IF YOU LEAVE THE FATHERS HOUSE  

NORM WEBB JR.

 

Luke 15; 11-32

THE POINT OF THE PARABLE

This parable is most often identified as the parable of the prodigal son. prodigal means wasteful. And certainly the young man was just that.

"He squandered his estate with loose living."

Jesus spends a good amount of time talking about the son, But ! the detailed description of the son is to heighten our appreciation for the magnitude of the fathers generous forgiveness. the central character of this parable is the loving father, -not the prodigal son this becomes more obvious when we consider that this parable is the last of 3 parables talking about something that was lost and then found, and understand why all 3 are together Lets read Luke chapter 15

 

1 ¶ Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.

2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."

3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying:

4 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the

one which is lost until he finds it?

5 "And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

6 "And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'

7 "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

8 "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?

9 "And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!'

10 "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

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.

25 "Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.

26 "So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.

27 "And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'

28 "But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.

29 "So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time;

and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.

30 'But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'

31 "And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.

32 'It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'"

 

in verses 1 and 2 Jesus is surrounded by a rag - tag multitude comprised of tax-gathers and sinners who came to listen to him. and on the outskirts of this group are scribes and Pharisees who can't understand and are appalled that one who allows himself to be called the son of God, rabbi, messiah chooses to be surrounded by such a group of people, and receives them and even eats with them. Jesus addresses this very attitude in these parables.

 

FIRST PARABLE- " what man among you..." Jesus says, you will leave your 99 sheep to go after one, and when you have found it , you will call all your friends together to celebrate with you, because you know the value of that sheep.

 

SECOND PARABLE- " what woman among you..." you will sweep the houseclean to find one drachma, [ equal to a days pay, ] and then call all your friends to celebrate, because you understand the significance and joy of finding something so valuable that was once lost. but you fail to understand the value of one of these lost souls to God; you fail to see the significance of the salvation of just one soul.

 

So when he tells the third parable, he doesn't say, "what man or woman among you," because what the father does in this third parable is unthinkable.

Not one of those standing with Jesus would do this. the central character of the parable is not the prodigal son, BUT the loving gracious father, who represents God and how he feels toward one soul who leaves him and then returns

 

THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS LESSON

FIRST, i want you to see what happens to the prodigal son when he leaves his father, and make the association to one who chooses to leave the Lord today.

I want you to see, what will happen to you when you  LEAVE THE FATHER'S HOUSE.

 

Second, I want you to understand how the father reacts when you return. I want you see the love and grace of the heavenly father.

 

IF YOU LEAVE THE FATHER'S HOUSE , HE WILL LET YOU GO.

God says in Ezekiel 18;4" that all souls belong to him, the soul that sins it shall die." We have all sinned. God says so in  Romans 3;23 so we are lost or separated from God until such a time as we are brought back to him. God does not beg us to stay, if we want to sin and leave his house he will let us go.

 

The young man in the parable demands his portion of his inheritance. This is a bad financial move. The longer the young man stayed around the greater his inheritance would have grown. BUT, as typical of reckless and impulsive youth, he wanted the money and he wanted it now.

 

Understand what the young man is saying to his father. Kenneth Bailey says, THROUGH PEASANT EYES, relates what this would have meant to a father of that day. A father of that day hear " would not only hear give me my inheritance," he would hear, "i wish you were dead." While a westerner might give a large sum of money to his son before he dies , to the judean the only way a son could inherit such money according to tradition, was when the father died.

we see here a profound break in the relationship between the father and the son.

 

This was not only a bad financial move but a bad practical move as well for the son. he wasn't ready to be on his own; he wasn't responsible enough to be in charge of this much money, much less his life. And i believe the father was more keenly aware of that then anyone.

 

Parents are like that, they usually know and understand how much responsibility their child is ready for much better than the child himself.

 

Yet as Jesus tells this parable, nowhere did he mention that the father pleaded with the child to stay, or argued with him about his decision, or chased him down as he left. THE FATHER, LET HIM GO.

 

Maybe you remember times like this when you felt very determined to make a decision, and your father was aware that it wasn't the wisest decision , but he wasn't going to argue with a rebellious heart.

 

Maybe he knew what the father of this prodigal son knew ,that sometimes the only way to teach a lesson to a child is to let him learn it for himself.

 

Don't misunderstand, the father here is not insensitive. verse 24 says the father felt as if the boy had died.  it hurt him to see the boy go. and without question , to observe a child make a mess of their own lives is very, very tough. BUT, HE LET HIM GO.

 

Maybe you remember times like this when you felt very determined to make a decision, and your father was aware that it wasn't the wisest decision, but he wasn't going to argue with a rebellious heart.

 

Maybe he knew what the father of this prodigal son knew, that sometimes the only way to teach a lesson to a child is to let him learn it for himself.

 

One of the characteristics of being created in the image of God is possessing free will, the ability to choose. God loves us and he desires that we return love toward him, and to do that he had to create a creature capable of choosing to love, BECAUSE,  that's what LOVE IS. it is a choice, not just a feeling.

 

God loves us, but as we said earlier that he does not force us to love him in return. He could keep us from turning away; He could hold on to us. He is not powerless, BUT he is not going to do that. If you leave the fathers house, he will let you go.

 

To be rejected by those who bear his image is very disappointing for him. The greatest tribute to God's omnipotence is the fact that he possesses enough power to curb his righteous anger from destroying the rebellious until they have opportunity to repent.

 

Think about that. we find it difficult to control our anger toward a harmless officiating mistake at a baseball game.

 

I guarantee you that if I possessed Gods power to destroy, and had given as much as he has, History would have turned out much differently.

GOD'S SELF RESTRAINED LOVE IS AMAZING. " BUT " if you choose to leave the fathers house, he will let you go.

 

IF YOU LEAVE THE FATHERS HOUSE YOU WILL FIND NO LASTING HAPPINESS

The prodigal son sought happiness away from home in verses 13 and 14

In Eccl. Solomon tried everything under the sun and he said its all vanity, But this young man didn't know that. He lived a life of  wine, women, and song. The brother commented to the father in verse 30, this son of yours came , who has devoured your wealth with harlots.

 

He leaves the fathers house to find a happiness he thought he would never experience while living with the father. He lived life to the hilt. He withheld no pleasure from his heart; anything his eyes desired he did not refuse them. BUT NOW , he has nothing . the one who thought he had every thing, now is in need. How many people have wandered down this road, experimenting with all of life's pleasures until there is no money left. Consider Oprah Winfrey interviewing millionaires who had filed for bankruptcy.

 

The pleasures of the world can be so alluring, and the world does a marvelous job of making it seem that the penultimate happiness can be experienced right now.

 

I won't lie to you. You may love life away from God ,for a time. If you want to experiment with alcohol you may have a great time, for a time. If you want to have a risqué sex life you may enjoy it for a little while. Do you want to indulge in wine, women, and song? you may love it for a time. " BUT " it wont last forever, as a matter of fact, like the prodigal son it may end sooner than you think.

 

Solomon did all this and more so lets see what the man with experience says. Lets read Eccl. 2;verse 3-11.

 

I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives.

4 I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards.

5 I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.

6 I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove.

7 I acquired male and female servants, and had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me.

8 I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and musical instruments of all kinds.

9 So I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me.

10 Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, For my heart rejoiced in all my labor; And this was my reward from all my labor.

11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.

 

Solomon says after trying everything under the sun that its all vanity. like striving after the wind. You ever try to catch the wind? its about as useless as all these indulgences we just talked about... If you think you can find happiness by experimenting with life away from God, then go talk to the young man who sits in jail for manslaughter, because he was drinking at a party and on his drive home, with his friends in the car, ran off the road into a ditch filled with water and killed everyone in the car except himself. OR talk to the AIDS victim who wanted an experimental sex life; OR talk to the man who lives apart from his wife and children because he thought thought an affair would be exciting. Or a young single mother.

 

If you live your life up to your later years, say 60 70 and you look back on your life , What have you really accomplished and where will you soon be going.

IF YOU LEAVE THE FATHERS HOUSE YOU WILL FIND NO LASTING HAPPINESS.

 

 

IF YOU LEAVE THE FATHERS HOUSE YOU WILL FIND NO GENUINE FREEDOM

In verse 15 of our text the prodigal son seeks independence. Most of those standing by when this prodigal took passage for the far country probably would have admired him. He was not only young and rich, but was what many would call progressive. He wanted out on his own, unshackled from authority, he wanted liberty and independence, and freedom from the moral restraints of his father. And for a moment he thought he had found it. But look at the dark picture of contrast that has befallen him. He is feeding the pigs. How free is he now? This young man left what he thought was bondage, to pursue a mirage of freedom, and found himself at the mercy of the worst master of all.

 

He was a slave to sin

Lets read Romans 6; 16-18

16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.

18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

 

The one who you bow in submission to is your master, And your master will reward you accordingly. John Milton in [ paradise lost ] quotes Satan when Michael the arch-angel tries to convince him to return to God, ["it is better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven."]

 

 

THAT IS THE LIE that Satan feeds you. If you leave the the fathers house , desiring to be free from God's moral restraint you will find yourself enslaved to Satan and sin. And for a while Satan is going to coddle you, and reward you for your service, BUT like the prodigal son , destruction is sure to follow.

 

Many who wish to lead the good life seem to be unaware that restraints are involved. Fellowship with God is possible only for the obedient, and obedience is the way to freedom. John says in John 8; 31-32

31 ¶ Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.

32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free

 

[ If you leave the fathers house he you will have no genuine freedom ]

 

 

IF YOU LEAVES THE FATHERS HOUSE YOU WILL HAVE NO SELF - RESPECT

 

Verse 16 of our text says "he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the hogs ate but no one would give him anything" Now I am a gentile, American country boy and I have been around pig farms, I know they stink, they smell quite foul. I personally would not want to work in one much less eat the slop that they eat.

 

Here we have a high class Jewish boy, not only does his social class refrain from such activity, but his religious convictions abhor it. NEVER IN his life did he imagine himself doing such a job, much less eating what the pigs eat. You will recall there is a famine in the land, he is out of money, and needs a job.

 

A little serious forethought might have spared this young man such indignity. Common sense it seems, would have told him to go back home. But instead he dips to the lowest possible level he could of imagined.

 

When you leave the fathers house, and you cut off your independence from him, you will then discover how deep the pit of evil will take you. You would rather dip into the lowest form of living and jeopardize your body and soul before you dare come back to God. The prodigal son is the form of every Christian who gave himself over to alcohol; Every child of God who became an addict to drugs or pornography; Every member of the church who dives into the world of adultery or premarital sex. And beloved, like the prodigal son, they never imagined themselves to be there. SIN will always take you farther than you ever wanted to go, keep you there much longer than you wanted to stay, AND cost much more than you ever wanted to pay. [ if you leave the fathers house , you will eventually have no self -respect. ]

 

IF YOU LEAVE THE FATHERS HOUSE YOU WILL BE ALONE

[ ALL HIS FRIENDS ARE GONE ]

 

What happened to all the friends that shared his wealth with him, all the buddies that came to his parties, all the women by his side. They are all gone.

 

No one will give one cent to this poor boy who once had it all. All his worldly friends have left him.

 

The worlds friends will use you until you have nothing, and then leave you. The world has a [ give me ] philosophy. as .long as you have something to give , the world will be your friend.

 

Lets consider Judas as in mat. 26;14-16 betraying Jesus , making friends with the Sanhedrin. lets see what happens in the end in Matt 27: 3-5

[" 3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces

of silver to the chief priests and elders,

4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.

5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. " ]

 

They couldn't care less about Judas conscious. Judas got tired of being in the fathers house, so he went to the world to find friends and they left him to hang himself.

 

The church cannot have this attitude. We are to build up one another in love [ eph. 4;16. We are to encourage and support one another [ Romans 12;6 ].

When the church emulates to its own this attitude of the world, Then she will die. Young people are especially vulnerable to this. They need to see older Christians as supportive, caring, and they should not have to come to us to find this encouragement. We should take the initiative to share it.

 

[ if you leave the fathers house you will be alone, truly alone, for your sin will have seperated you from God [Isa 59;1- 2 ¶ Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear.

2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.

NEXT

 

 

THE RETURN TO THE FATHERS HOUSE,  HE CAME TO HIS SENSES [ LK. 15;17 ].

It is almost as if he awoke from unconsciousness. He faced the bitter truth that his life was a mess, because of his own foolish ways.

There are a couple lessons here.

 

First he did not, I repeat, did not, attempt to blame someone else for his miserable position. There is a prevalent attitude in our society that tells us we are not responsible.

 

 We blame our demise on our upbringing, our social environment, our economic status, the government, anybody else but ourselves. We must take responsibility for our sin and the consequences it brings upon ourselves and others.

 

Second, he didn't try to tell himself that this was just a momentary lapse and he would be on his feet again soon. He humbled himself, faced reality, and said, [ I have sinned ]. That is the beginning of repentance - the humility to say, I am wrong, and I need my heavenly father. It is the Godly sorrow that Paul speaks of in 2nd Cor. 7;10. To return to the fathers house we must come to our senses. we must open our eyes and see how far away we have drifted, realize that it is our own doing, and that we truly need the father.

 

But you know

LIFE IS BETTER IN THE FATHERS HOUSE [ 15;17-19 ] Lets read.

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."'

 

Did you notice what he plans on saying to his father, " just make me one of your hired servants. I'll work in the fields, sleep in the servants quarters, eat the servants food. for i have sinned against you father . I am not worthy to be your son ."

Notice that what was once " give me "is now " make me ". He is right. none of us are worthy to be called a child of God, but through his own sacrifice he can now make us into what we ought to be [Eph 2;10].

What we learn from the prodigals resolutions that the lowliest in the fathers house has it better than anyone out in the world.

We have to stop feeling sorry for ourselves as Christians and realize that there is no better place to be, no better job to have than that of being in the fathers house- to be called HIS child, His servant. WHAT A PRIVILEGE!

 

 

THERE IS FORGIVENESS IN THE FATHERS HOUSE  [ Luke 15;20-24 ]

The young man returns to his fathers house. The text says that his father saw him from a long way off, as if every day he peered down the road hoping to see his sons silhouette on the horizon. The father ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. we see here the compassion and open arms the heavenly father has toward one who will repent. The young man begins the speech that he has rehearsed [ probably a thousand times ], BUT before he can finish the father instructs his servants to bring out the best robe, put a ring on his finger, sandals on his feet [ he had worn the others out ] and kill the fatted calf.

The Heavenly Father is always hoping that his child will return. It doesn't take years to pay the father back. God tells us in Hebrews 8;12

"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."

 

Notice in the parable that the servants understood the fathers forgiveness in verse 27 and shared in the celebration of the son's return.

 

That should be our attitude as well. Eph 4;32 says

[" 2 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. "]

 

 

CONCLUSION

Ironically, the young man who set out to find happiness and freedom in a far country, discovered that true joy and genuine freedom can only be found in the fathers house

 

Comprehending God's Grace

The only one in the whole house who wasn't full of joy was the older brother. He could not understand how his father could reward someone who had wasted so much- I'll quote what he said in verse 30

30 'But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'

Grace will always be a mystery to those who think they are earning their salvation. God's grace certainly necessitates our repentance and obedience

unto him, but we do not earn it. out debt and helpless station is to great. We rely upon God's mercy to forgive the unforgivable and his grace that gives some more.

To back this up lets read Eph 1;7,8,18

[" In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,

18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory "]

We have a father who stands waiting for us to return even when we have rejected him.

 

We have a father whose deepest and greatest joy is to receive us back home to grant us more.