The Lost Son, Part 3b

Luke 15 is where we are tonight, but there's something about Luke 15 that shows us what God does when he calls a sinner to himself, when he seeks after a sinner, and that sinner comes to him, and God's response to us. It is so, so good. And I think that when you look at Luke 15 and you begin to understand the context, You know, whenever you interpret the Bible, you must interpret it within the context in which it was written.

And Luke 15 begins by studying for us the tone of what was going to take place in that chapter. It tells us in the first verse of Luke 15, now all the tax gatherers and the sinners were coming near to him to listen to him.

And both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble saying, this man receives sinners and eats with them. That's the tone. That's what that spring, that springboards Christ into this, in this parable that will help those Pharisees, those scribes, those religious leaders understand why Jesus loves to be with sinners. He came to seek and say that what was lost. Luke would go on a tell us that in Luke chapter 19, verse number 10. But Christ gives us a parable. It's not three parables, it's one parable.

It's one parable with three pictures. to help us understand the process of salvation in what Jesus Christ himself does in the life of an individual. And how the individual now responds to the work of God in his life. He begins by telling us about the lost sheep and the lost silver coin to help us understand that lost things are searched for by our God and they're searched for it with a passion. Because God's responsibility to the sinner is to reach the sinner, is to rescue the sinner, is to redeem the sinner.

And so he goes after the sinner with a passion, with the pursuit, and that's what the pair of the lost sheep and the lost coin tell us. And that's why there is great rejoicing in heaven over one sinner that repents. And then he goes into the third picture dealing with the lost son or the dead son or the younger son.

He gives us this picture because he wants us to see what happens after. God has searched for man. How that man now responds to God. And he pictures it in a very familiar story that everyone listening would understand. And in doing so, he addresses not only the sinners and the tax gatherers that are there, but he addresses the Pharisees as well. And we will note next week, as Christ now turns and deals with the oldest son who is representative of the Pharisees and how this older son rebels against what God has done, just like the Pharisees were rebelling against what God himself was doing, what Jesus Christ himself was doing in verses 1 and 2 of Luke 15.

In the parable, this older son would rebel against what his father did by taking the rebellious sinner back home, receiving him and giving to him all the benefits of the family. It's a tremendous picture, and we can see ourselves in it. It's interesting to note that the Bible tells us that this son in verse number 24 was lost. And Christ says, if you're lost, I'm the way.

It tells us in verse number 17 that this son was ignorant because he had to end up coming to his senses. And Christ tells us that he is the truth. The Bible tells us two times in Luke 15 that this son was dead. And Christ says, I'm the life.

I'm the life. And so this parable helps us understand the whole picture of salvation. God's responsibility and man's response to what God initiated. And when God initiates it, when man turns from his ways, there was great repentance. And that's what Christ tries to picture for us as he talks about this son. Christ goes into great detail, helping us understand how far gone this boy was, how he walked away from everything, how he rebelled against his father's authority, how he went and spent all of his inheritance doing whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, to whom ever he wanted.

Because that's what he wanted to do. He just did what he wanted to do. Everybody would love to be able to do what they wanted to do. But when you run out of money, can't do it anymore. And therefore, God brought this boy to the end of his rope. No other place to go. So the Bible says he came to a census.

He came to a census and realized that he needed to go home to his father. And we talked last week about the seven principles of repentance. The seven principles of repentance. The seven principles that are outlined in this text to help us understand what happens when a sinner is converted, when a sinner turns from the error of his way, when he realizes who God is. And just let me review those for you quickly because I think they're important.

Number one was that he needed to reflect upon the destiny of his life. He came to a census. Where am I going? The Bible tells us there is a way what seemed right into a man, but the ends thereof are the ways of death. And so this man had to reflect upon the destiny of it's like what am i doing where am i going who am i what's happening to my life and then the second principle was that he had to realize the severity of a sin he had to come to grips with the the magnitude of a sin i have sinned against god and number three he he recognized the responsibility was all his i have sinned i have done this there was no blame shifting there was no passing off what had taken place as somebody else saying well you know if i had been raised in a better home my life would be different today i wouldn't have gone that path if my parents weren't that way if my dad wasn't so strict if my mother wasn't so lenient whatever the case may be uh i wouldn't have sin like i did it's it's their fault no no no it's nobody's fault but yours and and therefore the the lost son realized i've said this is my fault look what i have done He didn't blame anybody else but himself.

That's a true repentant spirit, right? And then number four, he would respond to the authority over him with no agenda, no demands. Dad, I'm unworthy to be your servant. I'm not worthy to be anything anymore. He didn't come back and say, I'll come back if I can have my room back. No, no, no, no agenda, no demands. Because the repentant spirit realizes that he throws himself upon God for God's mercy to be bestowed upon him. And then, number five, to refuse. the company of your past. That's the repentant spirit does, right?

He had to leave where he was to go to where he needed to be, so he had to turn his back on his past and go back home to his father. And I was talking to a man and a wife in a council session. They'd come to see me. And she had caught him with another woman. And he was trying to convince her that from that point on, he had repented of a sin. And so when they came to see me, I said, okay, let's convince your wife that you have refused your past. past that you turn from this woman. I want you to put her to the phone.

I want you to call her right now. I want you to tell her it's over. You never go see her again. He said to me, he says, I can't do that. I said, wait a minute, you just told your wife that you've been, you have repented of this sin, but yet you're refusing to turn your back on that which is causing you to sin, that you're engaging in this unrepentant lifestyle with. That's not repentance. You need to turn. You need to flee that which is wrong and go back to your wife. He didn't. He refused to. A lot of people who who claim to repent, love to hang out in the past and do the things they used to always do.

That's not repentance. If it's sin, you refuse it, right? You turn from it, which led to the sixth principle, which is to repudiate all iniquity, both known and unknown. You hate sin. And then lastly, rejoice in the liberty and sufficiency found only in Jesus Christ. If you know the truth, the truth will set you free, Christ said in John 832. And this man was set free from the bondage of sin. from the enslavement of sin. That's what Paul talks about in Colossians chapter 1, verses 13 and 14. When he talks about how we have been delivered from something, we have been delivered from the bondage that Satan has us in, and we have been transferred into the kingdom of God's son.

And we rejoice in that, right? And this boy went home to his father, and it says that they began to be married. Why were they married? Because he was home with his father. He had realized the sufficiency of his father. He had realized the freedom that he had with his father. And they began to be married. That's repentance. That's what it is. And even as Christians, those principles should still be true of us, right? Because there are times we fall into sin. There are times we do things that we shouldn't be doing.

And we go, where am I going? What am I doing here? How come I'm here? Oh, I've sinned against God. And therefore, because I have, I realize that it's my fault. It's not my wife's fault. It's not my kid's fault. And what do I do? I go back and submit myself to that authority. God in my life and the one to whom I've offended. That's repentance. That's what the Bible talks about when it talks about turning from your sin to follow God. J.C. Ryle speaks of the happiness found in true repentance. He says there may be high spirits, excitement.

laughter and merriment so long as health is good and money is in the pocket. But these things are not solid happiness. There is a conscience in all men, and that conscience must be satisfied. So long as conscience feels that sin has not been repented of and forsaken, so long it will not be quiet and will not let a man feel comfortable within. We all of us have an inner man, unknown to the world, an inner man with which our companions and friends have often no acquaintances. That inner man has a burden upon it.

so long as sin is not repented of, and until that burden is taken off that our inner man has no real comfort. Can you and I be comfortable when we are not in a right position? It is impossible. And what is man's true position? He is never in his right position till he has turned his back upon sin and turned his face towards God. A man's house is never comfortable till all things are in order, or when the house of the inner man is in order. Never till God is king, and the world put down in the second place, never till God is above.

on the throne and sin cast down and put out of doors. You might as well expect the solar system to go on well without the sun as expect the heart of yours to be comfortable when God is not in his place. The great account with God must be settled. The king must be upon his throne. Then and not till then there will be peace within. Without repentance, there can be no true happiness. We must repent if we truly want to be happy. That's true because there's freedom found in Jesus Christ our Lord. Parable goes on as it continues to give us this picture.

We move from the younger son to the father, the father. This is so wonderful. As a younger son is representative of the sinners and the tax gatherers, and the elder son is representative of the Pharisees and the scribes. This father is representative of God himself. Let's know what it says. We pick up our narrative in verse number 20. And he got up and he came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, His father saw him and felt compassion for him and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his slaves, quickly, bring out the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet and bring the fat and calf, kill it, and let us eat and be merry. For this son of mine was dead and has come to life again. He was lost and has been found. And they began to be married. Three things I want you to see about this father. One is his affection.

Two is his acceptance. And three is his attitude. First of all, his affection. And just let me review those for you.

The Bible says very clearly, and while he was still a long way off, his father saw him. You see, why was the father looking for him? Because the father knew he was going to come home. Because in eternity past, when God chose us to find the foundation of the world, he knew when we'd be saved. He knew. Because he called us. He called us to himself. And I like what the parable says when it says that while the son was a long way away, the father saw him. You see, when we are away from God, he sees us.

He sees us. This is what we're going to call his watchfulness. His watchfulness, he knew he was coming. He knew he was coming. When you gave your life to Christ, he knew you were coming. He knew it. Because he chose you in eternity past. And that's why it's such a great celebration. Listen this. He says his father saw him and felt compassion for him. That's his tenderness. This is all under the affection of this father. You see, it's watchfulness, and he felt compassion for you. That's our God. This is his tenderness.

He sees them wise afar away. And in the inner part of his being, he was tender toward him. He felt compassion for him. The Bible says when he felt compassion for him, he ran.

He ran to him. That's his swiftness, the swiftness of our God. Ah, but it gets better. It says that he fell on his neck and embraced it. That's his nearness. His nearness. God wants to embrace you. God wants to be near you. God wants to be close to you. This father, because of his watchfulness, because of his tenderness, because of his swiftness, and because of his nearness, he would demonstrate his affection for this son. You also need to note that knowing did he embrace him, he kissed him. That's his forgiveness.

He kissed him. He loved him. He forgave him. Everything. He didn't accuse him. He accepted him. Isn't that the way it is with God and us? Sure it is. You see, our God just embraces us and he holds us. He loves us. And you know what? The more he does, the more we just got to get it out. We've got to confess. Now, the boy was forgiven. He was forgiven already because the father saw his heart. He knew his heart. He knew his coming. He knew his coming. and in spite of that confession, the father was embracing him and kissing him.

It's not that the father doesn't care that there's a confession. It's as if the forgiveness is greater than the confession because he just wants you to understand. I forgive you. I forgive you, your sin. That's his affection. Let me move to point number two.

His acceptance. His acceptance. And I want you to notice the four aspects. of this acceptance. And the four things that happens to this young man that happens to you when you're born again. Father interrupt him says, hey, number one, got to bring not the robe, but what?

The best robe. And put it on them. Is it not true that when we are born again, we receive new clothes? We are robed in the righteousness of Christ? That's what God gives us. He gives us the best robe. What's the best robe? His righteousness, the garments of God. And so what happens? This boy receives not only royalty, but purity. He's made clean. He's made clean. That's the way we are. When we give our lives to God, he washes us in his blood, and we receive the royal treatment. And then it says, what?

And put the ring on his hand. And that's important. Listen, the ring is a symbol of completeness. That's what it is. It's a symbol of completeness. And that gives him authority. And then he says, how about those sandals? Put the sandals on his feet. If the robe is the symbol of purity and royalty, and if the ring is a symbol of dignity and authority, then the sandal is a symbol of stability and ministry. You see, slaves wore no sandals in those days. They went barefoot. But he says, get the sandals, put him on his feet.

That's important because the feet that were cut, the feet that had been been blistered would now have time to heal and he'd be able to stabilize himself and stand strong. That is important, right? Remember in Ephesians chapter 6 about the armor of God and having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace? It's not about going and taking the gospel anyplace because the whole armor of God is about standing someplace, not going anywhere, it's standing. And it talks about it three times in Ephesians 6 about standing firm.

The fact being is that my feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. That gives me stability as I put on my armor. Why? Because now I am no longer enemy of God. I am at peace with God. And because now I am at peace with God, I no longer slip and slide. And so that's what the Bible says in Psalm 119, 165.

Great peace have those who love thy law and nothing causes them to stumble. Why? Because they're at peace with God. Is it not true with you and me? Sure it is. We give our lives to Christ. We now have a stable foundation. And with that stable foundation gives us the opportunity to be used of God in a mighty way in the lives of other people. And he says, get the fat and calf, get the best calf. And that's a symbol of hospitality and prosperity. Hospitality and prosperity. Sit down and eat with your father, to enjoy the fellowship of God.

What a great thing, huh? That is so good. And then to realize that, you know, God doesn't give you the crumbs that fall from the table. He doesn't give you a baloney sandwich. He gives you the best you got. You know, and sometimes I think we think God gives us his leftovers, or God gives us what the little boy shot at. It's not with God. No, he gives us the greatest of all inheritance that we become joinnaires with Christ. And that just is such a blessing that God's giving follows his forgiving. That's the acceptance this boy received.

And that's what God does for people like you and me. God gives us dignity. God gives us authority. God gives us responsibility. God gives us his hospitality. God is the one who gives us purity. He's the one who gives us royalty. Why? Because he's wiped away all our iniquity. That's what God does. That's what this young man found out. We'll see just to our third point and our final point.

His attitude. His attitude was one of joy and celebration. They began to be married together. Everything was perfect now because a sinner had come home. The dead son was now alive. The lost son was now found. In God's eyes, that is the greatest of all events. Because that's why I came birth to die, right? And so he is ecstatic. I love. what it says in the book of Zefaniah chapter 3 verse number 17 the Lord your God is in your midst a victorious warrior he will exult over you with joy he will be quiet in his love he will rejoice over you with shouts of joy that's our God our God rejoices over you with shouts of joy why because you see you are the reason he came to die and when you give your life to Christ when you give life to him he shouts for joy that's his attitude that's our God that's how he functions that's who he is he he loves to restore and reward the repentant heart that's what God does that's what he wants to do that's what he wants to do with you I don't know where you're at tonight I can't see inside your heart I don't know if you're giving life to Christ I don't know that at all God does God does I don't let you know that if you've never given your life to Christ tonight you need to do so we do that You see, because next week we're going to talk about this older boy.

See, he thought he was right with his father. He wasn't. He was the lost son, too. He was just as lost as the other one was, probably more so. He was the obedient one on the outside, but he had all the religiosity, he had all the religious trappies. But he had no relationship with his father. The younger son, he's got a relationship with his father because he repented of a sin. You see, the Bible says in the book of Joel chapter 2, verse 12, yet now, even now declares Lord, return to me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping, and mourning, and rend your heart and not your garments.

Now return to the Lord your God, for His gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving kindness and relenting of evil. That's our God. Rip your hearts. they were in mourning. They would take their clothes and they would have anguished over their sin, and they would rip their garments. And guys says, don't do that. Don't waste your time going through all the outer rituals. Rip your heart. Return to me. I'm slow to anger. I am. I'm compassionate. I'm kind. I'll relent of your evil.

But you got to return. You got to come. It goes on to say in verse number 25, I will make up to you for the years that the swarming locusts have eaten, the creeping locust, the stripping locust and the gnawing locust my great army which i sent among you and you shall have plenty to eat and be satisfied and praise the name of the lord your god who has dealt wondrously with you then my people will never be put to shame god says i want to restore you oh i do that's the heart of god that's the way our god is he wants to to restore you he wants to reward you but unless you repent of your sins you'll never receive from God what He offers.

You know, by secondary application, let me see it to you this way. If you're a believer tonight and for some reason, some way, somehow, you decided to move away from your God and to do your own thing, God still wants you to come home. He does. And you know, I'm not stupid. I know that you might think I am, but I'm really not. There are people that love the Lord that turn from the Lord and walk away and engage in sin. And maybe that's you tonight. You know, you need to turn back to God. You turn to him.

You're not going to find any sufficiency or any fulfillment in your sin. It's a passing pleasure. It'll all be gone in a moment. It will. You might think it's fun now.

It won't be fun tomorrow. I promise. God said so. God said so. But God says with me is everlasting joy.

With me is eternal joy. With me is everything you'd ever long for I have. Most importantly, freedom from your sin. And God wants to restore you as well, right? Sure he does. So as your pastor, But more than that, as your friend, I would say, if you're in sin tonight, turn from your sin. Go back to God because what you saw tonight is how God will receive you. And don't you want that reception? Sure you do. Everybody wants that kind of reception. Let's pray. Thank you.