1. THE DEPARTURE
• Vs 12-13
• The request to receive his inheritance was probably shocking to the boy’s father
• This request was made and eluded to the fact the son wanted the material things his father had so much that he would have rather his father been dead in order to receive them
• In love, the father granted him what was his
• 1/3 of the estate
• 2/3 of the estate went to the oldest male child
• Deuteronomy 21:17 “But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.”
• The father gave the portion to the youngest son
• What were the Conditions of the Request?
a. FLESHLY LUST (James 4:2-3) “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.” “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
b. The thought here is seeking fleshly things; having not because of asking contrary to the will of God
c. GREED (Proverbs 15:27) “He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live.”
d. The son was willing to give up everything that was familiar to him
e. His family, his lifestyle, Abandonment of his father and his duties within the household
f. Satan uses fleshly lust to misguide us into a life of sin
g. He was drawn away of his lusts (James 1:15-16) “But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
h. The business of the devil’s servants is to make provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof
i. John 8:44 “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
j. Satan had obviously painted a pretty picture for the son that if only he had the inheritance then life would be much more enjoyable
k. 2Cor 11:14 “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”
l. 2Co 11:15 “Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”
2. WENT TO A FAR COUNTRY; WASTED ALL
• Riotous Living
• Riotous- “To be loose morally; worthless”
• Greek word (Asotia) meaning “Unsavedness”
• The son lived without conscious, we are told in verse 30 that he spent most of his money on harlots or prostitutes
• Once he dedicated himself to this worldly desire he lost the ability to make rash decisions
• Romans 8:6; 8 “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”
• The decisions this man had made were certainly not of God and therefore God was not pleased
3. THE MISERY SIN HAD CAUSED
• A famine had swept through the land and with no money he began to starve and thirst to death
• Keep in mind that sin, when it is finished brings forth death; maybe not spiritually as the person who has sinned may be a Christian but certainly the choices we make can bring on physical death
• Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death…”
• Unless he found someone to take him in he was sure to die because of the famine
• The boy had lost everything due to his blindness of fleshly desires
• II Corinthians 4:3-4 “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:” “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
• Proverbs 15:13 “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.”
• The sorrow came from being hungry and realizing the mistakes that had been made
• Quite possibly, however, the greater sorrow came from the separation from the love of his father or as portrayed, God.
• Sin in itself and the pains of it are bad but it is the separation from the love of God that will ultimately be the punishment for those who are lost
• A sinful state is of departure and distance from God
• The circumstances of the son’s sin became so bad that he ended up working to feed himself in a pig pen
• This man was so broken that even begging granted him nothing “…and no man gave unto him.”
• Why was this so vile to him?
• Swine (Pork) is the most unclean animal to the Jewish people
• He was so hungry that he would have eaten the food of the pigs; what held him back was that “Carob pods” (Food of pigs in that day) was indigestible to humans.
4. THE REPENTANCE
• The young man had finally hit rock bottom
• No where else to turn except back to the “Father”
• He “came to himself” or came to his senses and realized that his fathers servants had a better life than he did
• In his broken state he was able to think clearly
• He devised a plan to place himself into the graces of his father
• He became an instant candidate for salvation
o Matthew 5:3-6
o “Blessed are the POOR IN SPIRIT, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
o Only when the spirit is broken do we realize a need for salvation
o “Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.”
o When our soul mourns for love, God is ready to comfort
o “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.”
o He was prepared to seek forgiveness and live the rest of his life as a servant, simply to be restored a small portion of what he once was
• The son realized his condition, mourned for forgiveness and sought to live in righteousness for God
• Ezekiel 18:30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.”
• Ezekiel 18:31 “Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”
• Ezekiel 18:32 “For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.”
• He carefully planned his return to home, not to be deceiving but rather to show his complete and sincere sorrow for the wrong he had committed
• II Corinthians 7:10 “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
5. THE RETURN TO GRACE AND MERCY
• The father had been awaiting the return of the son
• Why did the father wait? Did he know what would happen? Does God try to direct us the same way?
• II Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
• God’s desire is not for us to live in miserable conditions, he wants all to receive the free gift of life, but the choice we make is ours
• Isaiah 30:16 “And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are they that wait upon him.”
• Just as the father was ready to receive the one of the inheritance, God is ready to receive those who have transgressed against him
• I Timothy 2:4 “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
• God has said from the very first sin in Genesis 3:15 that he will be willing to deliver us from sin if we merely seek to repent of it
• The son told the father that he was no longer worthy to be his son Vs 21; but that decision was his to make, the father had not disowned him therefore he was still part of the family
• Just as we are in the kingdom of God
• John 10:27-28 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
• Romans 8:35-39
• I Peter 1:4-5 “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.” “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
• The fathers love have not wavered and he had spent day after day awaiting the return of his lost son, just as God does for us, he waits upon the return of the lost soul and lost children.
1. The father ordered the best robe for his son (Usually reserved for the guest of honor)
2. A ring which symbolized authority
3. Sandals (Which were not worn by servants)
4. Fatted Calf (Reserved for the most special occasions)
6. THE PHARISEE/ THE WORLD’S VIEW
• The brother was jealous of the brother who “had wasted everything”
• No concern or love was shone to the fact that he was home
• Older son represents the Pharisee, the hypocritical religious person, who stayed close to the place of the father (the temple) for personal gain (self-righteousness)
• His saying that he had never transgressed against his father was probably a lie given the treatment he was giving at this time
• “Never gave me a young goat”
• This statement would lead us to believe that all the work that the son had done and was doing was simply for personal fulfillment
• The elder son’s actions, though maybe more socially acceptable than the younger brother’s sin, was equally dishonoring to the father and it to called for repentance
• Judge not lest ye be judged
• Lu 15:7 “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”
• We should not be consumed with the sins of those around us but rejoicing that ALL INIQUITY (including ours) is forgiven
