Audio Sermons

Main Reading - Luke Chapter 15 verses 11 to 32

This is a transcript of a sermon that was preached on Sunday evening 25th March 2001 by Pastor Neil Evans.

We will look at verses 22, 23 and 24 from our reading in particular.

Let me just start by going over the details of this parable so that we remind ourselves of it even though it is familiar to many of us. A 'certain man' is mentioned in verse 11, and although we are not told much we can gather that he is quite a wealthy man. He is a land owner with many animals and having considerable wealth. This man has two sons, and it appears that the eldest has worked in the family business for some time. The youngest son has not worked but has enjoyed growing up in the family home. He has enjoyed all the privileges and benefits of a comfortable middle class family home. As he grows up the young son realises that all he sees, the house, animals, wealth will in part one day be his. So this parable tells of this young man's understanding that one day he will have a great deal of wealth.

What seems to happen is that an idea takes root in this young man's mind…… What if I were to have this wealth now?…… what if I could have and enjoy this wealth while now I am young, fit and healthy? …….. the Father may live a long time and I would be too old to get full enjoyment! We can easily imagine him dreaming about this, imagining what he could do with the money. How many friends he could attract, what experiences and pleasure he could buy. It would seem that these thoughts went on for some time and then he decides to put to his father a proposition. This proposition is that… 'Dad, you know that when you die I will inherit half your wealth, what if you give me my half in money now so I can enjoy it while I am young?' On another occasion we will look at this parable from this son's point of view to examine his thoughts, motives and eventual problems. But for today it is suffice to se that the Father actually gives it to him. He then has more money at his disposal than ever before.

Having had the money he decides to leave home and go as far away as possible. He is in a foreign country where there are more opportunities to do things than back home with dad. With money to burn he attracts friends and we are told he is wasting his life in prodigal living. We are told at the end of verse 13 that he wastes his possessions on prodigal living. We might use the phrase 'loose living', and I don't need to spell out exactly what that means. But what do you think a young man with lots of money would do away from the influence of his parents? He carries on like this day after day and week after week until the money is gone.

Then we are told that when his money is gone and he loses his friends leaving him alone in this foreign land a famine begins. There is no food to be bought, little to drink, he is there and without money. For the first time he begins to feel hunger pangs. This increases in intensity and in order to feed himself without money. He gets a job working with pigs with the advantage that he can compete with the pigs to eat their feed. Remembering that for a Jew there is no more filthy animal than a pig. There he is in the muck and stench joining the pigs in eating the pods meant for them. He has been going down hill since the money went but he now reaches the lowest point. It is at this point sitting in the much, hunger gnawing at his stomach that he begins to think of his Dad. I wonder if any of you have been away from home and things go wrong then your mind turns to home where you are used to things being better and people you love being around you. That is what this guy is doing thinking about his father, his home, his family, the comfort he once had. He remembers what sort of person his dad was, he realises he was so wonderful, he treated his servants like family, they had plenty to eat and drink and places to live but now he had none of this. Surrounded by pigs he thinks of his dad remembering that he treated everyone well. Can you imagine him wondering how dad would treat him now. After all I have done and how I left him I wonder how he would treat me. What we are asked to do is to imagine the son's mental turmoil at this time. He feels he is not worthy to be treated as a son but wonders if the kind person his father is would even take him on as a servant, realising how well he treated servants. He realised his inheritance as a son had been taken so this was his next best chance.

Now can we come to the last part of this parable. You need to imagine the son making the journey from this far country. If he starts this journey hungry dirty and penniless you imagine his condition by the end of this long trip. You know that as he journeys all the time he is thinking of how he will approach his father. He will ask if he can be a servant tell his father he is not worthy to be his son. He struggles onward in this way until he sees his Dad. And what does he see? He sees his dad running towards him with outstretched arms to welcome his son home.

Well that is a summary of the well known parable. The father welcomes the son, takes him home, kills the fatted calf, puts a robe, ring and sandals on his son rejoicing his return. Can I ask you a question? …. What do you think this parable means?…… and while we are doing this lets remember we have already had the parable of the lost sheep in chapter 15 and also the parable of the lost coin. Do you remember what those parables taught? Do you remember how God compared himself to a rich land owner and then a poor widow? This parable is also about God. We are thinking about God, what He is like, who is God? What is His character like? For the rest of our time we will consider how God is showing us how the He is like this certain man who has two sons.

So what can we learn about God by looking at this. Well first of all we are being told that this man is a father, and the first thing we can say is that God is a Father. Now I wonder if you can see how remarkable that is. From the three parables we see God portrayed as a rich landowner, then a poor widow, then as a father. You and I have become so familiar with this that we are not amazed when Jesus said God was our Father. Do you remember why Jesus tells parables. If your Bible is open read the first two verses of chapter 15. There were tax collectors and Pharisees who had terrible attitudes to other people. So Jesus firstly says God is a father. The second thing he says is that he describes a particular father through this parable. Those of us who are fathers realise we vary in how good we are in this role. What is this particular father like? He gives the money to his son, he watches for his son's return, as soon as he sees him he runs to the son. What is father like? Well, he is a loving father isn't he? Will you agree that here is a father that loves his son and you and I have a God who is a Father, but we have a God who is a loving father. We should realise that if you belong to God you should celebrate having a loving Heavenly Father.

We can go deeper than this. What sort of relationship did this father and son have? Let's imagine this man was here in Tabernacle tonight and we asked him what his youngest son was like. What would he say? Do you think he would say …I have a marvellous son, a wonderful boy. He always thinks about me. He is considerate to me. I have a wonderful youngest son! Do you think that is how he would speak? You see some of us think our children are marvellous don't we? And in a sense they are marvellous! But some parents cannot se the faults in their own children. Their own children are always right and everybody else's are wrong. What is this man like? He is a loving father who ignores the faults of his son. He knows his son, he knows his faults, he knows the quirks, but he chooses to ignore them. He is a loving father who knows. Can I say that we have a Father who loves us, but we also have a God who knows us. He knows our faults and weaknesses, he knows the sins that you and I are guilty of. He knows the excuses we offer up, he knows every fault and habit, ever attitude we are guilty of. He knows and yet He loves. We have a loving father who knows us completely yet he loves us.

We can go yet further again. If we had this guy here tonight whilst his son is in a far country. Imagine if we said …..your son hasn't treated you very well, has he? He asked for your money and then deserts you! Hasn't he treated you really badly? Are you angry with him? Are you disgusted with his behaviour? Do you love him less because of what he has done?………. You know his answer don't you? What we have here is a father who's love for his son never changes. It is as powerful and strong as it ever was. You and I have a loving heavenly Father who knows us but his love for us never changes, alters or diminishes. Can I ask you to think of this, every time you sin there is someone who goes to God and says look at her, look at what she is doing now, this is who you sent your Son to die for. Christ died for her and look what she is doing, sinning against you, and this one who accuses us says to God, do you love her now? This parable tells us that God's love for us never changes. So God's answer back is that I love her as much as when she prays or reads the bible. He knows us but His love never changes.

That father if questioned would say that the love for his son does not depend on what the son is like or the way he acts. As parents we can relate to being frustrated and tested by our children's actions. But here we have a father who's love doesn't depend on the behaviour of the child. If the children are good, if the children are bad he loves them equally. You and I have a God who's love for us doesn’t depend on our behaviour.

In the time left I want to say two things. Firstly, we see how after going away the son is welcomed back by the father. That is a problem to the elder son isn't it? But we have a God who when we have sinned and then turn to Him, we find him welcoming us back into His arms. God does not keep His distance, question or judge us. The moment we turn to God He welcomes us with open arms. No matter if it is a small sin or you have committed the greatest sins, God will welcome you. Others may look at your sins and judge you, but God will welcome you back. You may do things as a Christian that offend other Christians but God your Father will always welcome you back with his open loving arms. One thing that has stuck with me over the years is that you can be a believer in the far country for many years. You can be a prodigal believer wasting your life but we have such a God that when we turn to Him even in the most foul condition He will accept us with His unchanging love.

The last thing I want to say. This man, in the last three verses, kills the fatted calf, puts a robe and ring on him, takes him into the house. There they have a banquet and a party. Here is the son who was thought dead but is returned. Can I remind you that the theme of banqueting in Luke's gospel is one of Heaven. Heaven is going to be like a great banquet. Here is a father bringing his son into the house to have a feast. The son enters with a robe over him covering the filth and dirt. What we have here is a picture of what will happen to us at the end of our lives. God the father will take us into His house and we will feast in the father's house for all eternity. To enter the house we will wear the robe of Christ's righteousness. That robe covers all the sins so when we enter our filthy state cannot be seen. God will rejoice because He has brought us safely home.

This parable is about God who is a loving Father. Do you know this God? Do you know how much this God loves you? The only way to know God as a Father is to know Jesus Christ as your saviour. The only way to know Christ as saviour is to believe in Him, trust Him and take Him into your heart. With Him covering your sin like that robe you can look forward to being welcomed into Heaven as the son was welcomed into the feast. You will know the love of God. AMEN.