A Son Only a Father Could Love
Text: Lk. 15:11-32
Introduction
1. Read Lk. 15:11-19
2. Illustration: Once a mother allowed her children to get a hamster with the understanding that they take care of it. So they got a hamter and named his Danny. However, after a while it was the mother who was caring for the hamster. So she decided it was time for the hamster to go. She made a few phone calls and found a new home for the hamster. When the children came home, she broke the news to them and they took the news remarkably well. One of them said, "He’s been around so long, I am really going to miss him." Another one said, "Maybe if we feed him less he wouldn’t make as big a mess." But mom said the hamster had to go. She told the children to go get Danny’s cage. Then they all cried out, "Danny? We thought you said Daddy!"
3. Today is Father’s Day, and what a more appropriate story about a Father’s love then the story of the Prodigal Son.
4. As Father’s we are blessed to have such a tremendous example to follow - that of our heavenly Father.
Proposition: No matter what we’ve done, our heavenly Father will always take us back.
Transition: The first thing that we learn from this story is...
I. A Godly Father Loves His Son No Matter What (11-19)
A. Prodigal Living
1. The story begins with a young man who wanted to break away from the nest.
a. Like thousands before and after, he had his "reasons" and was not shy about expressing them.
b. He wanted to be his own man — his own boss.—Preaching the Word
2. So he went to his father and asked for his portion of his father’s wealth.
a. The "share of the estate" (v. 12) that a younger son would receive on the death of the father would be one-third, because the older (or oldest) son received two-thirds, a "double portion"— Expositor’s Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM
b. This is a foolish thing for the son to ask because when it was gone so was his inheritance.
c. This was also unwise of the father because if his son squandered it, which he did, he could never get it back.
3. However, in spite of all of this the father gives his son the money and the son immediately leaves.
a. As you might imagine, this father was probably furious at his son’s foolishness.
b. You might also imagine that this father was heart broken to see his son, whom he loved, walk out the door.
c. But this father never stopped loving his son inspite of his actions.
4. When the son left, he went to a far country and "wasted his substance with riotous living."
a. The word "wasted" in Greek means "to spend foolishly and to no purpose." —Louw & Nida: NT Greek-English Lexicon
b. He chose a country that was drastically different from his father’s, a country that was full of carousing and drunkenness, partying and immorality, selfishness and greed, sin and shame, death and hell.
5. However, we must realize that he threw away more than his father’s money.
a. He threw away his father’s values.
b. He threw away his father’s name.
c. He threw away his father’s love.
6. Although this is not actually a part of the text, if you read between the lines, you can see in the back of your mind that the whole time this is going on, the father is back home:
a. Praying for his son’s safety.
b. Praying that his son would see the error of his ways.
c. Praying that his son would just come home.
B. Feed the Swine
1. Once the son had run out of money, their came a famine in the land and "he began to be in want."
a. The money ran out.
b. The parties ran out.
c. The so-called "friends" ran out.
d. He had nothing left.
2. So he went to one of the local farmers and got a job feeding his pigs.
a. This shows the depths to which this young man had sunk.
b. Remember that in Judaism a pig is an "unclean" animal (Bock, NIV Application Commentary, 413).
c. Illustration: Once when I was in Bible College, I was doing some fill-in preaching for the school. The directions to the church read "when you get to the pig farm, turn right." So I asked a simple question, "How will I know when I’ve made it to the pig farm?" The secretary simply said "You’ll know!"
3. His situation became so desperate that he even considered eating what the pigs were eating. They don’t call it "pig slop" for nothing!
4. Finally, the text says, he came to his senses and said "How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!"
a. He knew he was no longer worthy to called his father’s son, but at least his father would give him a job.
b. His father would not allow his son to starve to death.
5. Even then he knew, that in spite of what he had done, his father would still love him.
a. If you are here this morning, and you are the prodigal, know that your Heavenly Father still loves you.
b. 1 Jn. 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
c. If you’re here this morning, and you are the prodigal, know that your earthly father still loves you, and he is praying for you to come to your senses.
Transition: It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, God is ready to forgive and to heal.
II. A Godly Father Receives His Son No Matter What (20-24).
A. His Father Saw Him and Had Compassion
1. After coming to his senses, the prodigal gets up and decides to go to his father.
2. Human nature would tells us that father would be:
a. Angry
b. Bitter
c. Resentful
3. However, in our text it says "But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him."
a. In this story, the father’s heart wasn’t full of religion, but full of compassion.
b. He didn’t turn his back and sulk, but instead he ran when he saw his son.
4. The father watched and waited. He was dealing with a human being with a will of his own, but he was ready to greet his son if he returned.
a. In the same way, God’s love is constant, patient and welcoming.
b. He will search for us and give us opportunities to respond, but he will not force us to come to him.
c. Like the father in this story, God waits patiently for us to come to our senses. —Life Application Bible Notes
5. The son tells his father, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son."
a. But the father tells his servants to bring out the best robe, sandals, and jewelry.
b. He didn’t care what was in his son’s past; all he cared about was that he came home.
B. This Son of Mine is Alive
1. The father doesn’t line his son out and banish his to his room. Instead, he prepares a feast.
2. This father’s only concern was "this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."
3. Our God is a consuming fire! But when we turn to him, he is a God who comes running — to lavish his love upon us!
4. This is the gospel — the good news of a prodigal God who rushes to meet sinners with his love!—Preaching the Word
5. Illustration: Not far from New York, there is a cemetery with a grave, which has inscribed upon its headstone just one word—"Forgiven. "There is no name, no date of birth or death. The stone is unembellished by the sculptor’s art. There is no epitaph, no fulsome eulogy—just that one word, "Forgiven. "But that is the greatest thing that can be said of any man, or written upon his grave, "Forgiven."
Transition: Our heavenly Father is just waiting for us to come home.
III. A Godly Father Rejoices Over His Son No Matter What (25-32)
A. But He Was Angry
1. Now the older son hears all the partying and merry making going on and wants to know what’s going on.
2. The same son who was:
a. Faithful to his father
b. Served his father
c. Helped his father
3. The text tells us, "But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 So he answered and said to his father, ’Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’
4. Rather than joining in the party, the elder brother was "angry" (Luke 15:28).
a. The word used here carries the idea of swelling, settled anger that rises like sap in a tree on a hot day.
b. He was boiling! He absolutely "refused to go in."—Preaching the Word
5. The young son had been far from the father (in a distant country) because of sins of passion.
a. But the elder son was separated from his father through sins of attitude.
b. He was even farther away than his younger brother and he had not even left the farm!
6. We certainly don’t want to be the younger son, but neither do we want to be the older son.
a. We want to rejoice whenever a sinner comes to his senses and repents.
b. Lk. 15:7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
B. Lost and Found
1. Illustration: If there is any single word which is distinctively Christian, it is the word GRACE. The whole concept is framed with an undeserved quality—something which we believers have received, which we could never merit—something which God chose to do simply because He loved us.—Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations
2. Grace is a concept that the Father understood, but his oldest son did not.
3. He said to his son, "It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found."
4. Illustration: Amazing Grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I’m found; was blind, but now I see.
5. As godly fathers, we must embrace the grace of God.
a. First, we must embrace it for ourselves.
b. Second, we must embrace it for our children.
c. We must believe God’s grace is sufficient enough to bring them home.
Transition: His Grace is sufficient for you and your children.
Conclusion
1. A godly father:
a. Loves his son no matter what.
b. Receives his son no matter what.
c. Rejoices over his son no matter what.
2. If you’re here today and you are the prodigal, know that your heavenly father and your earthly father are waiting patiently for you to come home.
3. If you are the father:
a. Love your child
b. Receive your child
c. Rejoice over your child
d. Trust the grace of God to bring them home.
