You Belong Here - Part 4
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You Belong Here - Part 4
You Belong Here - Part 4
1 Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach.
2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!
Prayer
Confession of Faith
I am not moved by what I see or by what I feel. I am moved by what I believe. I believe the WORD of God! The victory is mine! I have it now! I can see it through the eyes of my faith!In Jesus Name!
Last week we looked at the parable of the Lost Coin
Today I want to look at the final parable in this chapter
The Story of The Lost Son
11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons.
12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.
13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living.
14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve.
15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs.
16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger!
18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you,
19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.” ’
20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.
21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet.
23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast,
24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house,
26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on.
27 ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’
28 “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him,
29 but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends.
30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’
31 “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours.
The Prodigal Son
The Parable of the Gracious Father
The Father is the main character of this parable!
It’s The Father who appears in both halves of the parable
We will see that the point of the parable comes from the conversation between the older son and the father!
From that conversation we will see how Jesus reminds us that we belong her!
We will see how Jesus justifies giving the offer and gift of salvation that God makes available to sinners, and prodigals
We will see how Jesus condemns the Pharisees and scribes religious people for their opposition to this offer of grace and mercy!
Let’s look at the text
11 Then 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 falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood.
Give Me!
He said, "Give me my inheritance. He wanted money and the things and possessions of the world which he was going to inherit. He wanted to get all the Father would give him, so that he could enjoy it now.
He didn’t earned it, not yet at least; so he did not deserve it.
He was being selfish and self-centered, rude and unkind.
He said, "Give me," not "Please" nor "May I have."
The father could be hurt and the business could suffer from the loss of the money and goods; it didn’t mattered to this young man.
19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.
14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.
The point is this: the son had nothing on to help him. He had wrapped his life up in the pleasure and security of the world; but now, when they were all gone, there was nothing left to help him.
He stood bare, empty, alone, and destitute. Everything that he had based his life upon was now gone.
He now knew that the world was corruptible, and that it passed away.
He had cut himself off from his Father (God), so he had no security from God.
21 And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs.
16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
But When He Came To Himself
The young man came to himself, snapped out of his insanity, back to reality.
Repentance is the beginning of sanity and reality, the very basis for building a sound life
The beginning of repentance is , thinking about your need to turn back to God.
The Bible says He thought about his Father (God)
He Thought about His enormous provision.
He thought about how his Father takes care of his many servants
He thought about how the Father’s bread was enough to feed everyone, and then there was even more to spare.
He thought about how his father had been able to provide for all.
He Thought about humbling himself
He Thought about the sense of belonging,
He thought about his family
He thought about the fellowship
He thought about his Father and the Love he had given to him
He thought about the Joy
He thought about the peace he had and a sense of purpose, meaning and significance that his Father gave him
His father had it all and more to spare.
He Came To Himself!
6 I stretch forth my hands unto thee: My soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you,
19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’
20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.
20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.
7 Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.
How He Loves Us
21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet.
23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast,
24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.
Forgiveness— Restoration
Forgiveness— Restoration
The "robe" restored him to a position of sonship and honor. It symbolized being clothed with the righteousness of Christ.
The "ring" restored him to a position of authority. The son was now to represent the father and his kingdom.
The "shoes" immediately restored and elevated him above servanthood, which means he became a free man.
The son was now fitted with shoes to carry the gospel of peace wherever he went.
The celebration pictures reconciliation, full acceptance, and the great joy of the occasion.
You belong Here
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house,
26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on.
27 ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’
28 “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him,
29 but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends.
30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’
31 “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours.
32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’ ”
He Loves Us
You Belong Here