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The Lord’s Prayer.
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
This week we start a new study focusing on some of Jesus’ great parables, it is titled The Parables of Jesus Continue to Speak.
Today we are talking about Parable of the Lost Son.
Text
Luke 15:24 NKJV
24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.
Scripture Reading
Luke 15:11-24 NKJV
The Parable of the Lost Son
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.
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.
15 Then 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 gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and 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!
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.
21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.
23 And bring the fatted calf here 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.
Prayer
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
Introduction
The chief message of this Scripture passage is unmistakeable, the hunger of God for the wayward person and the hunger of the wayward person for God.
The almighty God is doing all He can to bring the wayward home.
At the same time, many wayward people are longing to be at home with the heavenly Father.
Today we are looking at this dilemma under four headings.
- Rebellion.
Sin is rebellion against God.
- Rebellion has its origin in selfishness.
We notice in the Scripture passage that the essence of the prodigal’s request was, “Give me what I want so I can go my own way.”
Rebellion is a refusal to comply with God’s standards.
B. Rebellion, in its progress, is dissipation.
Dissipation is satisfying your own lust in your own way.
The prodigal wanted his inheritance so he could chase after his own desires.
This describes a person’s refusal to entrust their life to God.
2. The result of rebellion.
In this passage, the result of rebellion is estrangement from the father.
The wayward son was separated from the love of his father.
The love was there, but the son did not want to benefit from it.
Love cannot be forced, nor can our response to love.
Both must be voluntary.
The passage also shows us the result of rebellion is estrangement from the comforts of home.
For example, a good, affluent family may live in a large comfortable home.
A son who could have the privilege of living in that home chooses to live in squalor.
This describes a person’s spiritual life when they rebel against the heavenly Father and lives in the stench of sin.
The result of rebellion is also estrangement from the right of home.
At one time the young man had all the rights and privileges of a son.
He was a legal heir.
In his rebellion he became a hired man living in a pig pen.
The depth of his depravity is seen in that he asked to be a slave.
We also see the result of rebellion as estrangement from the provisions of home.
The necessities of life are food, clothing, and shelter.
The young man had none of these necessities during his rebellion.
3. The repentance of the rebellious son.
Repentance is a change of mind.
When people repent, the evil they once loved they now hate.
The company they once enjoyed they now shun.
The God they once scorned they now embrace.
There are four steps to repentance.
The first step is right thinking.
What am I doing here?
The second step is recognition.
I see where I am because of what I have done.
The third step is resolution.
I will arise and go to my father, I will turn from my sin.
And the fourth step is return.
4. The reception of the rebellious son.
The Scripture contains symbols of welcome.
The robe was a symbol of honour.
The ring and shoes were symbols of freedom and complete forgiveness.
The fatted calf was a symbol of joy and rejoicing.
The whole parable is a symbol of God’s welcome.
In the reception, the very heart of God is revealed.
God is seen as a loving Father who longs for the wayward to come home.
He is seen as a forgiving God who removes all that stands between a sinful man and a holy God.
He is also seen as a rewarding God who showers mercy on those who come to Him in repentance and faith.
Conclusion.
By reading this parable, anyone can find out how to be saved.
I hope you will take the parable’s message seriously and come to the Saviour right now, this includes all those people who call themselves saved but aren’t walking the path God has set before you.
Until next time
Stay in the Blessings
I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.
When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.
Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!
You’re important to God, and you’re important to us at www.refinerylife.org
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So whatever you’re concerned about and need prayer for we want to be here for you! Or even if you just want to say Hi, you can contact us
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