The Prodigal’s Father

Introduction

Looked at his dad and he said, Dad, are bugs good to eat? And the dad said, Son, we don’t speak of such things at the table. Maybe you’ve had a conversation similar to that. And the boy continues on, and the dinner is finished, and the dad finds the boy after dinner and he says, Now, son, what was it that you want to talk about?

Well, there was just a bug in your soup. I want to know if it was okay to eat. Fathers have a lot to deal with. And this morning I’d like to look at a very prominent biblical character, and I say prominent in the sense that many of us are very familiar with him. It’s in Luke chapter 15. I don’t want to look at the person that we’re more familiar with in this case. I want to analyze the Father. And I want to analyze how that father truly represents our Father, that is God. And perhaps even you see in his parenting style, aspects of your father, aspects of earthly fathers, as well as most importantly, our one true and living God. So look for me to Luke chapter 15, as was read at the opening scripture this morning.

And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, This man receives sinners and eats with them. We have a common audience with a common problem. It’s the Pharisees and the scribes doing what in verse 2? Grumbling. What is their complaint? Well, this man receives sinners and eats with them. Notice verse 1, now even it’s the tax collectors and the sinners were all drawing near to him to hear him. So our background is said, we have tax collectors, sinners, and obviously Pharisees and scribes are gathered here before Jesus. And his response to this accusation, this frowning upon that the Pharisees and scribes are doing on the tax collectors and the sinners, is found in these forthcoming stories. But just to look at one, look at the parable of the lost coin, beginning in verse 8.

Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it. And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost. Just so I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

If you notice the story begins with the father, it’s a man who has two sons. In verse 12, and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me. And he divided his property between them. Not many days later the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country. And there he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate. And no one gave him anything. Surely you’re familiar with the story of the prodigal son.

1. The Father’s Giving

It’s the son who takes what is his, at least as he claims, and he goes out and he squanders it on what the text re the text calls reckless living. Certainly not a role model child by any means. But notice in verse 12, the younger of them said to his father, Notice what he says, Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me. I think a lot of us would wish to give that son what is coming to him. But the father relents, and he allows his son to take his share of the property. And so I want to learn from this father several things. And the first facet that we learn here from this portion of the text is we learn about the father’s giving.

And it’s not just that he gave him his stuff, it’s the freedom that comes with his property that was squandered. I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about it, but have you considered that this father was not dumb? That this was not an out of his mind father. He wasn’t fooled. Do you really think he didn’t see his son’s reckless living coming? What father would not know that his child would be prone to such a tailspin if he took his stuff and his plan was to go away. This father knew what was going on. He knew what his son might do. But you notice the father gives anyway. He’s not tyrannical, he’s not a dictator, he recognizes that his son, whether at that point in time or in the future, will have the ability to make his choices, and he allows him to take them and to make them.

Notice the father doesn’t go with him. The father doesn’t hold his hand, he lets him go. The son gets what he wants and he squanders it. But you notice that perhaps the Father was giving him a taste of a lesson. In Proverbs chapter 16 and verse 18, we read that pride comes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Again, none of us are fooled. And certainly the father of all people would not be so clueless as to think that his son would go out and live some model lifestyle. This father knew, and he gave him his freedom of choice, his freedom to live anyway. But I want to make a note before continuing on our father, because I can’t stand it. Notice in verse 14.

And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. You see, he didn’t calculate. The son didn’t know enough. He wasn’t smart enough, or at least he didn’t have the self-control enough to control his finances, his funds, his property, and to be ready for when life hit. It was an example of him acting rashly. What happened? This son thought he knew better. He was enjoying the comforts of the Father. He knew the Father promised him great things, and he took what is his and he rode away with it, and he did what he wanted with it. You see, blessings are only blessings. Riches are only riches if you have them and you use them wisely. If you go and squander them, what good is your money then?

If you have one million dollars and tomorrow you go and you waste it all away, what good has that done you? God has offered us great and mighty blessings. He’s offered us a way to live, and we can enjoy the peace and the serenity and the joy that comes from worshiping our Father. That what a blessing it is just to be called children of God, amen. Amen? We’ll wake up yet this morning. We’re children of God. He has given us a choice, but so often we choose to leave him. Have you ever thought about how silly that is? In lack of a, in lieu of a stronger word there? How foolish it is? God has offered us everything, and yes, that includes free will. And we go out and we say, This is how I’m going to live.

I want to do it this way, so I will. Not necessarily out of open defiance, not out of saying, God, I’ll show you that I know better. But that’s what our actions show, isn’t it? When God has given us everything and he says, here’s how you maintain it, here’s how you seek me, and we do something over here. It’s a show of pride of that haughty spirit that comes before a fall. It’s that pride that leads to destruction. But to go back to the Father and thinking of this free will idea. A lot of times people question God, don’t they? They say, why would God allow people to have free will if all this evil is going to happen? You know what a quick answer to that is.

I’m not saying this is the most theologically sound answer, but it is a quick one. It’s, you know, people have children all the time, and not a one of them can control exactly what they’re going to do. Have you ever thought about that? Parents have children all the time. Which one of you? I’m not this way, I don’t even have a child, thought that you would be able to control your children all the way, and you’d be able to make them into the exact perfect person. No one thinks that. And I see a lot of parents. I see a lot of children. I’m here. Which means people do the same things that we’re accusing God of having some sort of foolish act in. Have you ever thought about that?

In Romans chapter 2, I encourage you to look with me there. Notice what Paul is telling the Roman people. In Romans chapter 2, beginning in verse 1, he says, Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another, you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man, you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Notice verse 4. Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

But because of your hard and impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. God has allowed us free will. I’d encourage you to think about your friends. And if you’re a parent, think about your children. Have they ever been making a life choice that you just sat there and you were held captive by and you just said, Don’t do it? Have you ever seen a friend make a decision and you’ve told them, you perhaps screamed at them, get a hold of yourself, control your life, this will not end well. That happens a lot. But the reality is there’s nothing you can do about it. The Father in Luke chapter 15 understood the reality of the situation.

That free will, the choice would be made with or without his consent. God is not mocked, God is not fooled. He understands the implications of giving mankind free will. But I’d like to encourage, I’d like to encourage you to consider in Genesis chapter 1 and verse 26 and 27, when we were made in the very image of God, when God gave us his free will, he made us and gave us free will despite the fact that he knew well that we would sin and turn away from him. What love does that show? I mentioned a while back about if you had a kid and not knowing exactly how it would turn up. What if you knew that if you had a child, he would spite you, he would leave you, he would sin against you, he would purposely choose to hurt you, to turn away from your love and care, to desert you, to leave you for other people.

How excited would you be to have a child then? You see, God had the choice to give us free will, and he gave it to us knowing full well that meant that some would choose to live against him. But he loved us so much that he wanted those who would choose him to be blessed. He’s made all of his blessings known to mankind, and that’s what’s going on in Romans chapter 2. All that God has done is available. The question is, will we seek it out? Will we say, God has done this, I will go to repentance, I will seek God because of his wonders, because of his mind. Imagine watching your children day after day, minute after minute, every single time kicking you, spiting you, making decisions against you, against their best benefit.

Do you realize how trying and frustrating that must have been? And yet, as we know in the story in Luke chapter 15, the prodigal son’s father does not give up. He is waiting. He doesn’t just write him off. He doesn’t say, Well, he has free will, so that’s his choice, and uh my hands are tied. I’m done. He’s waiting, he’s watching, he’s loving. The truth is that God knows that those who will seek him might not do it right away, and he gives you the opportunity. But I beg you this morning, look around. Choose God this day. Choose to serve him, choose to come back as we know the prodigal son will do, because God is offering the way of salvation to you. But it won’t be there forever.

2. The Father’s Commitment

You see, God is giving. But there’s only so much God can give. God’s already done everything. You want to talk about a giving father? We think this father is great, because he gave his son not only free will, but he gave him what was his. He gave him his inheritance. God’s given us everything. God sent his beloved son Jesus to come to this earth and to die on the cross for our sins. He’s already given all that he can. Will you find him? Will you live and truly live a life of love in submission to that God who wants you so desperately? The Father wants to be giving. But you know, we also learn a lot about the Father’s commitment from this parable, don’t we? In verse 15, back of Luke chapter 15.

Notice what how the text continues. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself, he said, How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread? But I perish here with hunger? I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants. And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before you I am no longer worthy to be called your son.

That’s not what the text says, is it? The Father said to his servants, bring quickly the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hands and shoes on his feet, and bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. You notice the Father embraced the son. He didn’t lecture him right away. His first move, at least as recorded, is to tell the servants, there is a party to be had tonight. We can rejoice, just like in the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin. You see, the father had a commitment to the son. It didn’t matter how far off he had gone. It didn’t matter how spiteful he had been. God is waiting for you just like the father was waiting for his son.

And there will be no lecture. There will just be truth and there will be an embrace if we seek God. You know, in verse 13, we understand that the son had gone off and lived basically to his own heart’s content. Kind of reminds me of how children are today and how I lived and how you probably lived.

But when I got to 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in just seven years.

Sometimes children think they know more than their parents. But more scary is that sometimes we think we know more than God. We think that we understand God’s organization of the church. And we apply our logic, things that make sense to us, our business practices that have been so successful for us to God’s church, and we change his perfect divine plan. God has spoken, let us hear and heed the message. The son left in his ignorance and his arrogance. And yet, despite that, despite all the time that he had been gone, despite the fact he had spent time in a time that famine had come on the land, he had hired himself to be a servant, that he had trekked all the way back to his father, what happens in verse 20?

His father saw him. He felt compassion and he kissed him and embraced him. After all the time, after all the worry, after all the sin. The father was waiting. What a wonderful story, isn’t it? You see, that’s a pretty powerful story. Isn’t it a joyful moment? That the father would be waiting with open arms if there ever was an expression, a story that fit that it is this. And verse 20. But my question for you is that when you live, when you work with people and they have wronged you, do you have the commitment to them to be able to move on? Or do we write people off? When someone leaves the church, when someone leaves the fold of God, when they leave the lifestyle that we expect them to be living, do we have the patience to continue and to be committed to them finding God?

Because the Father is waiting, why shouldn’t we? If God is going to seek these people with open arms, and each and every one of us would yell this from the pulpit, God will forgive you, come to him. How come sometimes we aren’t as forgiving or as hopeful? If God is waiting, why aren’t we? If God is seeking and God has done his part and his glory is to be seen, how come we’re not helping in that message? How come each and every person we know that it does not have God is not seeking him and telling him, the Father is waiting, just come back, just go to God. You see, God is waiting, so we should be dragging them to him. We should be teaching them, God loves you.

Just find him. The Father’s commitment is one that we should emulate, both in terms of our parenting styles, our relationships, but also in one that we should recognize our place to our Father. As we truly are children of God, we need to know that there is nothing that we can do that God will not forgive us of. Do you realize how wonderful that is? You know, the truth is life is hard, and the devil is after us. But there is not a single sin, there is not a single idea, there is not a single set of actions, and you know what? There is not even years you can live that if God blesses you with this very day, that you cannot come to Him and be forgiven.

3. The Father’s Perspective

God wants you to find Him. The Father’s commitment is stronger than we can ever even imagine. And why is that? We’ll talk about that as we close out the lesson with the Father’s perspective. God sees the big picture, he knows it’s not just about this life. And when we live in sin, we make it about that. We make it about our choice this morning. We make it in how we speak to people, we make it in how we treat others, we make it in how we satisfy and gratify our own flesh. The truth is God wants us to live for spiritual things, and he will be there for you if you’ll turn to him. You can’t get too far away. But sometimes we convince ourselves of that.

We live and we say, I can’t turn back now. I can’t be saved. Perhaps you’ve spoken to someone who says, I’m too far gone. The beauty is God is so much stronger than you and I will ever be. There is no too far got too far gone with our God. What does Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 20 say that God can do what? Far more abundantly than all that we ask or think. Notice the Father’s commitment here to his son. God is watching and he is ready. Notice in verse 4 of Luke chapter 15, in the parable of the lost sheep, what is happening? What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the one that is lost until he finds it.

And notice in verse eight, or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it. The point is he’s searching. God wants you to come to him. You are not invaluable, you are more valuable because he wants you. You need him. In Colossians chapter 1 and verse 13, we can be transferred from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of his beloved son in verse 14 and having redemption, having our sins forgiven. We can do that. God wants you. Want him to. How sad is it? How tragic a love story that the father was waiting. Have you ever thought about how sad it would be? How heartbroken the father must have been.

His son left him. His son took his possessions selfishly. And the father was waiting. The father was committed. The father was willing to forgive. That is something that we cannot sometimes even fathom. The depth of God’s forgiveness.

What’s his response? To the Son who forgives in verse 22? He speaks to the servants. He says, Bring quickly the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. And let us eat and celebrate, for this, my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found. And they began to celebrate. There was no session of, son, you have done wrong. Son, you realize the magnitude of your mistakes. Son, I cannot forgive you for this. It was simply, my son is back. Let us rejoice. And that’s the beauty of Luke chapter 15. Notice in verse 6. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors after finding the lost sheep, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.

Just so I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance. Now remember, who is he speaking to? The Pharisees and the scribes. Who are they looking down upon? Why are they grumbling? Because Jesus would dare associate himself with sinners. He would dare teach his message of salvation, of good news to these Jewish, sinful people. But God doesn’t work that way. God can forgive anyone for anything that they have done. And this Father doesn’t take the opportunity to bash him, he simply accepts him and he loves him. Do we show even an ounce of that compassion? Do we in our lives with our spouses, with our family, with our friends, with our co-workers, show even a millimeter of the forgiveness of God?

Because that’s pretty important. Because as Matthew chapter 6 reveals to us, we are forgiven as we also forgive. God forgives anyone who truly comes back. Notice what the son said in verse 21. Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before you I am no longer worthy to be called your son. This son, this prodigal son, got it. After all of his time, you know what? He did learn. He learned life lessons. With his free will, he realized my father knows best. My father has it good. Why does it return to the Father? Because he knows his Father would take care of him. His Father could care for him. Maybe not in the same way in his elevated status as a son, but even the depths, even the outer rim of the Father’s protection and love would be better than his life without him.

God wants us. Even an ounce of God is more light than all of the light in the world put together without him. We need to seek God and seek his love and his forgiveness. And that means being willing to, like the prodigal son did, say, I have sinned against heaven and against you. We need to have the humility and the contrite heart that says, God, I don’t know best, you do. Forgive me for my wrong. Help me to do right. God is so wonderful. He is giving of his free will, knowing that we might transgress him, knowing that we would transgress him. And yet he remains committed to us. He remains committed to forgiving us. He has promised in 1 John chapter 1 and verse 9.

What does he promise? Look, look there in 1 John chapter 1 and verse 9. He says, if we confess our sins, what verse 9? He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Do you realize that all that we have done is against God? When you have sinned, you haven’t just sinned and fallen short of the glory of God in the sense that, well, I failed, so I messed up. You have spit in the face of God. You’ve trampled underfoot the sacrifice of Christ, the very beloved Son of God, who he sent to save you. And yet God loves us enough to where if we will just confess our sins to him, he will forgive us. Have you allowed yourself to focus and meditate on the beauty and the depth of God’s forgiveness?

The power of the fact that we have sinned repeatedly, grossly, violent, against God, and that he forgives us anyway, because he chooses to. There’s nothing we can say, no magic formula or words, without the power of God and the blood of Christ that could save us, and God made it available to us. He makes it ready. We just have to reach out to his hand and grab it and to trust him and to live out that trust. And God really does want to forgive us. God does desire that all men be saved. And in the grand scheme of things, God’s perspective, like the Father in Luke chapter 15, is far greater than our own. For he sees the big picture. He sees the glory of the coming eternity with him.

Finish the story with me in Luke chapter 15, beginning in verse 25. Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound. But notice the older brother’s response in verse 28. But he was angry and he refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him. But he answered his father, look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat that I might celebrate with my friends.

But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him. And he said to him, Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and to be glad. For this your brother was dead and is alive. He was lost and is found. You know, God sees the big picture. Just like the father in verse 31 realizes the son didn’t lose anything. The elder son didn’t lose anything by rejoicing in the return of the younger son. He didn’t lose a single ounce. His status was not provoked. His promises, his inheritance was not taken away. We need to make sure that we stay with God. We shouldn’t look at what God has done for other people or be distracted by the things of this earth and leave the love of God.

Conclusion

You see, the devil is so crafty. Even the elder brother was being torn away, not because of his own sin and his own faults and his own temptations, but the temptation within himself to be jealous, to be envious, and to be prideful and say, look at me, I did this for you. Who are we to tell God I did this for you? God knows all things. And he knows that the truth is, if you’re with him, you will win the victory. If you are on God’s side. So he simply seeks that you join the side as soon as you can, and you work in his vineyard. You labor in the harvest. God’s perspective is grand. I want to end with a story. The story of a 12 year old girl and her friend were at a father’s house.

And they asked their dad, they said, We want to go see this PG 13 movie. And it has just it has just a little bit of bad language and just a little bit of some negative things, and that’s why it’s rated PG 13. And the father said, you have no say in this. You can’t go see something like that. How can you? How can you think that I would let you do that? And they begged with him. They said, It’s just a little bit. Come on, please. It’s just a little bit of filth. And the father said, Okay, I’m going to think about this for a couple hours and come back to me. So the father goes into the kitchen and he bakes some brownies. He comes back and he sets the brownies on the plate before the girls.

And he said, You can go see the movie if you wish, but you have to eat one of the brownies on the plate. And the girls looked at each other and said, This is great. Get brownies and a movie. The father said, But before you eat of it, I want you to know something. I went to the backyard, and you know, we have a dog. And I put just a little bit of what the dog left behind in the brownies. I baked it. I sterilized it. It won’t do you any harm. After all, it’s just a little bit of filth. If you eat the brownie, you can go see the movie. Needless to say, the girls didn’t eat the brownies and they didn’t go see the movie.

But you see, the father, like in that story, the father, the prodigal’s father. And God Almighty knows what is wrong, what is harmful to us. And that is anything from jealousy to arrogance to spite to ignorance to pride that leads to destruction. God knows that we just simply have to seek him. And that means giving up the things of the world. That might mean working hard while other people are living it up in this life. It might mean sacrificing to obey him. And it will. Obeying God takes sacrifice. The choice is yours if it’s worth it. Because the truth is, whether you agree or disagree, it is. Heaven will be worth it all because we will be with that Father who has taught us and shown us so many things, and they’re all encapsulated in one word, and it’s love.

Please pray with me. Our dear God and most gracious Heavenly Father, we adore you. We praise you for your greatness. And we are so humbled by the fact that you not only allow us before your throne, but that you have in so many ways showed us love. May we love in just a fraction of the way that you do. May our lives be changed and altered by your example, by your love, your patience, your forgiveness, your commitment. And may we never sacrifice. May we never cut corners. May we simply seek to offer our lives up as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to you. As we go through this worship, help us to be on fire for you, excited to learn about you, and most importantly, pleasing you with our praise and worship.

Please forgive us of all of our sins, dear God, and keep us until the end. And in your Son’s name we do pray. Amen. We’re now dismissed the Bible class.