I'd like for you to take your
Bibles and turn with me to the book of Luke, chapter 15. Luke
15, very familiar passage of scripture, but one that here
a few days ago, early in the morning, was just on my heart. It's the story of the prodigal
son. I've entitled this A Rescued
Son. In Luke 15, verses one and two,
the Lord speaking to two different groups. It says, Luke 15, one,
then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to
hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes
murmured. saying, this man receiveth sinners
and eateth with them. The Lord who knew both groups is going to teach them, going
to teach them something. He's going to teach one group
concerning his indescribable mercy. to unworthy sinners. He's going to teach the other
group concerning their guilt, shame, to reject His mercy. I want to look at actually a
third parable in this chapter. He spoke to this group first
of all about a lost sheep and he spoke about a lost coin. And then finally, I'd like to
consider this third parable about a lost son, lost son. The scripture says, and I'm gonna
start in verse 11 and go to the end of the chapter. And he said,
a certain man had two sons. Now these two sons we're going
to consider They both belonged to this father. It says he did. He said a certain man had two
sons. The man is one that sets forth
and represents the father, the one who owns all souls. This father who possesses these
two boys, These two boys are very different. We're going to
see that in just a minute. And these two boys set forth
for us the elder. We're going to look at him toward
the end of the message. He's one that has constantly
been living religiously under the sound of the truth. He's
in his father's house. Now you recognize who's talking
here. This man represents Almighty
God. And this boy, this elder boy,
he's been sitting there living with no saving knowledge of what
he's hearing. The younger one is going to be
one that is a vessel of God's mercy who has left the house. He's out in the world He has
no desire for hearing the sound of the gospel of God's free grace. He is as those, hold your place
right there and turn over to Ephesians 2. Whenever the Spirit
of God moved upon Paul to write this to the church at Ephesus,
and here's what he told them, they, the vessels of his mercy,
this is where they were, Ephesians 2, 12 and 13, he said, that at
that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth
of Israel, strangers from the covenant's promise, having no
hope without God in the world, but now in Christ Jesus, ye who
sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. I'm gonna show us from the scriptures
these things are so, these two boys, These two boys right here are
just like set forth in, throughout the scriptures. There's two kinds
of people in this world, only two, only two. Sheep and goats,
Jacob's and Esau's, elect and reprobate. There's only two kinds.
I don't care what, where they're, where they are, where they're
born, where they're living right now. There's not but two kinds
of people in this world. the vessels of God's mercy and
those that God Almighty has justly left to Himself. Don't ever let
anybody tell you God has elected people to go to hell. He just
left them alone. They're doing exactly what they want to do.
They're doing exactly what they want to do. And let me tell you
how God recovers. All men are born in sin. All
men are dead spiritually. All of them. But there's some
Almighty God is going to show mercy. Right back in Luke 11,
oh 15, I'm sorry. Verses 12 and 13, 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. Now, here's a picture of God's
elect in Adam's rebellion. This boy is presumptuous, believing
Satan's lie that he was capable of handling his life on his own. He's arrogant, and his demand
for what Satan said was due him. God knows, you're not gonna die.
In a day, you're gonna be, you're gonna be his gods. You're gonna
be his god, knowing good and evil. You're due, you're due. Boy, independent-minded, hating
God's rule over him, thinking that he could be his own god. He's the master of his own destiny. That's what false religion tells
everybody. Life and death in your hands.
Do what you want to do. Distrustful of the Lord's promise
of punishment for disobedience. One that despises fellowship
with the God of this Bible. Now that's man by nature. That's all of us. And the scripture
reveals that the father of these two sons, he gave his son what
was coming to him, got his substance. But it says that this boy, not
many days after verse 13, he gathered all together, took his
journey into the far country. There wasted his substance, wasted
all they had, wasted it. Now there's where we are. We're in Adam's fall. We've wasted our fellowship with
God, presence of God, peace with God, wasted it all. Man was made
upright and he fell. Man in Adam's fall wasted his
substance, security, comfort, or an air castle. Have we ever
seen people that build these air castles? Man, I'm telling
you, they are good. This is what I'm gonna do. I'm
gonna be somebody. I'm gonna be somebody. Well,
the scripture says, verse 14, when he had spent all, he broke, he is broke. And there arose a mighty famine
in that land, and he began to be in want. When he spent all,
just like man spent all by one act of disobedience, stripped
of everything, he has no ability in himself to regain what he
threw away. What did man lose in the garden? Life. hope in himself, peace
with God. Now this younger boy right here,
he is an object. This is his daddy's boy. He loves
him, loved of his father. He's in a state of famine and
want. Now you think about where every
child of God's promise, every vessel of God's mercy, Born in
this world. Where is he? Before the Lord
rescues him. Right here. He's in want, he's
in famine. He's not able even to know the
depth of his need. He's ignorant of his emptiness.
Man, you talk about, I can relate to this one. I can relate to
this boy. He's like blind Bartimaeus. sitting on the side of the road
there in Jericho, begging. What'd he have? An old raggedy
garment that he wrapped himself up, picture of his own self-righteousness. What'd this boy have? He didn't
have anything. He's in a, it's a famine now. He's a picture of his spiritual
famine. He's spiritually dead, he's dead. But he thinks himself to be alive,
he thinks he can handle this thing. I can handle this. Oh, what a striking example of
God's people, dead in their sins, without hope, without God in
the world, alienated from God. No sin, no peace, no comfort. And here's what he does. Now,
I'm gonna tell you something. It says he went, verse 15, and
joined himself to a citizen of that country. And he went and
he sent him into his fields to feed swine. Now, in the context
of what's happening, let me tell you what this boy has done. He's joined himself. He could
be a businessman. He could have been a businessman.
I think it's a fit picture of just joining himself. He's going
to reform. He's going to have to find himself
a place. He found himself in want, and
he's gone and joined himself to a citizen, but this citizen
is, I see, a fit picture of get some religion here. I'm in trouble. I'm in trouble. I've seen these
signs, I remember one there in Louisiana, a little town I was
in when I was in high school. This fella had a gas station,
and he was so proud, he had this big sign put up, and it said,
go to the church of your choice. I remember that just as plainly,
big old sign, he was so proud, he stopped me, he said, look
at this sign, go to the church of your choice. Find you something. that satisfies
you. There's a lot of them out there.
You're gonna find something that you're going to find some hope
in. So he goes and he joins himself
to a citizen of that country. He sent him into his fields to
feed swine. I can still, I mean, humanly
speaking, I get it. This man right here is a picture
of a businessman. He's got some pigs out there,
but religiously, He's joined himself to those that are in
spiritual darkness, but they've got great intentions. They love
everybody they say. Here, this boy, he joins himself.
He's got some realization of his need. You know, when you
get in trouble, when you get in trouble, how many times have
you had somebody that get in trouble? They got a report from
the doctor, Didn't go like I wished it would and and I'm gonna have
to I'm gonna have to get I'm gonna have to really really what
I need to do is turn over a new leaf I Need to I need to I need
to get we need to get in church seriously. We do we need to get
in church Because that's the right thing to do and I'm made
up my mind. I'm going to I'm gonna go and
I'm gonna go to church and I'm gonna I'm gonna do the right
thing and and I'm gonna, you know, I know I've been, I hadn't
been right, but I'm not gonna do this anymore. I'm gonna fix
my needs. So he sends him out to feed swine. He's gonna give them some pig
food. And just like this boy, ruined
sinners, unawakened by grace, they join themselves to those
that are of that world. That's what it say. Joined himself
to a citizen of that country. Left his father's house. He's
gone and he joined himself to that. Has no interest going back home
here. None whatsoever. Why? Because he's dead. He's
dead. Until the spirit of God comes
and regenerates, regenerating grace. Man by nature is ignorant
of that which is right. He joined himself, those of that
world. Picture, I see, of Satan's ministers
who just sends out the flood of false religion. Pig food, that's what it is,
pig food. Pig, swine food, that which is unclean. Right here. I can see my own personal testimony. I'm telling you, when I got out of college, it didn't go well. And I had
a tough time, kicked out of the house. My dad kicked me out of
the house. I deserved it. Kicked me out
of the house. I was tough. I was tough. I can
handle this. I can handle this. I'll show
him. Well, it didn't take me long
to realize. You know what? I'm in trouble.
I'm in trouble. And I did. I, you know, I joined
myself to those that I thought would be helps to me. But in the good providence of
God, I did go home. That was just added for this.
That wasn't even in my notes. That's why I'm saying I can relate
to this boy. He's tough. But this boy, he's joined himself. After I came back home, I got
religious. I got religious, and I made up
my mind, I'm gonna do the right thing. I was gonna be a teacher,
because I really knew some stuff. I'd gone to church as a kid. I joined myself to what I thought
was right. It sounded good, it gave me some
honor, gave me some distinction, And let me tell you exactly what
happened to this boy right here. In verse 16, he would fain have
filled his belly with the husk that the swine did eat, and no
man gave unto him. Now let me tell you what I thought
for years that was saying. He was so hungry that he just came down to the
last resort where all he had was swine food husk to eat. He was so hungry, that's not
what it means. You look up that word fain right
there, he delighted in it. He was loving it. That word right
there sets forth that that boy, he would fain have filled his
belly with the husk. The husk, I found out, was carob. It had a chocolate flavor. It was a sweet taste that the
swine did eat. And he found himself joyfully
feeding and filling his belly with what he thought was tasty
and spiritually nutritious. He would have feigned, have filled
his belly with pig food. Now I'm gonna tell you something.
I can tell you for a fact, in false man-centered, man-honoring
religion, man-praising religion, without the light of God's regenerating
grace, man or woman loves it. They love it because it feeds
their flesh. You're somebody. You're somebody. He would feign he was not struggling. I always thought, this boy's
struggling, because he just hadn't eaten pig puss. No. He loved what he was doing,
and no man gave unto him, no man gave him any better. It was
just, Insignificance going on. Everybody was praising everybody
else, and patting everybody on the back, and we're all doing
good, and we're, oh, I'm telling you, the emptiness of false man-centered
religion. Gives you nothing, nothing. The
scripture says, verse 17, something happened here. 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. Now here was an amazing thing.
Blue Letter Bible says when he came to him, say, he came to
his senses, to a healthy state of mind. And here is the quickening
power of God's Spirit. True life. formed in the soul. When the Lord said, a new heart
I will give you, a new spirit will I put in you. This boy was
loving what he was doing. Don't think he wasn't liking
it. He loved it. He loved it. I got it going. He wasted everything
else, but I can handle this thing. And he was eating pig food and
loving it. And by the grace of God, Let
me tell you, let me ask you something. You think when Saul of Tarsus
was on the road to Damascus, was he loving what he was doing?
Yes, sir. I got letters of authority. I'm
somebody. And he was going to arrest people
who were of the way. He was loving it. He was loving. You think Matthew was loving
what he did when the Lord went by that table of custom there? Follow me. You think old Matthew
was sitting there in drudgery just thinking, somebody better
come help me, I'm in trouble. No, people in spiritual famine,
they don't know it. They don't know that. They love
what they're doing. They love it. And almighty God
is pleased to cross this boy's path. He came to himself and
he realized, I'm eating pig food. I'm eating pig food. I'm eating
slop. What I've been feasting on, what I thought was the greatest
stuff, it's empty. It's nothing. It's a lie. It's a lie. According to this
book, it's a lie. And he said in verse 18, I will
arise and go to my father, and I'll say to him, father, I've
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 he came to his
father, but when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and
had compassion, ran, fell on his neck, and kissed him. You
talk about the evidence of the work of God's grace. This boy
was made, he was made willing in the day of God's power. And
he was honest about it. He was honest and he confessed
what he is, what he was doing. And he was fleeing to the one
that would have mercy on him. Nobody else was doing anything
for him. There was one, I'm telling you, a man or woman regenerated
by the grace of God knows they have hope in one. He that cometh,
all that the Father giveth me, shall come to me. And him that
cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. You think now this
boy who's come to himself, who realizes what he's been doing,
he's honest about it, he's honest about it. I was wrong, I was
wrong. That's the first thing I hear
people that God's shown some light. I was wrong. I was wrong. I was wrong. That's what he said.
I will rise. I'll go to my father. I'll say
to him, father, I was wrong. I sinned against heaven. I did
it before you. I was wrong. I'm not worthy. I'm not worthy of the least of
your mercies. He knows what he is now. I'm
just a rescued son. that has treated everybody that
ever loved me with such disrespect. The Lord said to His disciples,
and all those others left, you going too? But Peter said, Lord,
where am I going to go? Where are we going to go? Where
are we going to go? Let me ask you this. You that
know it that's been rescued from the dregs of our rebellion and
sin. You that's been rescued, where
else would you go except to him? Where are you gonna go? Father,
I've sinned against you. Oh, but listen to this. What
compassion when he was a great way off, his father saw him.
Oh, how far did the heavenly father see his beloved children
in Christ? How far? for the foundation of
the world. He saw us everlastingly and loved
us. Saw us in His eternal covenant
of grace in Christ. Saw us in our rebellion in the
fall. Saw us being redeemed by the precious blood of Christ.
Saw us buried and risen, ascended with Him right now. Seated with
Him. I don't understand that. His father saw him. He had compassion. He ran and fell on his neck and
kissed him. Oh, the love that Almighty God
has for his people. What joy he has in bringing his
people to himself. Why? Because he's satisfied. by the blood of Christ. He fell
on his neck, that neck at one time was stiff and rebellious,
now it's soft to his kisses. Verse 21, son said, Father, I've
sinned against heaven. In thy sight, I'm no more worthy
to be called thy son. You know, how quickly, how quickly
does one regenerated by God's grace began to confess? John, 1 John 1, 9, if we confess
our sins, and again, we don't know the
depth of them. I don't know what I've all done. But I can tell you this, everything
that I've done in myself is rebellion. I know this. I know that of myself,
Paul said, in my flesh there dwelleth no good thing. I know
that. If we confess our sins, meaning this, I am a sinner. I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner. But
thanks be unto God. I'm the kind you said you came
to save. And Lord, I know what I am. I
know what I am. I'm a rebel against God. But
I'm a rebel against God that's in trouble. And I'm coming to
you and I'm gonna just ask you. Lord, I'm not worthy, but I'm
asking, would you just make me one of your hired servants? I
just want to be here. I want to be back home. I want to be
home. David said, if I could be a doorkeeper, I'd rather be
a doorkeeper. If we confess our sins, he's
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us
of all unrighteousness. All of it. You mean those, Sins that I don't
even know that I did. As I've said, concerning other
things, if it happens to fall under the category of all unrighteousness,
it covers that too. I don't even know, bear, what
I've done. I don't know what I've done. I don't know how much
I've done. How much do I owe? I don't know,
I don't know. But I can tell you this, it's
more than I can answer for. Verse 22, but the father said
to his servants, while this boy was trying to plead his case,
make his case with his daddy. Bring forth the best robe, put
it on him. Put a ring on his hand, shoes
on his feet, bring hither the fatty calf and kill it. 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. Oh, the merit of the cleansing
power of God's precious blood in Christ. While this boy was
being honest, and I'm telling you, God's people never stop
being honest. They never stop. While he was
being honest to his daddy, his daddy said, you bring the best
robe and you put it on him. While we're being honest with
him, with this realization, I have sinned against you. Here we are. robed in His righteousness. You put it on Him. And you put
a ring on His hand. While I'm being honest, I know
this. Here is the emblem of that precious
marriage, being married to Him. You put shoes on his feet while
I see my inconsistency in my walk. I see that. I can see it. I'm not worthy. I'm not worthy.
I'm not worthy. My feet are shod with the preparation
of the gospel of peace. I believe him. I believe him.
Oh, the scripture sets forth. We worship God in spirit. We rejoice in Christ Jesus and
we have no confidence in our flesh right now. Verse 23, bring
hither the fatty calf, kill it, let's eat, be merry. As my son
was dead, he's alive again, lost and found. They began to be merry. Oh, the feasting of God's people. This is what we're doing right
now. Let me tell you something. I'm convinced there's some prodigals
that Almighty God's rescued. And you know what your attitude
is right now? You can say just exactly what that boy said right
there. I've sinned against you, Lord, I've sinned against you.
Oh, have mercy upon me. Lord, make me one of your hired
servants. Just let me be here, just let
me be here. Lord, don't take your spirit
away from me. All the while robed in the righteousness
of Christ, with the ring, the emblem of his precious marriage,
walking in the light that you have. Oh, I'm telling you, I
can see two people here. Here's a rescued boy. Verse 25,
now his elder son was in the field. As he came and drew nigh
to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one
of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said
unto him, thy brothers come. Thy father hath killed the fatted
calf because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was
angry. He was angry. And would not go
in. And therefore came his father
out and entreated him. Now here, here we see this elder
son. Type, these Pharisees that he
was talking to. Those that had the, they had
the law, they had the prophets. What did they do? They murmured. They murmured. This man receiveth
sinners. This man receiveth sinners. That message that sets forth
that salvation is not by works of righteousness, which we have
done. But according to his mercy, he
saved us. by the washing of regeneration
and renewing of the Holy Ghost. When this boy heard that his
father had shown mercy, mercy to a son that had wasted all
he had on righteous living, that filthy good-for-nothing
sinner son, And the father had showered him with the best. He was angry. He was angry. And he would not go in. The father comes out in verse
28 and treats him. And he answered and said to his
father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee. Neither transgressed
I at any time thy commandment, and yet thou never gavest me
a kid that I might make married with my friends. But as soon
as this thy son was come, didn't even own him as his brother,
which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed
for him the fatty calf. Are you telling me, you're telling
me, that all of my consistency, of
all of my good works, of all of my faithfulness, of all these
mighty, mighty blessed works that I've done. I prophesied
your name, that's what they told the Lord. Matthew 7, that's what
the Lord said, this is how it's gonna be. Many, many, many were
saying to me, Lord, I cast out devils. Many mighty works. I am a somebody. This boy said,
are you telling me that all these years of consistency that I've
shown to you counts for nothing, for nothing
concerning my peace, reconciliation, my salvation? That father told him, verse 31
and 32, he said, son, Thou art ever with me, and all
that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make
merry and be glad, for this thy brother was dead, and is alive
again, and was lost, and is found. Now, I can tell you how that
promise that his father gave to his son is just like the promise
that was given to Esau. This boy was really, it said
that he was the son of his father. Ezekiel 18.4 says, behold, all
souls are mine. As the soul of the father, also
the soul of the son is mine. And the soul of the son is gonna
die. How many people in this world belong to God? All of them,
all of us. All souls are his, the soul that
answers before God in His sin is going to die. Those for whom
Christ has paid their debt, they're going to live. But we all belong
to Him, and the Lord does as He will. He told him, He said,
All that I have is thine. Psalm 24.1, The earth is the
Lord's, and the fullness thereof. the world and they that dwell
in it. And just like the Lord had Isaac to bless Jacob, here
was the blessing that Jacob got. It was the spiritual blessing
of mercy found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now you go back and read
the blessing that Esau got. You know what he promised him?
The goodness, the fatness of this earth, the dew of heaven,
you're going to have all good things in this earth. And that
was, that's, that's the father's to give. He can give this. We
looked at chapter 36 of Genesis and all of those dukes and kings
and that was from the lineage of Esau. All that I have is thine. He had it all. He had, this boy
right here, he had all that belonged to his father. But the younger brother had life.
He had life and mercy. And this boy, this elder son,
he was just like these Pharisees. They murmured against the mercy
and grace of God. There's only two kinds of people
in this world. Those to whom God has been pleased to show
mercy, filthy, undeserving sinners. And he shows mercy. And those
that think themselves to be worthy of God's and worthy of God's
acceptance because of their so-called faithfulness all these many years. Me? Me? And you take him? May God have mercy on our souls
for Christ's sake.