“Loving a Loser: The Prodigal Son
Luke 15:11-32
3/4/01
Intro: I hope this morning you have come excited about hearing what God’s word has to say to you. I honestly believe if you want to be changed this morning by what God has to say, you will find many things to apply to your life. If you have come to sit back and listen to me give a sermon, you probably won’t find anything that will change your life. You will take away what you come looking for. Having said that, let’s ask God to give us hungry hearts to feed on his word this morning.
PRAY
This morning, we start a series that will lead up to Easter. In the coming weeks, we will talk about a lot of things related to the crucifixion of Christ. But this morning, we want to talk about why Jesus had to come and die. Because we were like sheep that have gone astray. In Luke 15 we find the story of the prodigal son. I like to call this loving a loser. Now, do you know any losers? And no, I don’t mean your spouse or your in-laws. Do you know anyone who really is a loser. They really don’t have their act together. We find two here in Luke 15. Let’s read the text together.
Read Text - Luke 15:11-32
We find here the story of the younger brother, the wayward son, we call him the prodigal. He is a loser. Let’s look at him and see if any of us see ourselves in his example.
I. The Wayward Prodigal
A. His Ruin
*a disrespectful plea - “my share” - he asks for his share of the inheritance. This would not be divided until the father died. It showed he was not content with the Father’s plans and the father’s control. Many times we think we know better than our heavenly father. We think our ways are better than what he has planned for us.
*a deliberate parting - “got together all he had” - this was a rejection of the father’s provision for him. He was planning on a permanent parting. He had no plans on coming back. He felt he could do far better for himself than his father could give him. He had no plans of coming back to live at home with his father.
-“distant country” - rejection of his father’s people
*a decided pleasure - “wild living” - he was living according to the desires of the flesh, with no concern for restraint, with no concern for what was right. This went contrary to the training he would have received from his father.
Prov 1 - Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction. It will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck. My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them. These men lie in wait for their own blood; they waylay only themselves! Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it.
--whenever we live for pleasure - those pleasures destroy our character.
*a determined process - “spent everything” - he didn’t stop until he was desperate. He didn’t heed the warning signs as he saw he was running out of money. Many times we feel we can keep right on spending. Credit cards really help feed this. Ronda & I are making a determined effort to get out of debt. When you see something is out of balance in your life, make some changes!
*a disgraceful plan - “unclean” to eat pigs - shameful to tend them - more so to eat their food
When we fall, we often find ourselves doing things we never even considered because it was so shameful or disgraceful. There is nothing that any one of us wouldn’t do out of the will of God.
*a destitute position - “no help from anyone” - often it takes getting to the bottom until we will turn to God for help.
B. His Restoration
*recognition - “to his senses” = “to himself” - he admitted to himself who he really was
How many times we like to believe something different about ourselves than is really true. We need to be willing to see ourselves as we truly are before we are capable of change.
*realization - he realized how good he had it at home
Rom. 2:4 - God’s kindness leads you towards repentance. When we think back to times when God blessed our lives in wonderful ways, it gives us a yearning to be that close to God again.
*rationalization - he saw his sin was against God and his laws. He saw his sin was against the goodness of his father. Often when we sin, we sin both against God and against others, often those who love us the most.
*reasoning - “no more worthy” - he realized that he carried with him disgrace: he had lost all sense of honor in his family. When he realized he was a loser, a nobody, that’s when there was hope for him.
*return - knowing the disgrace he will face daily, he still returns to his father.
--Who would leave the blessings of his father’s household and ruin his life? A loser! But as we see, he doesn’t have to stay a loser. Often we view those who fall into sinful lifestyles as losers, not worthy of our time. Sometimes WE are like this prodigal son. Yet, let’s see what God thinks about prodigal sons and daughters.
II. The Loving Father
*concern - “saw him afar off” - The father sees his son at a distance because he was looking in the distance. I believe he had never given up on his son’s return. The son willfully left, and the father had to wait until that will was broken. But he waits for the son’s return. Do you know what it is like to have someone who loves you and believes in you no matter how many times you have messed up your life? Our heavenly father is like that!
*compassion - “filled with compassion” - to feel with empathy for what he had been through
Do we come to others and tell them what they have done wrong and what they need to change, or do we feel for the hurt and pain they have experienced, lovingly embracing them?
*urgency - “ran” - very out of decorum for the father to run - had long robes on
When we turn back to God, he runs to welcome us back into his good graces
*acceptance - “arms / kissed” - the father expresses love in spite of the hurt and wrong the son has done to him. He has been sinned against, but his love is greater than any feelings of resentment. The father has been publicly disgraced by the actions of the son. The son has literally wished the father dead, but the father never accepts the son as dead to him, even though it seemed so.
*atonement - “quick” - because the father wants to eliminate the son’s disgrace as soon as possible. Restoration is the heart’s desire. He wants to renew the relationship.
*restoration - “robe, ring, shoes” -
robe - favorite dinner suit - like a tuxedo and black tie - reserved for special guests
ring - a sign of authority - he can act in the father’s name
shoes - the mark of a free man - he is not going to be a servant
*renewal - “alive / found” - the relationship has been restored, even though many blessings have been lost due to the son’s foolishness. God receives us back with arms of forgiveness; yet often we have lost many great blessings.
##Tony Campolo - 2am - diner - hooker - birthday - what kind of preacher - one whose church throws birthday parties for prostitutes
Our God is one whose love is beyond understanding. He forgives us freely. Yet often we have problems forgiving one another.
III. The homebound prodigal - Let’s look at his lifestyle:
*diligent - “in the field” - he was very busy doing work in his father’s name
*confused - “what was going on” - he didn’t understand what was happening when his brother returned
*deceived - because he didn’t know his father, after all those years together. The younger son knew his father’s love even when he was away from it: the older brother had difficulty understanding it.
*contentious - “angry” at his father for being forgiving
*disrespectful - “look” - arrogant and condescending tone to his father - he think he knows best - sounds like the younger brother all over again.
*dissatisfied - “slaving” - missed the joys of home and work
“disobeyed” - missed the joy of obedience - did it out of duty - no joy in obeying his father
“you never gave” - missed joy of giving - thought only of himself - wanted his own party
“son of yours” - missed the joy of family
Often when we are dissatisfied, we will be discontent with everything about our lives
*dreaming - “prostitutes” - no mention of this in the story - hadn’t had the chance to meet his brother - he was presuming upon his brother’s sin: had no way of knowing he had done this
*destitute - needed to “come to himself” and see himself as he truly was
----yet, the father comes and offers this homebound prodigal reaffirmation of his love:
*of his relationship - “always with you” - father shows him love daily
*of his security - “all is yours” - the inheritance was already the older brother’s
*of celebration - there is a need to celebrate over repentance
*of family - we need to cheer for one another
Concl: Whether we are a prodigal through our waywardness or through our religious discontent and jealousy, we need to re-experience the father’s love today. The story didn’t end. Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees, and it was up to them to choose by their lives the ending of the story.
So also, we choose how the story will end for our lives
*if a wayward prodigal - will we return home to the love of the father that removes our sin and disgrace
*if a religious hypocrite, will we choose to love our brothers and sisters, and will we enjoy the father’s blessing and presence in our lives each day.
Shall we pray ....
Today, I’d like to close by showing a video clip that reminds us of the greatness of the father’s love. Will we receive his pursuing, unending love?
##Video clip - Max Lucado - story of Madelyn
