Forgive Me For I Have Sinned
Luke 15:11-32
Introduction:
At some time in the distant past, someone decided to divide a circle into 360 equal parts and call them “degrees.” Terminology related to the circle has wormed its way into our language. For instance, when we come to a street corner and make a right or left turn, it is called a 90 degree turn. If we want to make a “u”turn and go in the opposite direction, that is called a 180 degree turn.
The bible has a similar concept that describes a 180 degree turn. It is called “repentance.” This word in its various forms is used over 100 times in the bible and examples of the concept are used many more times. Those include David after he was rebuked by Nathan for his sins of adultery and murder, Jonah after his three days and three nights as fish food, and the prodigal son.
This morning we want to focus on the story of the prodigal son found in Luke chapter 15. But before we go there it would probably be beneficial to define the term. Repentance has been defined in a number of ways but they all seem to boil down to this idea. 1.
Repentance is a change of mind toward God and sin that results in a change of life. We normally think of repentance when talking to someone about becoming a Christian, as we should. However, there is considerable emphasis in the bible concerning repentance by those who are already members of the family of God. That is where I want to focus my remarks this morning.
That is where the prodigal son comes in. In Luke 15:11, we are told that a man had two sons. The faithful older brother and the younger, selfish, spoiled brat of a scoundrel. (Of course that was just the opinion of the older brother.) However, we need to realize that they were both sons of the father who lived in his house and had a relationship with him.
Let’s read together Luke 15:11-16. This is the first half of the story. This is a son who has taken the blessing of his father, his inheritance and squandered it and has become impoverished and in need. Then we are told in verse 17, “then he came to himself.” He looked at himself and asked himself, as Dr. Phil would say, “Is this working for you?” NO!!!
Now let’s analyze the prodigal son’s actions that might reflect repentance.
1. He realized the truth of his sorry condition. He had abandoned his home and squandered his blessings. He realized he needed to change. He was going in the wrong direction . . . FAST! Depression has been defined as someone who is lying at the bottom of a hole looking down. That is where the prodigal son found himself, about as far down as he could get.
2. Before we can repent, we have to realize the need to repent.
In the case of the prodigal son, his need to repent was obvious and for those of us in the church that is sometimes true as well. Perhaps someone is living a life that brings public reproach on the church such as being an alcoholic, an adulterer or a thief. When they are found out they bring reproach on themselves, the church and God.
However, at other times the need is not so obvious. Those of us in the church generally lead upstanding and respectable lives. But we have to realize that we too are sinners. While our sins might not be those of commission, something we do that we know is wrong, they could be sins of omission, not doing those things we know we need to do, worshiping with the saints every Sunday, giving liberally of our means, helping those about us, loving one another in a tangible way.
Sometimes we are guilty of self righteousness . . . perhaps not as blatant as the Pharisee mentioned by Jesus in Luke 18:12-13 when he looked at the tax collector in the synagogue with him and said, “God I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.” The Pharisee is asking himself, “Why do I need to repent? I am a righteous person.” You see that is the problem. Many of us in the church look at ourselves, compare ourselves to those outside the body of Christ and ask ourselves, “Why do I need to repent? I am a righteous person.” Brethren, quite simply, that is the sin of self righteousness and we must repent of it.
3. Before we repent, we must realize the seriousness of our situation.
We read in verses 17-19 . . . The prodigal son realized that if he didn’t do something, he was going to DIE!!! We must realize the seriousness of our situation if we harbor any sin in our life from which we have not repented. In Luke 13 when Jesus told the crowd about the Galilleans whom Pilate had killed, he warned them in vs. 3, “ . . . Unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” Unless we repent of ALL of our sins, we are going to DIE!!! Forever!!! In Hell!!! God is gracious and will forgive us our sins if we repent, but God will not, indeed cannot forgive us unless we repent.
4. Repentance is a change of mind.
What then must we do to repent? We must first change our minds and get a new point of view concerning our situation. When the prodigal son approached his father and asked for his inheritance, the far country looked very appealing. He was probably a country boy looking at the bright lights of the city and all the pleasure they offered. He was having fun until his money ran out. Now he has no money, no friends, no food, and very little hope.
Sin, in whatever form it takes, is like the bright lights of the city. They offer pleasure but in the end, yield only despair. Now the prodigal son begins to change his mind and acknowledge to himself that he has sinned. Repentance begins when we look at our sins in the cold hard light of reality and decide to turn around and go in the opposite direction. It is a decision to turn away from our sins and turn back to God.
That change of mind is brought about when we feel a “godly sorrow” for our sins. Not all sorrow leads to repentance. Peter and Judas were both sorry for what they did the day that Christ died. Peter repented and was restored. Judas went out an hanged himself. Only “godly sorrow” leads to repentance.
The difference between the sorrow of the world and godly sorrow is that the sorrow of the world is self centered. It focuses on me and what is going to happen to me. It is the child who is caught with his hand in the cookie jar who is afraid that he is going to be punished. Godly sorrow is focused on God and how our actions have offended him. This only comes when we realize how much God hates sin. God doesn’t just dislike sin, he hates sin at his very core, he cannot tolerate it, he must judge it, punish it, purge it. When we realize how much God hates sin and how much our sin has grieved him, we are led to that change of mind through godly sorrow.
Second, once we have changed our minds we must decide to take whatever action is necessary to reflect that change of mind. We must decide to take action. To do something.
5. Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a decision to act.
The prodical son in Luke 15:17-19 stated . . . The prodigal son decided to get up, go home, ask the forgiveness of his father and humble himself as a servant instead of a son. The prodigal son had other options.
He could have laid there in the muck and mire and felt sorry for himself. “Oh woe is me. Here I am in the pig sty and nobody loves me.” He could have laid there in the muck and mire and blamed others for his situation. “Oh woe is me. Here I am in the muck and mire and it’s all dad’s fault, older brother’s fault, the people who took my money, the prostitutes I slept with.” Surely it cannot be MY fault. He could have laid there in the muck and mire, lost hope and died. But he did not. He was in the muck and mire but he decided to get up, clean up, and go home.
6. Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a decision that leads to action.
It has been said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. At this point, the prodigal son has good intentions but he is still in the muck and mire. Until he gets up and does something, nothing will change. But we read in Luke 15:20-21 . . . Good intentions are worthless unless carried out.
John the Baptist admonished the Pharisees and Sadducees in Matt. 3:2 to repent. He added in vs. 8 that they should “bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” Changing our mind about our sins and deciding to act is worthless unless it is reflected in action.
What kind of action is called for? In the case of the prodigal son, the action called for was to return home, humbly ask forgiveness and seek to be restored to his father’s fellowship. Which is exactly what he did. For us, the action called for depends on the nature of the sin. Whatever action that is, it must be immediate and complete. It must be a 180 degree turn from sin and back to God. True repentance will cause us to take action.
A. True repentance will involve some kind of confession of guilt. The prodigal son said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.” Like the prodigal son, we must confess to the offended party. If it is a public sin, public confession could be called for. If it is a private sin, only confession to the offended party is required. BUT, no matter who else we confess to, we must confess to God. For all sin, public or private, offends God and we must seek his forgiveness above all else.
B. True repentance could involve some kind of restitution. That is good and right if possible, but in many cases, this is not possible.
ILLUS: (Repenting birds). The area around Fredericksburg is known for its peaches. A few years ago, a peach farmer had a beautiful crop of peaches . . . until a huge flock of birds decided to make that peach orchard their home. When they had finished eating the farmer’s peaches, not one was left. The farmer decided that next year he had to do something or he was going to be out of the peach business. He considered a number of actions. He couldn’t shoot them. There were too many. He couldn’t poison them. The SPCA wouldn’t allow that. Then he came up with a novel idea. He collected a large supply of shiny CDs (compact discs). He then hung those discs from tree limbs in his orchard. The next spring the bird arrive, expecting to feast on peaches again but when they see those discs and the sun reflecting off them, it scared the birds so much that not only did they not eat this years peaches, they brought back the peaches they ate last year!
Who can restore a life taken, or purity spoiled, or health destroyed? What is required for repentance is a deep and sincere heartfelt confession of guilt and request for forgiveness.
C. True repentance is a determination to purge the sin from our lives completely and not ever let it return.
ILLUS: (Johnson Grass) My father bought a farm in the Texas panhandle in 1941 that was infested with Johnson Grass. Johnson Grass is a tall grass with a jointed root system. Everywhere there is a joint in the root, a new plant will sprout. If you chop off Johnson Grass at the ground, it will just come back in greater numbers. The only way to kill Johnson Grass is to dig out and kill the plant, roots and all. My dad killed all the Johnson Grass on his farm by walking over his land with a shovel, a “tow sack” (burlap bag) and a bag of poison (sodium chlorate). He would dig up the plant, getting all the roots he could, put the plant and roots in the bag and then sprinkle the hole with the poison. Only when he rooted out the entire plant did he kill the Johnson Grass.
Sin is like Johnson Grass, it infects our entire body and soul and unless it is eradicated, it will return again and again and continue to separate us from our God and condemn us to everlasting punishment.
D. True repentance is a changed life which reflects our changed mind. The prodigal son when he returned to his father’s home was no longer the arrogant, spoiled brat that left home some time ago but was now willing to serve in his father’s house as a servant. So now what happens? I am sure the prodigal son was asking himself the same question. “I have taken my father’s money and squandered it, I have disgraced him in the sight of men, and now I am coming home asking forgiveness. What will he do?” Let’s see. Luke 15:20-24 . . .
First, verse 20, the father sees the prodigal son while he is still a long way off. This has always impressed me. I have no doubt that the entire time his son was away from the fold, the father sat or stood gazing at the horizon watching for his wayward son. Even though the son gave up on himself, the father never gave up on his son.
Second, the father feels compassion for his son. Not anger, not frustration, not disgust --- compassion. The father had never stopped loving his son from the day of his birth to this moment. When he saw his son in such a pitiful condition . . . can’t you imagine? . . . he felt compassion for him.
Third, the father ran and embraced him and kissed him, commanded that his servants bring the best robe and put it on his son and put a ring on his hands and shoes on his feet. The son is probably in rags. The joy of the father is expressed by having the “best robe” put on him. The robe mentioned here is probably the outer garment. The father told his servants to put on his son, the best one that was in the house - one reserved for festival occasions. A ring on his hand - To wear a ring on the hand was one mark of wealth and dignity. The rich and those in office commonly wore them. Shoes on his feet - Servants did not usually wear shoes. The son returned, doubtless, without shoes, no doubt, a condition very different from what he was in when he left home. When, therefore, the father commanded them to put shoes on him, it expressed his wish that he should not be treated “as a servant,” but “as a son.” The robe, the ring and the shoes all expressed the father’s great love for his son and the son’s complete restoration into the father’s house AS A SON. The father then ordered that the household celebrate because “ . . . this MY SON was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.”
It is important to see what the father did not do. He did not engage in recrimination against the son. “You sorry, no good kid. You took my money, you disgraced me in front off all my friends, and just look at the horrible condition you are in. Why didn’t you clean up before you came home? You stink like a pig!!!”
The father did not make the son do penance. “OK boy, you can come home but you can’t stay in the big house. You are going to have to sleep in the barn with the cattle until you repay me every penny you took from me. Maybe in a year or two I might reconsider and let you back in the house.” The son did not have to go through some process to become a son again, he never stopped being a son and he was welcomed home by the father with full rights and privileges as a son.
Very briefly we want to look at the older brother Luke 15:25-32 . . . While the father was more than willing to forgive his son, the older brother was not. All he saw was this ungrateful kid coming home that was trying to weasel back into his father’s life. Those of us who continue to be faithful need to look at the older brother and then at ourselves when we react to those who have been sinning and have now returned to the fold. May we take a lesson from the older son and be careful to have the same compassion as our father when his prodigal child comes home.
Conclusion: The prodigal son had spent his money, lost his friends, and found himself sleeping with the pigs. If he had stayed in the pig sty he would have DIED! If he had not had a godly sorrow and changed his mind about his life, he would have DIED! If he had not decided to return home and seek his father’s forgiveness, he would have DIED! If he had not followed through with that decision and actually return to his father, he would have DIED! The prodigal son never stopped being his father’s son but if he had stayed in that far country wallowing in the mire with the pigs, HE WOULD HAVE DIED. You and I sometimes venture into that far country of sin and if we stay there we will DIE! ETERNALLY! IN HELL!
What kind of sin is in your life? Now don’t sit there and try to tell God that you have no sin. He knows better. For we all sin every day and if we don’t repent of that sin, big or small, public or private, we will die. Stop wallowing in the muck and mire of sin, get up, turn around, go home and ask God to forgive you. He is standing on the front porch looking for you. This may be the last opportunity you have.
