May it please God to bless us
together this evening as we meditate on his word. Let us turn to the
Gospel of Luke, chapter 15, and we'll read verse 14. The Gospel
of Luke, chapter 15, verse 14. And when he had spent all, there
arose a mighty famine in that land, and he began to be in want. The scene which we observe in
this chapter is very interesting, because we're told, 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."
Well, it was surely a most wonderful occasion, wasn't it? And if the
Lord should be gracious enough to send a revival, we should
expect a very similar situation. That there wouldn't be all the
wonderful good people entering in, but there would be the publicans
and the sinners. who come to hear the Gospel. And we'll need much understanding
and much grace to be able to deal with them in a kind and
gracious way. It's very easy to become critical
and hard-hearted. But here we have this beautiful
picture here of all these publicans and sinners coming to hear the
Lord Jesus Christ. And then we read that the Lord
spoke three parables. We read them together tonight
and we're really quite sure each one very succinct and yet each
one very powerful. And the great blessing was, as
the Lord said, I say unto you that likewise joy shall be in
heaven over one sinner that repenteth more than over 99 just persons
which need no repentance. Well, it is a wonderful blessing
to see a repentant sinner, one who is moved by the Holy Spirit
of God. And may we indeed pray that we
may have much opportunity to observe situations like this,
We don't intend to speak on the first two parables this evening,
but coming down to what we refer to as the parable of the prodigal
son. And I believe we should realise
that this is really typical of the individuals that form the
Church of God. And I suppose initially some
may say, well, I'm not as bad as that. Really, I'm not like
this person at all. Well, I believe that when the
Spirit of God works in our hearts, it may not always be initially.
But as the Spirit of God works more and more, and as by his
grace we grow in grace, it is to reveal more of ourselves.
And as we see more of ourselves, we will see that by nature we're
very similar to such a man as this. And of course it will make
us very ashamed and very sad of the condition which we've
perhaps let ourselves get into. Now it may not be perhaps in
an outward form, but my friends, God looks at our heart And it's
a good job, isn't it, that people don't see our heart? Because
the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. That's the truth of God's Word.
And you and I will have to confirm the truth of that as God's Spirit
works in our heart. We won't be left to be a little
sinner, a little sinner. You know, I spoke this morning
about that man we spoke to at the market stall yesterday. And
we talked about sin and of course his reaction was so similar to
most people. Well I'm not very bad. You know
I do a lot of good things. And well I may have done I said
what have you not done any bad things in your life. And he said
well I suppose I have done some. Well you see when the when the
spirit of God convicts really we don't say well we're not very
bad. We say we're very bad. Just like the Apostle Paul, he
said he was the least and the worst sinner. And what is that? Evidence. Evidence is God's work
of grace in our hearts to reveal something of what we are. We'll
never see the real depth of our sin. It's so deep and it's so
terrible. My friends, God shows us sufficient
to bring us low, to keep us low, and to direct us to the great
need we have of a saviour. Well, here we have then this
typical Christian, we might say, here in this short account. He wanted his fill of the world. That's what he wanted. He wanted
to enjoy what he considered to be all the things that this world
had to offer. And therefore he wanted them
now. He didn't want to wait until his father died and he had his
inheritance. He wanted them now. He wanted
to have enjoyment in this life. My friends, how easy it is to
go that way and to be concerned that we might
have enjoyment in this life. And of course, what a poor enjoyment
it is, really. And you might say, well, why
is it poor? Well, it passes away so fast. It's fading. There's no benefit
of it. And so we see this man. He's got his money, and off he
goes. And what does he do? He wastes
it. He wastes it. Don't spend it
wisely. He wastes it. And we're told he wasted his
substance with riotous living. Riotous living. Now again, let's
just come back to this point. You might think, well, I don't
live my life in a riotous way. Well, it's a good thing if you
don't. But you know, it's very easy to fall into a riotous way
of living, especially when you go away from home. Especially
when you're by yourself. Especially when you're at college
or university. It's very easy to fall into a
way of riotous living. And it may only be that you know
of. Your friends, your family, your
parents may not know of it. But God knows. And so here was this man, in
wasting his time and wasting his substance with riotous living. And so there was no real benefit. But there came a time. It didn't
last forever. It didn't last forever. He wasn't working, he was just
spending, wasting his time. And there came a time then when
he spent all. Nothing left. Then what was he
to do? And especially at that time,
there was a mighty famine in that land. So God brings together
circumstances in accordance with his divine purpose to touch our
hearts and to call us by his grace. He brings circumstances,
they come together and they work together for our eternal good.
At the time we think it's the opposite. We think everything
is against us. What a blessing it is if we see that it's not against us. It's
God's love and mercy toward us. And so here we have this statement.
When he had spent all thou rose a mighty famine in that land. And then we come to these words
which I want to concentrate on tonight. And he began. to be in want. There was a beginning. He wasn't in want, was he, when
he was spending all his money in riotous living, and as he
thought he was having a good time, but it vanished away. He got nothing. He couldn't go
on having a good time. He couldn't go on in a riotous
way. He got no money. It all gone.
No, he was found in a country where there was a great famine,
a mighty famine. People weren't willing to give
him anything. No, he was alone, destitute, far off from his father,
far off from the country where he'd been brought up, a foreign
land, destitute. Well, we really observed that
it was the work of the Holy Spirit bringing him to such a condition. So that in that condition, we're
told, and he began to be in want. Up to that time, well, he hadn't
cared about things really, but we see that God brought him down
low to a time when he began to be in want. Well, I wonder this
evening whether we can look back in our lives to a time when the
Holy Spirit worked in our hearts and we realised the things that
we were involved in, the things that we were doing, the condition
that we were existing in, there was no real satisfaction in it.
There was an emptiness. There was a void. There wasn't
anything substantial. And at that time to realise that
the Blessed Spirit moved us to being want. At the time we wouldn't
have realised what it was. Bless God the Lord works in his
way and in his time. Remember his way and his time
is always best because it only brings glory to himself. This
man could never glory could he in what he'd done. He wasn't
able to say, well, I'm gonna turn now and be a good man. No,
not at all. The spirit of God moved, as his
parable said, and he began to be in want. What was it? A change. A change. Well, bless God tonight. If you can look back to a time
when there was a change, and the things of the world had a
different perspective. There wasn't the attraction in
them. They'd lost their attraction. And there was an emptiness. We
weren't able to really describe. There was that want. You began
to be in want. Oh my friends, bless God this
evening, if there is in your life, in my life, a beginning.
A beginning of the work of God. And my friends, if there's a
beginning, and it's God's beginning, there will be a good end. There'll be many things to learn
along the way. Many hard things to learn, many difficult things
to learn, many things to regret, many things to mourn over. But
bless God, if there's been a beginning and he began to be in want. Now you see, in that time of
need, of need, a want We were in a time of want, a time of
need. We need something. This man was desperate. He hadn't
got any food. He was in a desperate condition. So what did he do? He went and
joined himself to a citizen of that country and he sent him
into his fields to feed swine. Now remember, interestingly enough,
the Lord Jesus was addressing the Jews. You know, the Jews
were not allowed to eat pork, were they? They weren't allowed
really to deal with pigs. And so this man, who would have
been aware of that situation, he had to join himself and do
that, which was probably the least attractive thing that he
could have ever been asked to do. You see, God deals with its people
in such a way. It doesn't always say, oh well
now, everything's okay, you can carry on if you want to. My friends,
we often come back a hard way. We often come back, as it were,
with broken bones. The Lord may bring us a hard
way back, a difficult way, not something which is attractive,
This would have been most unattractive to this man. But you see, the
Lord was dealing with him. And that's the important issue.
When we become to be in want, to know the Lord is dealing with
us. Dealing with us, even if it's a very difficult thing.
And you see, in that situation, he
was a hungry man. He was desperate for some food. And we're told he would fain
have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat,
and no man gave unto him." Again, in such a condition, when we
begin to be in want, we may not find that people are falling
over to help us. We may find ourselves pretty
lonely. We may find ourselves struggling
on knowing how to continue. But you see in this case, I believe
it is in the case of all of God's people, there came a time when
he came to himself. He'd begun to be in want, and
now the Lord was dealing with him and he came to himself. What a blessing it is when the
Spirit of God shows us what we are, how foolish we've been,
How sinful we've been, how evil we've been. We realised there
was a need, but now the Spirit of God comes and works in this
way. And when he came to himself,
an appointed time for God's work to appear. He came to himself. I wonder, in our lives, whether
we know the truth of that. When we came to ourself, and
what it really means is, the Lord showed us our true condition,
showed us how foolish and ignorant we were, and are. And then you see, as he came
to himself, we might say today, when he came to his senses, And
he said to himself, well, how many hired servants of my father's
have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger. I will arise and go to my father. What a change, wasn't it? What
a different man. A person that wanted to run away
and to spend all his money in rioters living now. Under the
spirit of God, he's directed His thoughts go to his father. His thoughts go to the happy
home he left. His thoughts go to that place
that he'd left. And he remembers the situation. And therefore, when he came to
himself, he remembered what he'd left. What a favour it is when
sometimes The Spirit of God may touch our hearts and we may realise
what we've left, what we've gone away from, what we've forsaken. And we chide ourselves because
of our foolish heart. We don't think very much of ourselves.
We don't have a high view of ourselves. We realise how poor
we are. But it's a blessing when we come
to ourself like this man did. And he asked this question, how
many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare,
and I perish with hunger? Well, you and I will perish spiritually
if we're not fed by the good hand of our God. Well, you see, he began to be
in want. He got a hunger. God had brought
that hunger upon him, because he'd lost everything. And it's a mercy when God brings
us into a place of hunger. Hunger for the things of God. Hunger for our Father's house. Hunger for the things of God. Hunger for spiritual food. Do you know what it is? Have you walked that way? Do you understand the truth? Do you appreciate the blessed
work of the Spirit in your heart, which has given you a hunger
and a desire to come to your Father's house? Well, here was this man then.
came to himself. He made this statement. He said,
well how many hired servants of my father's have bread enough
and to spare and I perish with hunger. What was he going to
do? Stay where he was? Carry on feeding
the swine? Just having that mere husks to
feed upon? Was he going to remain in that
position? No, my friends, he said, I will arise and go to
my father. Well, what a blessing truth it
is when the Spirit of God moves our heart. So we find ourselves
like that. We can't sit still any longer.
And we say to our God, really, I will arise. I will arise and
go to my Father." Now, he wasn't aware of what reception he might
get. But we see his desire was to come and what he would say. He planned what he would say. This is what he would say, Father,
I have sinned against heaven. and before thee." Remember the
truth here. You see, it's sin against heaven,
which we can interpret as sinning against God. When the Spirit
works in our heart, it directs us to that point. We've sinned
against God. We may have sinned against other
people, and he says, and before thee. But the principle truth
is that we've sinned against God. And therefore, in that condition,
we are a lost sinner. Without any favour from God,
we're lost and we're ruined. There's no hope. But here was
this man then, directed by the Spirit of God, to come and say,
Father, I have sinned against heaven and before Thee. And then
he tells us of his lowness. He'd come right down. No longer
was he a proud person. No longer was he a son that desired
to waste all his money that his father had given him. But no,
here he is. And he says, I am no more worthy to be called thy
son. Make me as one of thy hired servants.
The beginning, he began to be in want. The movement and the
work of the Holy Spirit had brought him this place where he was able
to say, he is not worthy. to be called thy son." My friends,
what a blessing when the Spirit of God moves our hearts. We can't
think that there's anything good in us. We come and say before
God, I'm not worthy. Thou shouldest take any notice
of me. I'm just too black. I'm just too vile a sinner. And
to come and say, yes, I'm no more worthy to be called thy
son. And he says, make me as one of
thy hired servants, willing to just take a menial position,
just to be found in his father's house. Remember David, I think, who said, I'd
rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in
the tents of wickedness. And that means the work of the
Spirit, moving us to be content to just be a doorkeeper in the
house of God rather than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. And
here was this man then, ready and willing to just be a servant,
a hired servant in his father's house. Well, he meditated on
this in his heart. We meditate in our heart of this
situation. What was he going to do then?
He was going to leave behind all that he'd been involved with. Leave it behind. And he was going
to rise and go to his father. Well, this wasn't just mere words. Because this was followed by
actions. And so we're told, and he arose
and came to his father. Well, of course, this is a parable,
but thinking of it, if we were in that place in a physical way,
we might often think, well, what's my father gonna say? What's my
father gonna think? I've been so bad, I've been so
evil. What kind of reception am I going
to get? That's just the case really. Is it not in a spiritual sense? The Lord brings us to begin to
be in want and shows us our true condition and we desire to arise
and come to God. We might think, well, would he
receive me? I'm such a vile sinner. Would
he accept me? Would he receive me? Well, there's many words in the
scriptures to encourage us to come to our God. There's no sinner too black. Remember, the Lord Jesus said,
I came to seek and to save that which was lost. And by the evidence
of this man, he was lost. The Lord came to seek and to
save. All my friends tonight, what a blessing if you and I
have been shown the blessing of God. He came to seek and to
save us. As we are now, or we've been
on the journey to our father. And what reception did he receive? Well, how wonderful to think
that God receives us in such a most gracious way. 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. Such a sinner. Think of that with regards to
our own position. The Lord comes to us and receives
us As it were, his arms are open
to receive us. We can say, I came to Jesus as
I was, weary and weak and tired. Oh, my friends, the Lord is ready
to receive us. Ready to receive us. Come unto
me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will Give
you rest. Gracious invitation, isn't it?
Here was this man, this son, returning to his father. And
his father arose and came to him and saw him in his great
way off and saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck
and kissed him. My friends, to think that the
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Receiveth sinners. Receiveth sinners. Go back to
the first verse. Then drew near unto him all the
publicans and sinners, for to hear him. And these parables
were spoken to such, to encourage them. Encourage them to hear
the gracious invitations of the Word of God. The father then said to his servants,
bring forth the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on
his hand and shoes on his feet. 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. Well, the great blessing is that
if the Lord Jesus Christ receives us. Receives us as we are and
doesn't deal with us as our sins deserve, does he? This man wasn't
dealt with as his sins deserve. They weren't even mentioned.
He weren't even mentioned. Father spoke so lovingly to him. And there was that gracious embrace
as he fell on his neck and kissed him. Our gracious God doesn't deal
with us as our sins deserve. When he brings us to himself,
then it is that he comes and blesses us. A needy, helpless
sinner to receive this great and wonderful favour from Almighty
God, that He does all those things necessary, gives us the best
robe, puts a wedding ring on our hands, and brings the fatted
calf. And we might think in a true
way, in a very solemn way, that the Lord God reveals to us then
His Son. the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's
then, you see, we're ready to feed upon Christ. Not before,
but now the time has come. The Spirit of God has moved us
and he's shown to us his love, that love displayed in the Word
of God. For God so loved the world, he sent his only begotten
Son into the world, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish
but have eternal life. And by faith today, we see the
Lord Jesus Christ. We see him indeed as the Lamb
of God that taketh away the sin of the world. We see that he
was slain on our behalf. so that we might receive the
forgiveness of all our sins, bad as they were, horrible and
vile as they were. He came to seek and save that
which was lost. He died to set his people free. And if the Son therefore shall
make you free, you shall be free indeed. The freedom that God
brings is a full freedom because it's a full forgiveness. Because
the Lord Jesus Christ has given his life, there could be no greater
price paid than the life, the bloodshed, the evidence of the
life given. And so by faith, we behold the
Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. We behold
by faith the Lamb of God taking away all our sin. so that we
realise the wonderful favour and the wonderful mercy of God.
It's a time, isn't it, for rejoicing. It's a time for praising, a time
for acknowledging the goodness and greatness of our God. And so here in this account we
have this wonderful statement of the Lord's mercy toward the
Father's mercy toward this son, and as we translated, God's mercy
toward us. Unworthy sinners. How amazing
it is. No doubt we expect the worst,
but you see, it's not there. Now don't forget this son. What
he determined to say was this. No more worthy to be called thy
son. Make me as one of thy hired servants. What did he say? When he actually
came to his father, he said, I am no more worthy to be called
thy son. He didn't come to the last bit,
maybe as one of thy hired servants. No, he was the son. And my friends, it's a wonderful
favour when the Spirit of God confirms to us that we are sons
and daughters of the Most High God. We are his children. He's watched over us, and he's
called us by his grace, directed us to himself. He's revealed
to us, in some measure, the cost of our salvation. We can go on
our way rejoicing, thankful to know it is the blessed work of
the Spirit of God toward us, such unworthy sinners. And we
have to say yes. It's all of his grace. We understand,
don't we? What John Newton then said, amazing
grace. How sweet the sound that saved
a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm
found. His grace has set me free. Amen.