May it please Almighty God to
bless us together this evening as we meditate in His Holy Word.
Let us turn to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15, and we'll read
verse 14. The Gospel of Luke, chapter 15,
and reading verse 14. And when He had spent all, there
arose a mighty famine, in that land and he began to be in want. We read together in the Word
of God in this chapter what we refer to as the parable of the
prodigal son and that is the younger son of the father who
had two sons and this younger son really ran away from home
and he thought he would enjoy himself with all the things in
this world and he'd asked his father for his share of his inheritance
and his father gave him that share and therefore he went into
a far-off land probably thinking that no one would be able to
see what he did or trace his steps and that he could therefore
do just what he wanted to do and enjoy himself just as he
wanted to. And so we find that initially
that's just what happened because we're told that 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. He didn't spend his money wisely,
he wasted it in riotous living. He thought therefore he could
find enjoyment in this world and up to a certain extent of
course while his money lasted that appeared to be the situation. And of course, how uncertain
always is the future. We make, perhaps, assumptions
of what it's going to be like, and we can be far off the mark.
And therefore, in this man's case, he was just that, because
he clearly hadn't reckoned that what was going to occur was a
famine came. a great famine. We're told that
when he has spent all there arose a mighty famine in that land.
Yes, we don't always know what is before us. We don't always
know what the Lord has planned for us. But it's a great blessing
if the Lord has planned for us. And if the Lord hasn't left us
completely to ourselves so that we might, as it were, destroy
ourselves. We see again and again, people
intend on enjoying themselves and they fail. And often the
result is that they get so fed up with their life that they
commit suicide, they take their life. And of course, the end
of such people is Terrible to ponder, to think that they spend
eternity in hell as self-murderers. It's a very tragic and solemn
situation. Well, here was this man then
in this parable. He got what he wanted, he got
the money he wanted, and he spent it, and he was now in a place
of severe famine. And so, what happened? or we're
told, and he began to be in want. He needed something. He needed
things. He needed money. He needed food. He needed accommodation. All
these things he needed. And so what did he do? Well,
we're told 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. He was in a desperate
state, really, when we think of his comfortable condition
previously in his father's house. And now here he was with nothing
and wanting to eat the pig's food. Well, the Lord brought
him to this position. And as we have such a vivid picture
before us in this parable to realise that still the Lord deals
with people in a similar way still today. And what a blessing
it is that every one of his children will eventually be brought to
that condition where they begin to be in want. Come to that desperate
position. The Lord allows this to happen. What a mercy then we have of
God who is compassionate. This man had to be really brought
down so that he had nothing. Sometimes the Lord brings us
down so that we virtually have nothing. We've wasted our substance. Perhaps
we've wasted our money. And perhaps we might say, well,
I haven't done that. Well, we have to be very careful
that we don't do it. Because the devil is very active. The devil will entice us. The
devil will encourage us to do such things. pretending that
we will find great enjoyment in these things and we should
therefore partake of them and not listen to those things perhaps
that we've been brought up with. No doubt this son had been brought
up properly in his father's house and yet you see he determined
to leave it, to get away into what he thought was freedom. But of course it wasn't freedom
really because he was captive by the devil. The devil had him
in his clutches and the devil directed him what to do and he
was easy prey for the devil. He gave in to what the devil
suggested. The devil told him he could do this and enjoy this
and do that and enjoy that and therefore he listened to the
devil. but it didn't bring him any true
happiness. No, he was really in that terrible,
sad and miserable state. So that we come to that word,
he began to be in want. And then you see, we read about
what happened then. Having been only able to eat
the pig's food, nothing else, were now told, and when he came
to himself, that means he had some proper thoughts, some sensible
thoughts, and he was directed to have some good thoughts. And what did his thoughts direct
him to? They directed him to the home
that he'd left behind, It directed him to that way. What do we conclude? Well, it
was the Lord's goodness. It was the Lord's mercy. He could
have left him totally to himself to continue in that way and to
have utterly destroyed himself and to have ended his life in
utter misery and sunk into endless hell. But we see the Lord's goodness
and we see the Lord's mercy that put into his heart, first of
all, that desire and that realization that he began to be in want,
and then secondly, to consider his father's house. Both of these
things were blessings from God. And it's a good thing in our
lives if we've been brought to a time when we began to be in
want. Not a great long testimony, not
a great long experience, but a very simple one, but a very
needful one, to be in want. He got nothing and he needed
something. Well, perhaps it might be so
in our lives. You know, the analogy really
for us today in our spiritual life is just like this. When we are brought to that place
to be in want, what does it make us do? If it's the Spirit's work,
this is what it will do. We'll come and cry out to God,
be merciful to me, a sinner." We won't be able to escape from
our sins. They'll be there before our eyes.
And we'll realise that our sins have brought us into that condition
of want. But it would be a great blessing
if the Lord puts in our heart a plea for mercy, a plea for
forgiveness, and directs us to none other than the Saviour,
the Lord Jesus Christ, who of course spoke this parable. So here was this man, this parable
then, came to himself, came to his senses. You know, it's the
grace of God which brings us to our senses, to realise that
we are going away from God. We're not coming to God, we're
going away from God. Left to ourselves, we go farther
and farther away, until the Lord brings us to a place like He
did. You see, here was a time of mighty
famine, a mighty famine, and in that time he began to be in
want. Well, tonight it will be a blessing
if you and I can look into our hearts and find there a time
when the Holy Spirit produced that desire to have a want, a
want after spiritual blessings, especially if we come to this
condition, And we come to ourself. He came to himself and he said,
how many hired servants of my father's house have bread enough
and despair and I perish with hunger. And therefore this was
put into his heart. I would arise and go to my father
and would 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." What was clearly set forth here? Confession of his sin, repentance
before God, realising that he needed it, realising he had to
confess it. It wasn't something that was
just going to be, to his view, brushed under the carpet. In
actual fact, it was. But the reality was, he had to
be brought to this position. And he said, I will go to my
father. What a mercy. If you and I have
begun to be in want, and the Holy Spirit has given us that
prayer, so that we've come to say, I will go, I will go to
my God. I will pray to Him for mercy. I will seek for forgiveness. I will pray that He will not
remember my sins anymore. 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." He felt to be unworthy of any
blessing. And that's a good place to come
to, because it shows that we're not satisfied with our position,
our condition. We don't think that there's anything
good in us that merits the mercy of God, but we come to our God
just like this confession I have sinned against heaven and before
thee yes he sinned against heaven and before his father and it's
just what we've done in our lives we've sinned against heaven and
before our god and it's a great blessing if the holy spirit has
convinced us of that it brings us then in guilty before a holy
God. And we have to recognise that
we are not worthy to be a child of God. We're just too bad, we're
just too sinful. And this man in the parable was
willing to be made a hired servant. So having sought this desire,
prayed for this desire, were then told he arose. He arose and came to his father.
There was gracious action, there was a reaction to that condemnation,
a reaction to that conviction that the Lord had brought upon
him. and then you see he didn't stay,
he left his old haunts, he left the places of sin and he arose
and came to his father. Yes, what a blessing that is,
if God gives us grace to leave our sinful ways. The Lord knows
what our sinful ways are. See, no one else knew. His father
didn't know, his family didn't know, his friends didn't know. He was in a far-off land, committing
all these terrible atrocities. But we see the work of the Holy
Spirit, because the Holy Spirit of God knows where we are. And we cannot escape the eye
of Almighty God. Sometimes we may try and hide.
We cannot hide. We cannot hide our sins. Well,
sometimes, as David said, his sin was ever before him. He couldn't get rid of it. It was there. And David had to come
and confess his sin, didn't he? That's not very popular today,
is it? Confession of sin. People think
it's a pretty morbid thing and, well, everybody does it and therefore
you're no different and you can just carry on in that way. Well, when the Holy Spirit works,
there is a conviction and there is a true bowing down before
a holy God and there is indeed an acknowledgement of our sin,
and that's what it was in David's life, which is so typical really
of this prodigal son, confession before a holy God. And it would be a wonderful favour
if you and I can enter into the 51st Psalm. It may not be a Psalm,
that you have read very often, perhaps you younger ones may
never have read it. Well, go home tonight and read the 51st Psalm. It's very instructive, it's very
precise, and it commences, have mercy upon me, just like I've
said that prayer, God be merciful to me a sinner." That's just
what David is praying here. And every true, born-again child
of God will come to that place where they will have to fall
down before Almighty God and pray in this way. No exceptions. You won't be able to say, well,
I don't think my sins were very bad and therefore I didn't pray
very much. because conviction of sin picks up the smallest
sins and we're condemned by them. What a mercy then to seek for
forgiveness. And so David says, Have mercy
upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness. Isn't that wonderful? That God
should love such a sinner. If you read this account, of
course, It's referring to David's gross sins when he committed
adultery and then he committed murder. We might think some of
the worst sins, and we might think, well, of course David
needed to pray for forgiveness of that. Well, when the Holy
Spirit convicts of sin, every sin you and I will realize needs
forgiveness. And you won't say, well, that
was only a small sin. You will know that that sin convicted
you and convicted me, and we stand guilty before a holy God. According to thy loving kindness
to think that God, the almighty God, should love such a sinner. Unbelievable, isn't it? And yet
it's true, wonderfully true. And that'll be a great comfort
to you and me when we read such an account as this, to think
that David could plead the loving-kindness of his God, according unto the
multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions, blot
it out so that they couldn't be seen, blot it out so they
couldn't be seen, washed me throughly from mine iniquity, cleansed
me from my sin. He wanted all his sin to be washed
away, all his sin to be taken away. He was indeed under the
condemnation of Almighty God. And this prodigal, this man was
also under the condemnation of Almighty God as he was able to
say, I am no more worthy to be called thy son, make me as one
of thy highest servants. And he arose. David had arisen
because the prophet had come to David and pointed out his
sin. In the day and age in which we
live, the Holy Spirit comes and points out our sin. And we will
need then that forgiveness and we will need that confession. We've spoken of that in the Prodigal
and here's David's confession. For I acknowledge my transgressions
and my sin is ever before me. Against thee the only have I
sinned and done this evil in thy sight that thou mightest
be justified when thou speakest and be clear with our judges.
Behold, I was shaken in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive
me." Then he comes to this, he says, Behold, thou desirest truth
in the inward parts, and in the hidden part thou shalt make me
to know wisdom. That means right inside us, that
means in our heart, That means sins that no one else has seen
at all. Hidden sins to people, but not
hidden sins to God, and sins which need to be confessed, and
sins which need to be forgiven, and sins which need to be washed
away. You won't be able to come to
that position and think that your sins are hidden. realise
God knows all about them. What a blessing then to be brought
to that position. And he comes then and says, created
me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. A clean heart. All our sin taken
away. All our sin washed away and delivered. are from desires to carry on
in our sinful life. You see, there are those sins
which come upon us, especially in our teenage years. It's very
easy to become engrossed in sinful things and as we get older sometimes
these sins still cleave to us and hang to us. But we can pray
to the Lord that he will remove them from us. I remember that
when I was a teenager, and I lived in London then, and we had an
old pastor. And at that time he was over
90 years of age, so he lived a long time and he'd been a young
man in the previous century, in the end of the 1800s. He hadn't got any parents, but
he had, but he never knew who they were, and therefore he was
brought up in difficult circumstances. But he was a clever lad, and
he loved acting. Of course, in those days, there
weren't films, but there were stages, and he used to go on
the stage, and he would act. And he was very popular, and
he got on very well because of his ability. enacting and portraying
often things, of course, which were not good, but were attractive
to people. But, you see, the time came in
his life when the Lord touched his heart and he began to be
in want. Now he had a problem. He was
very fond of doing all these things, He didn't want to give them up.
They were very attractive to him, although they were sinful. And he was able to pray to God
about it. And he told us, and a number
of times I heard him speak. And what he said was this. He
said, all the enjoyment that I had on the stage, he said it
was like as though there was a sponge and it was saturated
with water and that sponge was squeezed and all the water drained
away and it was left with no water and he said that was just
the same as I was. He said all the enjoyment was
squashed and squeezed out and therefore he was able to willingly
leave all his acting career and to in actual fact he was of course
as I said he was our pastor in London he was converted and he
was blessed and he was an able person he was a reader He could
proofread and did very well. He taught himself Hebrew and
Greek. He was a very learned person. We see how the Lord changed
his life. He began to be in want. This
man began to be in want. David began to be in want. To be cleansed from his sin. To once again be received into
his father's house. Now this prodigal, he wondered
of course what reception he would get. Perhaps we sometimes may
wonder what reception we may get. But you see the Lord knew
all about this man and the Lord knows all about you and me. And
we see this parable set before us here in this account. And we're told he arose. He came to his father. There was no more looking back,
was there? And the Bible tells us, for whosoever
has put his hand to the plough, and looking back is not fit for
the Kingdom of Heaven. In our lives, God has given us
grace to leave the ways of sin, a sinful life perhaps, a life
hidden perhaps from our parents and our friends, but God knows
all about it, hidden from everyone else. apart from the eye of Almighty
God. But, you see, here was this man
then, returning. He arose and came to his father
and he said, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee,
and am no more worthy to be called thy son. You see that he had
arisen and he'd come to his father and we're told 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. His father had been on the
lookout for him. And that's a beautiful picture
really to think. If you and I come to this place of true repentance,
and desire to come to our God in humble confession. Perhaps
we think we won't be received. Perhaps we think the door will
be shut. No, the door of God's mercy stands open all day for
the poor and the needy. That knock by the way. This man,
he came to his father. and his father was on the lookout
for him. You would think perhaps he would
chastise him, you think he might say, well, I'm gonna teach you
a lesson for all that you've done. But no, he was received,
how? With love. Love is a great and glorious
antidote to sin, the love of the Saviour. So it was here, in this man's
case, when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and
had compassion and ran towards him and fell on his neck and
kissed him. And the son said unto his father,
I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more
worthy to be called thy son." Now it's very significant that
his speech stopped there. He didn't go on to say, make
me as one of thy hired servants. No, he wasn't to be a hired servant. He was a son. He was forgiven. His Father had received him and
received him very generously and very wonderfully. That is
the love of our God toward unworthy sinners. The love of God. It's rich and
free. We can't merit it, we don't deserve
it, but the Lord gives it. And the father said to his servants,
bring forth the best robe, not the worst robe, not the skinniest
robe, the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger,
a ring of everlasting love 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." What does this show to us? It shows
to us the love of God. It shows to us the work of the
Holy Spirit of God which is applied to unworthy
sinners. And all come confessing their
sins, all come confessing they are not worthy, and all stand
amazed at the wonderful goodness and favour of Almighty God. You know, in the Philippians,
the Apostle Paul, of course, had lived his life in so much
opposition to the Saviour. In his earlier days, full of
pride of his false religion, and yet he was able to come and
testify when he wrote that epistle to the Philippians were these
glorious words, but my God shall supply all your need according
to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. A fullness resides in
Jesus our head, which ever abides to answer our need. Isn't that
wonderful to think that Almighty God knows our need, He brings
us into that place of need, and then He visits us and supplies
our need out of His fullness. He brings us into His banqueting
house, and His banner over us is love. Just like it was here, in this
case, when this prodigal returned, the banner over him was love.
It's a glorious demonstration of that, in that which the father
did to set before his son. The evidence, it was indeed unconditional,
wasn't it? He hadn't merited it, no, it
was all the work of God's grace. And so it is in our lives today. It's all the work of God's grace. His unmerited favour toward us. He saw me ruined in the fall,
yet loved me notwithstanding all. That was just like this
person. It was just like my late pastor. Yes, he was loved with everlasting
love. Plucked out. The Lord plucks
out his people. He watches over them. The appointed
time rolls on apace, as the hymn writer says, not to propose,
but call by grace. Sometimes people propose things
to us. Would you like to do this? Or
would you like to do that? God's grace is not like that.
God's grace, God's call, is effectual. That means it comes to pass. That's what it did here. in the
life of this prodigal. The Lord's way was worked out
in his life. It brought him to this time of
need. A time then when the Holy Spirit
convinced him to say, I will arise. He had enough. of all
this opposition to God, to all this running away from his home,
he now said, under the influence of God, I will arise and go to my Father and say unto
him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and am
no more worthy to be called thy son. They're very simple words,
aren't they? They're very true words, and
they're very powerful words. They prove to be a blessing to
us, an encouragement to us, in this parable of what is termed
the prodigal son. What a mercy to be able to trace
it out and in measure all of the people of God would understand
what this means because the devil has been after us from the moment
we're born. He tries to bring us into his
kingdom from the moment we're born. And he puts before us all
the things which are attractive to our nature, to try and lead
us away from the kingdom, from the things of God. He's a very
wily, a very cunning foe. Never underestimate the skill
of the devil. He's very clever. But thanks
be to God. God knows his plans. God knows
what the devil is trying to do. And he would say, thus far and
no further. The devil is a chained foe. Bless
God. But what a mercy to have the
evidence that perhaps we wandered off God knows. Perhaps no one else knows. No
one else has seen us. It's been by ourselves. God knows. Then to have the realisation
of His love and His mercy toward us, which has preserved us, perhaps preserved us from death, preserved us from falling into
hell, until the Lord in his sovereign love and mercy has come and called
us out of darkness into the glorious light of the everlasting gospel. And there it is. We never appreciated
it, but the Holy Spirit shines light into our hearts. And what is
it? It's the work of God. How humbling
to think that Almighty God should care to notice such unworthy sinners. And yet, what cause for rejoicing
What cause to bless God? What cause to praise God? So this evening, as we thought
about this prodigal son, perhaps in some way touched our own case. To be able to come and to praise
our God, for his love and his mercy and his great grace towards
such unworthy sinners. Well, may God be gracious to
us and bless us indeed, for his great name's sake. Amen.