The Prodigal Son

Good morning again. Let's read the rest of the passage that we started earlier in Luke chapter 15. Luke chapter 15. My father and my pastor, he asked me to send his regards to the church here, and I want to make sure that I do that. He's gonna ask me if I remember, so... I've sent his regards, and also my sister, she has met with y'all before, when she wanted me to make sure I said hello to the believers here. Luke chapter 15, and we'll begin reading in verse 11, and we'll read through verse 24. And the Lord said, a certain man had two sons, 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. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land, and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country and sent him into his fields to feed the swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husk that the swine did eat, and no man gave unto him.

And when he had come to himself, he said, how many servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare? and I perish with hunger, I will arise and go to my father, and I will say unto him, father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and I'm no more worthy to be called thy son.

Make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose and came to his father. But 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. And the son said unto him, father, I've sinned against heaven and in your sight and am no more worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his servants, bring forth the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand 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 and he was lost and is found. And they began to be merry.

I want to say again how good it is to be able to be here with you today. I appreciate Brother Darwin inviting me, having a father who's a pastor who I've known for a long time. They don't take it lightly when they ask someone to preach. He loves you and cares for you and prays for you. And the last thing he wants to do is expose you to anything but the truth of the gospel. So it's a great honor to be asked and just a great privilege to be here with you. And you know, a lot of believers, they have a desire to share their hope, to share the gospel, but they struggle to ever have the opportunity to do where The Lord's opened this wonderful opportunity for me, for people who've come who wanna hear the gospel. What a blessing, what a blessing to be with you.

During the time earlier during the Bible class, we started this study on the lost son or the prodigal son. And we saw that on account of the Pharisees and the scribes murmuring, that the Lord Jesus received sinners and ate with them. They began to murmur and complain.

And the Lord spoke this parable unto them. And he teaches us many things in this parable about how God receives, how God saves sinners. And we saw that at the highest level This parable teaches three things. It teaches us the very sad state of the lost. And that's what we spent our time looking at earlier. Secondly, it teaches us some truths concerning repentance. And thirdly, it teaches us about God's willingness to forgive. God's willingness to forgive. And so that second and third truth is what I want us to spend our time on looking at now. May God teach us. May God help us.

So let's consider what the Lord taught concerning the repentance of sinners. The repentance of sinners. The first thing I want us to consider is this truth that sinners, all of us, When I talk about sinners, who am I talking about? Am I talking about somebody out there? No. I'm talking about somebody in here. I'm talking about us. That sinners are commanded by a holy and righteous God to repent. God commands you, He commands me to repent. To turn. To turn from our sins. To turn to Him.

You remember the Apostle Paul and his message on Mars Hill. He said, God, and this was the first time these people had ever heard anything about the gospel. First time they'd heard anything about the gospel. The apostle stands and preaches and says, God now commands all men everywhere to repent because he hath appointed a day and to which he is going to judge the world and righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he gave us all assurance in that he hath raised him from the dead." Can you imagine? First time they ever heard anything of the gospel, Paul stood and boldly said, God now commands all men everywhere to repent.

That's quite a message, isn't it? God, he told these people, God commands you to repent. God commands us. He commands me. He commands you to repent. You see, one of the things that these religious leaders missed, one of the things that they missed, that the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world with this very purpose, to call sinners to repentance. That's why He came. He came to call sinners to repentance. If He was going to leave men in unrepentance, He didn't need to come. We were already in unrepentance. He came to call sinners to repentance. Look back, if you would, at Matthew chapter 9. Matthew chapter 9. Let me read just a couple of verses here. Verse number 10. Matthew 9, verse number 10. Another example, very similar to what initiated the parable in Luke 15.

It says, and it came to pass, as Jesus said at meet in the house, this is Matthew's house, the publican, the tax collector, the Jew who worked on the side of the Romans, as he said at meet in his house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, why, Edith, your master, with publicans and sinners.

But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, they that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go you and learn what that meaneth. I will have mercy and not sacrifice, for I'm not come to call the righteous. but sinners to repentance. You see, they were missing the whole point.

The Lord Jesus came to save sinners. The Lord Jesus came to live and die for sinners. The Lord Jesus came to call sinners to repentance. Isn't that good news? They were offended that he sat down with publicans and sinners. They didn't know the Savior, did they? They didn't know the Savior. He came to call sinners to repentance.

We learn in the Gospels, do you know this? Do you know that the Lord Jesus Christ, He was a preacher. And do you know what He preached? He preached repentance. We hear a lot about John the Baptist preaching repentance, right? The Lord Jesus Christ, He preached repentance.

He said the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent ye and believe the gospel. Oh, that you would hear these words as they were spoken by the Lord today. Then you would he, not as my words, but as his words, repent ye and believe the gospel. He said, except ye repent, you shall all likewise perish. That was the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. Unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish.

He commands us. He commands all sinners to repent. Us. You say, well, I repented 20 years ago, 30 years. No. He commands us right now. The believers life is a life of repentance and a life of faith. It never stops Do you live a day where you don't need a repentance? I? Don't you live a moment where you don't need repentance. No Unless you repent you shall all likewise pair. She commands us to repent He commands us to change our mind. You say change my mind. What am I supposed to change my mind about? to change our mind first of all about sin and God commands us to change our mind about sin.

Man, almost everybody will acknowledge in this world that there is such a thing as sin. But man by nature doesn't see it as that big a problem. Yeah, it's not good, but it's not that big a deal, is it? Oh, yeah. Sin's a big problem. Sin is a very big problem. We're sinners and God will by no means clear the guilty. That's a problem, right? That's a problem.

We need to change our mind about righteousness. We need to change our mind about sin. We have to change our mind about righteousness. You know what most people think righteousness is? Most people think that righteousness is doing the best that you can. Yeah, I believe in righteousness, a righteous life. I'm doing the best that I can. That's my hope. Number one, that's not true. Nobody's doing the best that they can. And even if you could, it just isn't good enough.

Nothing but filthy rags, God says in his sign. There's only one righteousness that God can accept, that he will accept, and that's the righteousness that the Lord Jesus Christ established through his perfect life of obedience. Can you just stop and think with me for just a second? The Lord Jesus Christ.

There wasn't one second one second of his life upon this earth when he didn't love God with all his heart, with all his soul, with all his being, and with all his mind, all his might. And he loved everyone around him as himself. Have we ever done that even for one second? No. That's what God requires. That's why his son, that's why he sent his son. He was the only one. God manifests in the flesh that could live that perfect life.

And we have to change our mind about judgment. People, they, if they think about judgment at all, they try to put it out of their mind just as fast as they can, right? No one will think about that. Oh no, judgment, yes. God, Paul, what did Paul say? God is ordained. He's gonna judge. He's gonna judge all men by that man who He's raised, the man Christ Jesus. We need an advocate.

Hear people say, well, I know, you know, when I stand before the throne, this is what I'm gonna say. You hear someone say something like that, doesn't it just break your heart? They have no understanding of who God is, of His holiness and His righteousness. They're not gonna say anything. They're going to fall prostrate before Him and be cast out into outer darkness if they're outside of Christ. The Lord Jesus commands all men everywhere to repent. Now notice verse 17. I need to get to some good news. I want to get to some good news, don't you? The gospel is good news. Let me get to some good news here. Verse 17, did you see this?

It says, and when he came to himself, when he came to himself, and then in verse 14, it says at the end of verse 14, when he realized he was in this mighty famine and he was hungry, he began to be in want. He began to be in want. That's what we need. Sinner, that's what you need. That's what I need. We need to begin to be in want. To see that nothing in this world is good enough to satisfy our souls. We have to be in want. We must be in want. We have to come to ourselves. You see, the repentant woman or man must come to himself or herself. You have to come to yourself. God must bring us to the place that we see.

We're living like a mad person. I'm living like an insane person. Nothing can be more mad than for a sinner to seek to get away from God. Number one, it's impossible. He's everywhere. Read Psalm 139. No matter where you go, guess what? God is there. Because he's omnipresent. He's everywhere.

But man, we are so lost that we, the only one who can do us any good, what do we do? By nature, we run and run just as far away from him as we can, just like this prodigal, this lost son did. Living like a mad person. Oh, that God would help us come to ourselves. How many times in our life, Christian, does God bring us back? to ourselves. Bring us back. We have to come back. We have to begin to be in warmth and be reminded again and again and again that this world cannot satisfy our souls.

Isn't that true? Maybe that's just me. Maybe there's no one else here in that condition. But I know one thing, only God can satisfy our soul's needs. And you know what, the scripture is very clear that only God can bring a man to see that he has a need. You know, I've been guilty of using, I just don't see, I just don't see how they can't see this. Well, they're spiritually blind, how can they see?

They can't. Or they get angry. They get angry with the lost. I just don't get it. I don't understand. You know, why would they not want to come to the Lord Jesus Christ? Because the Lord hasn't brought them to themselves. He hasn't brought them to be in need. And only He can. Our parents can't do it. The church can't do it. Our spouse can't do it. Our friends cannot do it. Only God, who is rich in mercy. He's the only one who can give us life and cause us to approach unto Him.

Now, in verse 14 you see, it says, And when He came to Himself, He said, You know, until he came to be in want, this is in Luke 15, verse number 17. Until he came to himself, until the Lord opened his eyes, he was in want, he just didn't know it. He was living in want. He was hungry long before he went into the hog pen. He wasn't desperate enough yet. He was not desperate enough yet, was he? Oh, but when he came to himself, it says, He said, wonder of wonders, he said, how many hired servants of my father's have bread enough to spare? And I'm out here starving to death. I perish with hunger. You see, his soul was quickened. His soul, that's what the Lord's teaching us. A man's soul, a woman's soul, a boy's soul, a girl's soul. It has to be quickened.

We have to be brought to be in hunger. The repentance center, you notice in verse 18, not only comes to itself, but it sees the goodness and rightness of God our Father. And our errors, that the fault is right here. It's not God's fault, it's my fault. It's my fault that I'm in this condition. You notice in verse 18, first he thinks, wait a minute, my father's servants, they have more than enough to eat and I'm out here starving. And then, notice in verse 18, I will arise and go to my father and I'm gonna say unto him, father, I have sinned against heaven and I've sinned against thee. You see, when God in His grace and mercy grants us repentance from sin, we don't blame anybody else for our condition. You know, we don't blame Adam and Eve.

Yeah, well, you know, if they just wouldn't have fallen, I wouldn't be in this horrible state that I'm in. We don't blame, you know, if we had what we consider a bad parent or whatever, you know, our environment. Oh yeah, it's a bad environment. I grew up in a bad environment. If I wouldn't have grown up in a bad environment, I wouldn't be the sinner that I am. There's all kinds of excuses, but when God awakens a sinner, all they can do is, I'm going to return to my Father and say, Father, I've sinned. It's me. It's me that's sinned. I have sinned. I'm the guilty one. And the repentant sinner knows.

You think anyone comes in truth, repents, comes to the Father, comes to the Lord Jesus Christ with their head held way up high, you know, chest stuck out, oh yeah, you know, God, I deserve for Him to receive me. You know, there's a lot of people that are hearing preachers preach that. God needs us. No, God doesn't need us. We sure need him. We sure need him.

Notice verse 18. He said, I'm gonna rise, I'm gonna go to my father, I'm gonna say unto 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 the hired servants. Isn't that your testimony, believer? Father, I'm not worthy. Are any of us worthy to be called sons of God? Can you imagine? Sons of God. Adopted brothers and sisters of the beloved. His beloved son, Jesus Christ. Isn't this our testimony?

Father, I'm not worthy. I'm not worthy to be called one of your sons, just make me. Lord, it would just be a wonderful grace and mercy if you would just make me one of your slaves. Lord, if you would just let me serve you, I'm serving this horrible master of sin and the devil. Oh, that I might just be able to serve a good master, that I wouldn't waste my life in this world. Lord, it would be such a mercy if you would just let me be your slave. Just let me serve you.

Isn't that true? Oh, the sinner, the repenting sinner. We know we have no worthiness in ourselves, but we we've heard this gospel that the Lord Jesus Christ is worthy. Isn't that isn't that true? We've heard that there is one who's worthy and that God accepts all that come unto him through his blessed son. And by God's grace, we fall upon the Lord Jesus Christ in faith.

Lord, save me or I perish. Isn't that, isn't that, Father, I'm not worthy, but your Son is worthy. Lord, would you please, would you please receive me in your Son? The longer that I try to walk in the Christian life, though it seems like the only thing I learn more and more is just how unworthy I am. But thank God, God's given me this hope that the Lord Jesus Christ is worthy. Worthy is the lamb.

That's what all heaven sings. And you know what? That's what we are to be singing in this life. Not, oh, you know, I'm doing a pretty good job living my life. No, I'm not. I'm a sinner and I'm in need. I praise God that His mercies are new every morning. That great is His faithfulness. I fail and I fail. And I get up and I promise to never fail again. And I fall and I fail again.

Anybody else have that experience? If a person says that they have no sin, they're a liar. And the truth is not in them. That's what the Apostle John said. Oh, but there's a worthy one. Why would we try to establish our own worthiness? Can you imagine? When the Lord Jesus established, we must submit ourselves unto the righteousness of God. And that righteousness of God was wrought out by the Lord Jesus. I need to move on here. I'm glad I tried to divide this up And the two messages. Think about this. Think about this with me. I'm sorry if I ramble. Think with me.

Before, this lost son, this lost son, he wanted nothing to do with his father. Isn't that true? He wanted nothing to do with him. In fact, he went just as far, he went to the end of the world and one step further. He wanted nothing to do with his father. But now, all he wants is to run back to his father. What happened?

What happens to a sinner who, yes, maybe respects others who have trust and belief in the Lord Jesus Christ and that want to follow Him, but they have no desire for that? Oh, no. No, they want to run as far away from God as possible, and then suddenly pull up out here at nine in the morning. They're outside waiting to get in, waiting to hear the gospel. They've been running as fast as they could this way, and now they're running as fast as they can this way. What but the almighty, sovereign grace of God can make that change in a sinner?

You say, well, they have made their decision. They made a decision they're going to follow Christ. Well, one thing's for sure, when God calls us, we do make a decision that we're going to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. But that's not what initiates the process. No, a sinner must be quickened. You must be quickened. You must hear the gospel and be quickened. And you know, God is not limited in the ways that he calls us people to come to be and want.

You know, we want to Look at nature. Just look at nature, the little bit we understand of God's creation. Do you know how many species of birds there are? Just birds. If you know, you know more than I do. I've looked it up before. Thousands. The creativeness of God, just how great, just how great He is, and how creative He is. And then, We think somehow that when it comes to how God will begin to create an interest in a heart of a sinner, that we can box him in somehow. Oh, no. God has used all kinds of means to get people to stop. To stop living like a mad person and consider, hey, I need God. And God uses all kinds of ways. All kinds of ways. I don't have time to go into just some of the examples that I've known of. I'll mention one or two.

Sometimes the Lord uses, there's this young man and his heart's set on this beautiful young lady. His heart's set upon her. He wants to date this young lady, but guess what? She's a believer. And she's going to go to church. And he goes, man, I don't want to go to church. I'd really rather be out here with my buddies, but I sure want to date that young lady, so I'm going to go to church. You know, God can use that. He does. They come and God speaks to them through the gospel.

Some people suffer some awful hurt in their life. Now, it's only by the grace of God that a hurt in a human's life will be turned to their good. By nature, you know what hurting does? It makes people's heart harder and harder and harder. Unless God. But God, He can take that hurt and make that person see that, you know what, there's gotta be more. God must have created me for more than this. Right? God can use all kinds of ways to bring people to come. to come to Him.

And let me say this, true repentance is arising and coming to God. True repentance. It's arising and coming to God. He that cometh to God. He that cometh to God. Stops running from God and starts running to God. He that cometh to God must believe that God is and that He's the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

Not that seek the church, not that seek, no, that seek Him. Repentance is anything short of returning to God is not repentance. You know that just being sorry is not repentance. No, it's a turning, it's a turning. Yes, it's turning from something, but it's a turning, it's a coming unto God.

And let me try to move on here. I assume that that clock's correct. I hope so. Otherwise, I've been misguided by my compass here. You know, 51 weeks a year, usually, I'm sitting out there. So I know how hard it is to sit and keep focused. You know, our minds, they're, number one, they're worry factories. We're already worried about all the things we still need to do when we leave here today and tomorrow, this, that, and the other. And going too long I know is not good. I'll try to not do that to you this morning. You've already had to listen to me once. But true repentance is always... Here's some good news for you. True repentance, it is always met with acceptance by God.

You know, the Lord Jesus told His disciples, they were just like we are. They were not any better. Not any worse, just as we were. I'm talking about his 11 disciples that followed him. He said, fear not, little flock, for it's your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Somehow we have it in our mind that, oh, I'm not repenting good enough, or I'm not believing strong enough. Maybe I'm going to fall short. Fear not, little flock. It's your Father's good pleasure.

Have you returned to God? Have you come to Him in forgiveness? For forgiveness? God initiated that. And God did not do that to bring you to Him just to cast you away. That's not the type of God the Scripture says that He is. Scripture says that He's a God ready to pardon. Ready to pardon. True repentance is always met with acceptance with God.

We saw that the religious leaders here, they murmured that the Lord received sinners and ate with them. Well, He would teach us that God the Father, through this parable, He's teaching us that God the Father also receives sinners and eats with them. Not just the Son, not just the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Father, He also receives sinners and eats with them. And how beautifully does this parable illustrate that? What a good, gracious God the Lord teaches us that we serve. He's the God ready, ready to pardon.

Consider real quickly these verses. Come now. Come now. You say, are you talking about now? Yeah. God's talking about right now. Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord. Can you imagine the condescension of God? Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord.

Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though your sins be as wool, Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Can you? God, is it possible in words for God to illustrate any more plainly just how willing He is to forgive sinners that turn to Him? It's not possible. Ho! Are you sleeping? God says, Ho! Everyone that thirsteth. Are you thirsty today? Are you thirsty for acceptance with God? Are you thirsty for righteousness? Are you thirsty to be just as if you had never sinned before God? To be justified? God says, oh, everyone that thirsts us, come you to the waters.

You say, oh, I'd love to come, but I don't have anything to offer. I don't have anything to offer unto God. I can't come. Empty-handed? Well, that's not what he said. Did he not say, he that hath no money, come you, buy and eat. How can I buy? I don't have any money. Well, the Lord said, come, buy, eat. Buy wine and milk without money and without price.

The religious leaders boasted in their knowledge of the scriptures. These ones that were offended at the Lord receiving sinners, they boasted. They thought, oh, you know, we really know the scripture. These publicans over there, they don't know the scripture. They don't know the scripture from the hole in the ground. But, well, we know the scripture, right? Oh, they trusted in themselves that they were righteous and that they didn't need a savior. They didn't see themselves as sick. They saw themselves as being whole. But they had never apparently understood what the Lord said through the prophet Ezekiel.

Listen to these words. The Lord said, this is God speaking, not me, this is what God says. God says, as I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?" What is God doing there? He's calling the sinner to repentance. And his word is turn, turn and live. Look to Christ and live. You say, but you don't know how far in the sin I've fallen. I don't need to know. I don't want to know. I got enough in my mind that I wish I could get rid of. I sure don't need to know about your problems, your sins.

Oh no, God knows. And he said, come. Isn't that good news? That's the wonderful thing about preaching the gospel. I can tell anybody that will listen to me, come, come, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. And I'm gonna wrap up here, but I have to, I have to let us see this.

He came to his father. Notice, notice what happens. Verse 20. And he arose and came to his father. I know it was true repentance. You know why? Because he actually came. True repentance, if you stop short of returning to God, it's not true repentance. If you stop short of the Lord Jesus, it's not true repentance. This son, he really repented. How do I know?

Because he actually came. He came and he arose. And he came to his father. You got to love this. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him. He was looking out for him. He knew where he was at. And when he was still the great way off, he saw him. And notice, he had compassion and he ran and he fell on his neck and he kissed him. Can the Lord Jesus put it in any clearer words than this, than to illustrate God's willingness to receive sinners.

Is it even possible? Imagine this son. He's coming out of the hog pen, dirty, filthy as he was. His father sees him coming. And you know what? It would have been right for his father to just sit there on the porch and make him walk all the way back. After all, the father had not left him. He had left the father. Isn't that true? The Father had not wasted His life, no, He had wasted His life. But the Lord Jesus, to show us God's willingness to forgive sinners in this parable, He just goes above and beyond to tell us that the Father ran. And you can imagine, the Father in this parable, He just wraps His arms around that filthy dirty hog pen son. And he doesn't stop there. It says he kisses him. He hugs him. And he kisses him.

And the son says, father, I'm not worthy to be called thy son. Now, you remember, he had planned This speech, he had a speech all planned out, right? Prodigal knew exactly what he was going to say. He was going to say, Father, I'm not worthy to be your son. Just make me like one of your servants. But you know, the father doesn't even let him get that far. All he says, he says, Father, I'm not worthy to be called thy son. And guess what happens? Father starts speaking. He doesn't even let him finish. Her father starts speaking, and notice what he says.

He says, the father said to his servants, bring forth the best robe. Bring the righteousness of Christ and put it on him. Bring a ring and put it on his hand, a ring of gold, showing my everlasting love for him that over, although he was lost, I loved him and brought him back. And then he says, put some sandals on his feet. Can you imagine this barefoot, dirty sinner coming back to the father and the father hugging him and kissing him and not letting him even, he repented, he was repentant.

He didn't even let him finish his words. He started speaking good news, wonderful words of life. There's so much more here that we could, but that's all. I'm going to stop. I pray the Lord will make this good news to you. May this not be a wasted hour. It may be good news. May it be for my good, for the good of our souls. May God bless and cause us to repent. Repent now. and turn to Christ. He's a God ready to pardon.

The Prodigal Son

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The Prodigal Son

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