The Heart Of The Ultimate Father
Luke 15:11-24
Intro:
Luke 15 is a very interesting chapter. Here Jesus tells three different stories; one about a lost sheep, one about a lost coin, and one about a lost son. All too often the emphasize is placed on the missing sheep, coin, and son. But Jesus was emphasizing the seeker, not the sought item. It is the action of the seeker that is important. Jesus was pulling back the veil to let people see into the very heart of God.
With the sheep one out of 99 had gone astray. The shepherd still had 99 sheep, most guys would say oh well, why risk the 99 to save one. But not this shepherd He laid it all on the line to save one. Why? Because Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost.
With the coin the stakes get higher. The shepherd had only lost 1% of his flock and he went after it. But with the coins this woman had lost 10% of her coins, this was equivalent to a whole days wages. So she cleaned the house top to bottom turning over everything in the house until she found that coin. Why? Because she valued it greatly, just as the Lord values each of us greatly.
And that brings us to the lost son, this part of parable is often refereed to as the story of the Prodigal Son. Here a father loses 50% of his family. Note the increase from 1%, to 10%, and now 50%. Jesus begins with items that mean seem of lesser value, but with the loss of a son , He knew it would drive home His point. Jesus was letting us know that we are of great value to God. Here again the emphases is all to often placed on the actions of the son, but was is really important is the attitude and actions of the father. And on this Father’s Day I want us to look at “The Heart Of The Ultimate Father.”
The point of this message is not so much to say to father’s do this or that, but to help all of us see what our Heavenly Father is really like. It is sad to say, but our Heavenly Father gets a bad rap, He is often made out to be some grumpy old man just looking to ruin our lives. A cosmic kill joy just waiting for us to screw up so He can blast us. But this isn’t the case. So let’s take look at what The Heart of the Ultimate Father.
1. The Heart of the Ultimate Father is a Lamenting Heart
Luke 15:11 13
(11)To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: "A man had two sons. (12)The younger son told his father, ’I want my share of your estate now, instead of waiting until you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.(13)"A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and took a trip to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money on wild living.
Get the picture, here is a father with two sons. And these two boys are his world, they are his heirs, they will carry on his name, everything he has worked for in life is for them. They are the apple of his eye. And then one day his younger son comes to him and says, “Dad I’m not gonna sit around waiting for you to die, I want to see the world now, I want my part of the inheritance now so I can go live my own life.”
How’s that for a slap in the face. Imagine the shock, image the hurt, imagine the pain, image the broken heart of this father. Here come his pride and joy and he says I’m leaving, give me what is coming to me.
Now here is a kid that has everything he needs, his father is a wealthy land owner with many servants this kid had it good, he lack for nothing, but he wants to through that all away.
That reminds me of Adam & Eve. Living in the most beautiful place in all of creation, able to walk with God in the cool of day, to fellowship with God in a way that we can only imagine, and they cast it aside for temporary pleasure.
Now he father’s heart is broken not just because his son wants to leave him, but because he knows what awaits his son. He knows the cruel world that will devour and destroy him. His heart is broken also because he knows that he must let his son go, he can’t force him to love him and stay with him. He knows that his son has to make his own choices, as bad as they may be. And knowing all of this the father honors the sons request and lets him go.
Just like our Heavenly Father, He has given us free will. We are free to make our own choices and our own mistakes. The Father wants to spare us, but He can’t force us to turn to Him, He won’t force us to serve Him or trust Him. And the heart of God is a lamenting heart, sorrowing over a lost world. People wandering in darkness because they choose to be away from the Father’s house. God is not cold or indifferent to our situation, He knows all, He sees all and when we are blowing it, it breaks His heart.
To bring it home for some of you parents, God knows the pain of wayward children, He knows what it is like to see someone you love so very much making bad choices and ruining themselves. God knows, He feels your pain, He shares your hurt, so don’t get mad at Him or blame Him, lean on Him!!! Let Him shoulder that burden, cast your care on Him for He cares for you. The Bible says that He is familiar with our suffering.
The Heart of the Ultimate Father is a Lamenting Heart!
2. The Heart of the Ultimate Father is a Longing Heart
Now we know that verses 14-19 of Luke 15 talk about the boy wasting his money and ending up in a pig pen, we know that he finally gets a clue and figures out that he had it very good back at home, he realizes that his Dad’s servant are living way better than he is, so he is going home to beg for forgiveness and to ask to be just a servant in his father’s house.
Again it is the attitude and the actions of the Father that are so important. Verse 20 says "So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.”
Did you catch that, “while he was a long distance away his father saw him.” Well Clif what’s the big deal? The big deal is that his father wasn’t busy about life acting as the though his son was dead and gone. No way!!!
We already established that this father had a lamenting heart that he was broken hearted over his lost son. But he also had a longing heart, he was looking everyday for his son to return!
His Dad was standing at the end of the driveway looking down the road hoping and praying that this would be the day that his son would return. He probably stood out there everyday since his son left. Without fail bad weather and all looking and longing, watching and waiting, saying to himself today could be the day the my son will come home.
He knew he couldn’t go out and drag him back home, as much as he may have wanted to. So he prayed and waited, and prayed some more. He wasn’t passive or uninterested, he was actively looking, and desperately longing . Every time someone came down the road, he probably said to himself that could be him, that might be him, and his heart probably sank every time it wasn’t.
He was anxiously awaiting his son’s return at any moment. And that is God’s heart, He won’t drag us back to His house even though He knows that is what is best for us, He would never force us to serve Him or come to Him, but He is longing for us, longing for every sinner to come home to Him.
The Heart of the Ultimate Father is a Lamenting Heart, and It is a Longing Heart!
3. The Heart of the Ultimate Father is a Loving Heart
Luke 15:20b 24
(20b)Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. (21) His son said to him, ’Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ (22) "But his father said to the servants, ’Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet. (23) And kill the calf we have been fattening in the pen. We must celebrate with a feast, (24) for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.
(NLT)
Is this awesome or what, here we have a kid who blew it big time, no argument there, and of all the people who should be punished it should be him, but that is not how the father responds.
People who think that God is just a grumpy of man who is angry all the time have got it all wrong, this doesn’t look like a comic kill joy to me.
Get this, the father runs to his son, he doesn’t wait for the kid to get all the way home, once he knows it is his boy, and he can tell that his intention is to be at home, he picks up his robe and runs to his son. In that culture that was a disgraceful thing, older men didn’t run for anything, it was undignified to do so, but this father did not care, he was over come with compassion and desire just to hold his boy, this son that he loved so very much. That is our Heavenly Father, that is the God that I know! That is the Father.
He embraced his son, smelly, dirty, covered in pig slop, he embraced him and kissed him.
There is this horrible misconception, that we have to clean up our act to come to God. People say it all the time, “When I quite doing this that or the other thing, I’ll give my life to God.” “I’m to sinful, I need to clean up my act before I can come to God.” I don’t know where that came from, Jesus made it abundantly clear right here, COME AS YOU ARE!!! Sinful, smelly, dirty, whatever, COME AS YOU ARE!!! Run into the loving embrace of the Father.
And this just gets better, the kid starts to apologize and tell his dad he just wants to be a servant that he isn’t worthy to be called a son. And it is like the Father isn’t even listening, he is to busy trying to restore his son to his rightful place. The son just wanted to be a servant, but the father places the family ring on his finger, that ring carried with it the father’s name that was his seal, the signet ring for doing business and carrying on family affairs. The father was saying to everyone this is still my son, to be honored and respected by all.
The father didn’t throw his sin in his face, he didn’t shame him or reject him, he took him back as if nothing had ever happened. He told them to through a party in his son honor. This is love, this is our Heavenly Father.
The Heart of the Ultimate Father is a Lamenting Heart, It is a Longing Heart, and It is a Loving Heart!!!
God is the ultimate Father, Jesus painted this picture so that we could understand the heart of God, so that we could see what our heavenly Father is like,
Romans 8:15 says,
“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father.”(NIV)
That term “abba” is a close intimate expression, it is the affectionate cry of a Hebrew child, as if to say “Daddy.” God has adopted us into the family, we are His children, and we can cry out to Him, Daddy, close, intimate, personal, loving Daddy. So Whose’s your Daddy? GOD IS!!! A Dad whose heart beats with lamenting, longing, & love for you and I. This Is The Heart Of The Ultimate Father!
I don’t know how you see God, what you think of Him, but this is God, do you know Him like this...
