Therefore Came His Father

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Service Notes

Graham give update on delay of departure
Time of prayer next week as kids and teachers are headed back to school
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Reading Introduction

Didn’t realize how many songs there were about the Prodigal Son.
The thought of God embracing or running towards us is overwhelming.
Title of the sermon: Therefore Came His Father comes from vs. 28
It is such an incredible, wonderful truth that I recognize I should not even be allowed to speak of it much less be the benefactor of it.
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Luke 15:11–32 (KJV 1900)
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.
25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
29 And he answering 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 merry with my friends:
30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
32 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.
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Pastoral Prayer

Graham and Olivia as they wait for you to guide their next step
Bro Gardner and his family as he continues to battle cancer.
Kara Hilburgers father who has leukemia
Families as they prepare for a new school year
The lost who might be among us us watching online
The response of God’s children to this story

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Sermon Introduction

This is passage for long-time churchgoers. This is a passage for people who don't struggle as much with running from God as they struggle with condemning those who do.
Look at how the older brother relates to the father.
Servant to Master - these many years do I serve thee,
Father as only a giver of commands - neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment:
It dishonors God to treat him as a master in need of slave labor. What honors God is not slave labor, but childlike faith in his all-sufficiency.

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The son who would not come home

The story of the prodigal is not a story about sins it is a story about lostness.
Chapter heading might read “The Lost Son” / If is there it is for the prodigal but the older was the one who wouldn’t come home.

Father had two sons

Luke 15:11 “11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:”
Retell the story with emphasis on the later section
The younger son set out in rebellion.
He knew what he wanted.
His desires led him to gamble all in getting what God condemned.
He loved sin. It promised satisfaction to appetite and ambitions. Lured him by its promises. Its fascinations hypnotized him.
He had his fling.
He rebels against the father.
He shows that he is dissatisfied with his father's provision, his father's restrictions, and his father's guidance.
It was different with the elder son.
He liked it at home. Not that he loved his father.
Like the rest of us, he wanted to have his own way.
He thought he was smart enough to manage his father and to get out of him what he wanted.
He loved himself too much to be interested in pleasing anybody but himself.
Pride born of self-conceit was his guiding star.

Joy of the home was missing a son

Luke 15:28 “28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.”

The heart reveals itself

This heart issue did not reveal itself when there was work to be done
This heart issue did not reveal itself in a personal conversation with the Father
The heart issue manifested itself when grace was being shown to his brother.

Pharisees murmur

The older brother is to represent the pharisees who Jesus is speaking to.
Luke 15:1-2 “1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.”
Pastoral Prayer: Pastors, pray so much in your services that nominal Christians are bored that you talk so often to the God they only say they believe in.”
you can ask yourself today where you find your joy
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The far country has many roads

Luke 15:13 “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.”
Luke 15:28 “28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.”

Ways to leave home

Path of the younger

Here is a type whose lostness is obvious. It is obvious to the son and to others.
He is not at home; he is in the far country.
He is not a worker; he is a waster.
He is not lifting up; he is dragging down.
He is not creating; he is destroying.
Typified by discontentment and desire to please self.

Came home.

Recognized father's sufficiency - "How many of my father's hired hands have more than enough food."
Determined to come home - “I will arise and go to my father.”

Robe, Ring, Shoes

Luke 15:22 “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:”
These three things answer exactly the prayer which he meant to have prayed.
The robe is the answer to "I have sinned."
The ring is the answer to "I am no more worthy to be called thy son."
The sandals constitute the answer to "make me one of thy hired servants."

These symbols are Eastern.

Put the robe on him, the robe that befits the father's house.
The ring was the sign of authority and provision.
Put shoes on his feet. The slave was never permitted to wear shoes. The badge of slavery was the absence of sandals.

Path of the older

He was industrious.
He despised slothfulness.
His conduct created no scandal.
He was the enemy of loose moral.
He did not gamble.
He condemned lawlessness.
His type is seldom counted as lost, either by himself or others. This makes his condition all the more hopeless.
His whole attitude shows that his years of obedience to his father had been years of grim duty and not of loving service.

The older brother came to himself

Luke 15:28 “28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.”
This brought the older to a point of decision.
This demonstrated what was really of his heart. Luke 6:45 “45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.”
Pastors Prayer: Pastors, pray so much in your services that nominal Christians are bored that you talk so often to the God they only say they believe in.”
​
Though the parable ends, I have to hope the elder son came to his own senses, abandoned his righteousness in the field, and collapsed into the arms of his dad. And, in the same triumph that welcomed home the prodigal, the father would say, “Welcome home, my son. Come in.”

Is there truly hope for the older son?

The older was angry at the grace extended to his brother. [Why are you mad bro?]

Seen in the desire to not be associated with the younger. Luke 15:30 “30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.”
Grace frustrates his performance based understanding of life. Luke 15:29 “29 And he answering 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 merry with my friends:”
The grace shown to the younger seem to come at an expense to the older. Luke 15:31 “31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.”
Grace shown on the other side of the world does not confront our “older brother mentality” against grace.
What about when grace shown to others seems to come at your own expense.
We can form a cooperative partnership with God in which our lives are ruled and judged by performance rather than a relationship.
What is the purpose of a fatted calf if it isn’t to celebrate the finding of a lost son?
Here the older brother sees the father as the prodigal and not the younger son. Luke 5:30 “30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?”
Prodigal: Spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant.
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Are you the older brother?

One of the hardest things in the world is to stop being the prodigal son without turning into the elder brother.
Nobody in pulpit or pew needs a revival more than a bitter-spirited fundamentalist with his dispensations right and his disposition wrong. - Vance Havner

How necessary is it to be the younger son to appreciate the Father?

The gospel is that Jesus came to deliver both the prodigals and the older brothers in their respective slavery to sin.
It takes a miracle to be delivered from both blinding sinful self-righteousness and blinding sinful indulgence.

The Apostle Paul was an older brother

Paul was not found in the in the pig pen but outside the house with pride that would not allow him to come inside. Philippians 3:4-6 “4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: 5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.”
Paul found his joy in the grace of God and not his performance. Galatians 6:14 “14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”

Requires a work of God

Older brothers are the rich men of this world Matthew 19:24 “24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”

Jesus as the true and perfect older brother

The joyful suffering of our older brother.

The prodigal’s older brother was angry over the grace shown to the younger brother.
Jesus became our suffering so that we could be called the sons and daughters of God. Hebrews 2:10 “10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”
Remember he older brother saying “this they son.” contrast it to this. Hebrews 2:11 “11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,”

Older brothers there is hope for us today. Come home.

Older brothers join the joy of our fathers house.

Let go of your anger.
Rejoice in the “prodigal” display of love the Father has given to sinners knowing we need that grace.
The relationship is the prize, not work, not money. Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.

Look at our Father

The same father who left the house for the prodigal has left the house for us
We are compelled to enter into the joy of the Lord
The Father is intreating you today! 28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.

Is there anything more wonderful? No, no there is not.

Conclusion

As we end the chapter
Instead of answering the question: what does it mean that Jesus is eating with tax-gatherers and sinners, the question now is: what does it mean that the Pharisees and scribes are NOT eating with them?
We would expect those listening would want to know how this story ends. I believe it would be fitting to tell them “you tell me.”
How will you end this story.?
Will you enter into the Father’s joy or stand in your pride and self sufficiency outside of the house?
Let’s prayer

Let the person afraid to repent come into the house today

“Let the person who is afraid to repent consider well these verses we are now looking at and be afraid no more. There is nothing on God's part to justify your fears. An open door is set before you. A free pardon awaits you. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Let the person who is ashamed to repent consider these verses and cast shame aside. What though the world mocks and jests at your repentance. While man is mocking, angels are rejoicing. The very change which sinners call foolishness, is a change which fills heaven with joy.
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Have you repented? That is, after all, the spiritual question which concerns us. What shall it profit us to know God's love if we do not use it? If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.”

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