Sermon: The Attributes Of God The Father

Sermon: The Attributes of God the Father

Text: Luke 15: 11-24 “And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.”

Introduction: Luke 15 has been called the lost and found department of the Bible. In it we find (1) the lost sheep that was brought home with joy, Luke 15:4-7; (2) the lost silver that was found with joy, Luke 15:8-10; and the lost son that had been a prodigal, but returned to his father's house, and was received with great joy. This parable speaks to the idea of reconciliation and hope. Yet when we consider Jesus’ audience, there is a much deeper truth. Jesus shows the sinners, publicans, scribes and the pharisees what God is really like.

What is God really like? Some people think the most important question of life is “Do you believe in God?” But a more important question is “What kind of God do you believe in?” There is something worse than being an atheist - it is believing in God but having an erroneous concept of God. There are many religions in the world that present many differing pictures of God and they all may contain a little truth. A stopped clock is right twice a day, but actually a broken clock is worse than no clock at all because it gives you misleading information. You can believe in God, but if you have a false conception of God, you are no better off than an atheist. Everyone in Jesus’ audience had their own Idea. Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead and the afterlife. They believed like all Jews that God created the world, chose Israel as his chosen people, and rewarded and punished them according to what they deserved. They saw sinners as hopeless law breakers, slaves to sin and destined for the judgment of God. The Romans believed in many gods each responsible for certain things such as success in war, good luck and fortune. Their principle gods like Mars, Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, they worship with the heavenly bodies.

Jesus introduces this parable of The Prodigal Son to show what God was really like. God as a loving father is one of the greatest sources of hope for all mankind. Jesus provides us with view of the Father God’s love, forgiveness and mercy. We stray as the prodigal son strays, but the Father welcomes us back no matter what we do. Jesus Christ came to planet earth to show us exactly what God is like. In Luke 15. He shares three beautiful stories that paint a portrait of the character and nature of God. The Lost sheep shows the caring and seeking nature of God. The lost coin shows us how much God values each of us and his desire for our restoration. The complete story of ruin to restoration can be seem in the Prodigal Son Story. Jesus guides through the downward journey of the son as he moves from self-will, to selfishness, then separation to starvation. Then Jesus allows us to experience his climb from the realization, resolution, repentance to reunion.