Sermon #1245[1]
Title: The Parable of the Prodigal Son
Text: Luke 15:24
Reading: Isaiah 55:1-7, 11
Subject: God’s Method of Grace
Date: Sunday Morning - August 18, 1996
Tape # S-84
Introduction:
My text this morning is Luke
15:11-24. I trust that God the Holy Spirit will enable me to preach to you
once again on The Parable of the
Prodigal Son. Let’s read the story tohether bgeinning at verse 11.
"And he said, A certain man had
two sons: (12) 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. (13) 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. (14) And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in
that land; and he began to be in want.
(15) And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he
sent him into his fields to feed swine.
(16) And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine
did eat: and no man gave unto him. (17) And
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! (18) I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him,
Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, (19) And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of
thy hired servants. (20) 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. (21) And the son said unto him, Father,
I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be
called thy son. (22) 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: (23) And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: (24) For this my son was dead, and is
alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry."
This parable stands out to me as the
most blessed story ever to fall from the lips of our Savior. It touches my
heart as no others because it is the story of my life. Have you walked the
prodigal’s path? I have, both literally and spiritually. I have been with him
in his proud rebellion and in his riotous living. And I have been with him in
the fields of this world feeding swine, living in poverty of soul, spiritually
bankrupt, isolated from descent society, but too proud to plead for mercy and grace.
But, blessed be God, I have also been with him in his happy return to his
father’s house.
I pray that God the Holy Spirit will
give me your attention, as I tell you the story of the prodigal son. In doing
so, I want to show you God’s method of
grace, the method by which he sovereignly, irresistibly, and effectually
brings his lost sons home to himself. Every part of the story is rich in
spiritual instruction.
Proposition: In
this parable our Lord Jesus Christ shows us how pleasing it is to God to save
sinners by his matchless, free grace in Christ.
Divisions: As
we go through this story of redemption and grace, I want to call your attention
to four things. They reveal four spiritual lessons that we must learn.
1.
The Prodigal’s
Haughty Rebellion (vv. 11-13).
2.
The Prodigal’s
Humbling Realization (vv. 14-19).
3.
The Prodigal’s
Hopeful Return (vv. 20-21).
4.
The Prodigal’s
Happy Reception (vv. 21-24).
I.
The first thing we see in this story is The
Prodigal’s Haughty Rebellion.
Luke 15:11-13 "And he said, A
certain man had two sons: (12) 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. (13) 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."
Here is the first lesson taught in
this parable. It is established by the actions of this young man. The pride and rebellion of every sinners
heart will, sooner or later, in one way or another, display itself. The
prodigal displayed his pride and rebellion in a life of profligacy and
licentiousness. His elder brother showed his pride and rebellion in his
self-will, self-righteousness, and self-centeredness. And, my friend, sooner or
later, in one way or another, the pride and rebellion of your heart against God
will show its ugly face. Your heart by nature hates God. You may hide pretty
well, but sooner or later, your hatred of God will be made manifest.
The
father in this parable represents God the Father, the source and cause of
all mercy, love, and grace. The elder
son represents the Scribes and Pharisees, self-righteous, moral, religious
men and women. To all outward appearance, they seem to be above all others the
children of God, and loudly profess to be. But their profession is a sham.
Theirmorality, their righteousness, their religion is all put on, nothing but
an outward show. The younger son
represents publicans and sinners. Though to all outward appearance this younger
son was despised by his father, though he fully deserved his father’s wrath, he
was in reality the object of his father’s love.
It is this younger son, the prodigal,
who first catches our attention. He is the obvious rebel. He is the thankless,
ungrateful wretch. This younger son’s conduct is a clear representation of the
pride and rebellion of our hearts by nature.
This is a picture of your heart and
mine by nature. You may, like the elder brother, hide under a cloak of outward
morality, religion, and self-righteousness, but this is what you are; and this
is what I am. There are no exceptions.
Mark 7:21-23 "For from
within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries,
fornications, murders, (22) Thefts,
covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy,
pride, foolishness: (23) All these
evil things come from within, and defile the man."
A. Look at what this younger son
did.
Following the natural inclinations of his epraved heart, he
rebelled against his father. He hated the restraint of his father’s rule. He
wanted his independence. He wanted the liberty to do his own thing, to gratify
his own desires, to take control of his own life. It is written in Romans 8:7, "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be."
What
was the problem here? This young man hated his father. That was the
problem! In irreverence, impudence, and haughtiness, he demanded his portion of his father’s estate, as
though he had a claim to it.
·
He was tired
of his father’s discipline and influence.
·
He wanted to
be out from under the pressure of his father’s influence and restraining eye.
·
He did not
trust his father to manage his affairs.
·
He was very
proud, conceited, and in his own eyes
self-sufficient.
·
The only thing
he wanted from his father was his money, the benefits of his wealth.
How many there are like this prodigal!
Indeed, pride is the common sin of mankind. Pride is the root of all sin. We
all want to be God, living by our own laws, answerable to no one. Pride brought
Lucifer down from heaven. Pride drug Adam out of the Garden. And pride will
take your soul to hell.
As
soon as the prodigal got his father’s money he fled from his father’s house - “Gathered all.”
It is true of us all! “All
we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way” (Isa.
53:6). “The wicked are estranged from the
womb; they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies” (Psa. 58:3).
As soon as a man has the exercise of
reason, as soon as he can think or speak, as soon as he is born, he goes astray
from God. We are all born sinners. It is the nature of all Adam’s race to flee
from God and hide from him.
B. Look where the prodigal went -
He “took his journey into a far country.”
This proud rebel got just as far away from his father as he
could. So it is with every sinner. Ever since Adam and Eve tried to hide from
God in the Garden, man has been fleeing from God. Hiding behind everything
emaginable (Rom. 1:21-22). Every man by nature is so far off from God that he
cannot return to him of his own accord - Sinner, hear me, you are far off from
God, far off from...
·
God’s
righteousness!
·
God’s promise!
·
God’s
covenant!
·
God’s Son,
Jesus Christ!
C. Then, look at how the prodigal
conducted himself in that far off place - “There (he) wasted his
substance in riotous living.”
This poor, deluded soul spent all that he had upon the
pursuit of his unbridled pleasures. He spent his money for that which satisfies
not. He spent his youth and his strength in rioting, drunkenness and wild
pleasure with harlots. He had a grand time. He was doing his thing. He found,
at least for a season, great pleasure in his rebellion and sin.
But his pleasure soon ended. And his
misery began. So, in the second place I want us to observe -
II. ATHE PRODIGAL’S HUMBLING
REALIZATION (Read vv. 14-19).
Here is our second lesson - Before
anyone will ever come to God, seeking mercy, through the merits of Christ’s
righteousness, and shed blood, he must be brought down in the dust of
humiliation. He must be made
[1] SER#917 Danville (6-24-90), St. Petersburg, FL (3-19-95), Rock Creek Baptist, N. Wilkesboro, NC (8-15-96)