, our worship was wholehearted, when prayer was effortless, when love was fresh.
God is waiting for that love from us patiently.
There is a story told about an old village church that stood at the center of a small town. Every evening at 6 PM, the church bell would ring — not for a service, but as a reminder for believers to pause wherever they were and spend a few minutes in prayer. For many years, one particular man never missed that moment. No matter how busy his day was, when the bell rang, he would stop his work, remove his cap, and whisper a prayer of love to God.
But as life progressed, his business expanded. Responsibilities multiplied. Meetings ran late. Slowly, the bell became background noise. At first, he would say, “I’ll pray later tonight.” Then later became occasionally. Occasionally became rarely. Eventually, the bell rang — but he no longer responded.
One evening, after many years, he happened to walk past the church at dusk just as the bell began to ring again. Something stirred in his heart — an old memory. On impulse, he stepped inside. The sanctuary was empty. Dust particles floated in the evening light. He sat in the last pew, feeling strangely emotional.
As he sat there in silence, he noticed the elderly church caretaker kneeling near the altar. After a while, the caretaker stood up and turned around. Seeing the man, he smiled gently and said something that pierced his heart.
“I’m glad you came back. The bell has been ringing for you every evening… even when you stopped coming.”
Those words broke him. He realized the bell had never stopped. The invitation had never ceased. The waiting had never ended. Only his response had faded.
That night, he knelt after many years and whispered, “Lord, I left my first love… but You never stopped calling me back.”
Revelation 2:4. God is not merely pointing out failure — He is expressing longing.
When He says, “You have left your first love,”
it is not the voice of rejection but the voice of relationship of a God yearning for us.
Even if we move far away from him, His call continues to ring — through sermons, through Scripture, through quiet convictions of the Spirit.
3. The Father’s Love Runs to Restore (Love that Pursues)
Mark 10:20 - was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
In Middle Eastern and Jewish patriarchal culture, dignified men did not run. Running required lifting one’s robe — considered shameful. Yet love makes the father willing to bear shame to remove his son’s shame. Before the village can mock, before accusations can rise, the father reaches him first.,
Yet when the son returns:
• The father runs.
• He embraces.
• He kisses him.
This is radical love.
Just imagine this scene.
I’m sure the son did not expect this. All he expected was his father to accept him as one of his hired servants. In his mind, sonship was forfeited. Relationship was over
Scripture captures the speech he prepared: “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son…” And we know what he planned to add — “Make me like one of your hired servants.”.
Before the son can finish his repentance speech, But before the sentence is completed… before the servant request is spoken…
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.
Key truth:
God is more eager to forgive than we are to repent.
Life illustration - "A man was sitting in a railroad coach next to a young man who was obviously depressed. Finally the young man revealed that he was a paroled convict returning from a distant prison. His imprisonment had brought shame to his family, and they had neither visited him nor written often. He hoped, however, that this was only because they were too poor to travel and too uneducated to write. He hoped, despite the evidence that they had forgiven him. "To make it easy for them, however, he had written to them asking that they put up a signal for him when the train passed their little farm on the outskirts of town. If his family had forgiven him, they were to tie a white ribbon in the big apple tree, which stood near the tracks. If they didn't want him to return, they were to do nothing, and he would remain on the train as it traveled onward. "As the train neared his hometown, the suspense became so great that he couldn’t bear to look out of his window. He exclaimed, 'In just five minutes the engineer will sound the whistle indicating our approach to the long bend which opens into the valley I know as home.
Will you watch for the apple tree at the side of the track?' His companion said he would; they exchanged places. The minutes seemed like hours, but then there came the shrill sound of the train whistle. The young man asked, 'Can you see the tree? Is there a white ribbon?'
“His companion said, 'I see the tree. But there’s not one white ribbon, there’s hundreds. Son, someone surely does love you, and wants you home.'"
Today there are a hundred white ribbons tied to the old Apple tree, and they are all just for you!
Your Heavenly Father’s heart is breaking for you, longing for you, waiting for you.That is the heart of the heavenly father in Luke 15.
Many believers live like the prodigal — still rehearsing servant speeches God has already interrupted with grace. We say, “Lord, just let me stand at the back… just give me this little grace. I am not worthy.
And heaven responds, “Bring the best robe.
4. The Father’s Love Restores Identity (Love that Reinstates)
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.
The father orders three things:
The Robe — Honor Restored
Not just any robe in the house although that would have been more than enough for the son who returned in rags.
The father asks for the best robe — not just any garment.
It was a symbol of honour.
The father is giving back the honour he lost.
The Ring — Authority Restored
Genesis 41:42
“Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; he dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.”
So when Pharaoh placed his ring on Joseph’s hand, he was not giving jewelry — he was transferring executive authority. It meant:
“You act with my power.”
Prodigal Son ? Ring restored sonship after failure.
Signet ring = sonship and family authority.
The Sandals — Status Restored
In that cultural context:
• Servants and slaves were barefoot.
• Sons and free men wore sandals.
Bare feet symbolized servitude and low status.
When the father orders sandals:
• He publicly declares the boy is not a servant/slavery but my Son
This is powerful because the son returned ready to live as hired help — but the father refuses that identity.
The sandals say:
“You may have lived like a slave — but you will not live as one here.”
Spiritual insight:
God’s love for us is like this. You are may be physically here but Like the prodigal son, mentally you are in a far country. You may be with a guilt feeling. And trying to earn God’s love. Our prayers may be like the servant speeches of the prodigal son.
But these 3 gifts of the father – robe, ring and sandals – honour, authority and status is not just for the prodigal son but for every returning heart
The Father’s Love Celebrates Return (Love that Rejoices)
He rejoices over restoration more than He grieves rebellion.
Luke 15:10 - I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
The Father’s Love Reaches the Elder Son Too
Luke 15:25-26 - 25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
The elder son s:
• Angry
• Self-righteous
• Distant in heart
Yet the father’s love reaches out to him to well.
Mark 15:28 - So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
He pleads gently:
“My son… everything I have is yours.”
This shows:
• The father loves the rebellious ?????????? and the religious.
• Grace is for the lost in sin and the lost in pride.
Two sons — both are distant from the father. One left home physically; the other left emotionally. However, the father’s love seeks both.
I don’t know where we are today – the older son or the prodigal son but father’s love is enough for us.
1 John 3:1 - “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God.” We are not merely followers, servants, or believers
And this Heavenly Father’s love is still active today.
He still calls.
He still forgives.
He still restores.
He still adopts.
He still delights in His children.
- How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called
children of God! And that is what we are!
To “lavish” means an “outpouring of love”. It means “a profusion/bounteous of love”, more
than expected— way more than expected!
