Maybe you need a fresh reminder from this story we know so well.
The Setting
Luke 15:1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing
near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled,
saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
Jesus is surrounded by two polar opposite groups of people on this day...
(1) Sinners - you know, those whose life pursued any and everything but God, except on this day they decided to step right into God's presence as they drew near to hear him. Did you notice that? They did not want anything from Him but for His Words to fall upon their hearts.
(2) Religious Leaders - They have come to the same place Jesus was, but not because they longed for His presence or Words, but to cast judgment on Him for the crime of receiving sinners and eating with them.
Both groups hearts were tragically lost, but one group was ready for change because pride was not standing in the way and clouding who they were in the presence of. What a mess pride is!
Jesus then tells 3 stories with the same essential message - something or someone is lost and someone is searching or waiting for what was lost to be found and brought home to restoration.
The Last Story of the Three
One day a younger son of a father came to him for the young man had been thinking about something for awhile and could not deal with his thoughts anymore. So he goes to his father and asks for his inheritance early. As he looked at his situation, he felt cramped, restricted, and everywhere he went at home - it just did not feel like a place for him nor a place of love. He longed for more and he knew he could not find what his aching heart longed for if he stayed, so he cast all sensibilities and respect aside and asked for what would be coming to him when his father was dead.
The son thinks he will be better off away from his father, for after all, he was old enough to make his own decisions and could take care of himself just fine.
The father was incredibly wise and knew the son would never found out about true love if He forced him to stay, so He grants His son the freedom he thinks he is desperately in need of - and cuts the cord and lets him go.
The son gets his stuff together and heads out and lands in a distant country that has everything his heart could experience. Man, was he ever living in freedom there! For a while everything was great for he had no restrictions as he was the sole one in charge of his life. It's funny thing though about life, this kind of freedom is never really free and the money eventually ran out and he was left with only himself. This freedom eventually leads to a famine and great emptiness where it is all gone.
Out of great desperation he finds a man who is willing to help the boy by allowing him to feed his pigs for some measly income as he tried to still make it work in that distant land. One day as he is feeding the pigs, he realizes his hunger is so great that he is actually longing to eat the food of the pigs. This is where sin will ultimately leads us - a great hunger and longing for things in that state that can never truly satisfy.
He looked around at his surroundings and it dawned on him that there was no one in that land who had anything they could offer nor were willing to offer. No one cared anything about him. This is life in the distant country. It was in that moment as a servant of the man that he remembered how well the servants at his Father's house had it. They never had a longing for pigs food for His father even took care of all of there daily needs.
As he comes to his senses in that moment, he decides to go home and be a servant. He knows though that he is not just a servant, but a son, but in his mind he embraces and feeds the thought that he is too far gone to be restored to sonship again. He is okay with a new position with his father, so he begins the long journey home. He knows he will have a lot of explaining to do so he comes up with a speech and memorizes it all the way home.
He is convinced the father will be done with him and will not love him anymore but he also knows the father is kind, good, and generous so he is convinced the father will take him in as a servant.
How the enemy plays with the minds of God's children who have made grave mistakes and marred God's name in sin. The liar has convinced far too many that sonship can be lost because they think our salvation is all in our control and not in His Hands.
Then came a moment of one day when the son came into the view of the house where he could see it and see people walking around. His heart must have raced and been gripped by nervousness of seeing the Father once again. He practices the speech once more, yes he says, "I've got it down and it sounds good and convincing".
He did not notice it before, but it is clear now that someone is running down the road and he realizes it is HIS FATHER. He wonders...what will Dad say? Will He shout? He tells himself as the Father is getting closer "I will just take whatever chastisement He will mete out at me, I deserve it". The Fahter is almost here, oh yeah, the speech, but all that happened was this...
- Running
- Compassion
- Hugging
- Kissing
- Ignoring of a speech
- Bring quickly the best robe
- Put on ring on his finger with the family's signet
- Put some shoes on his feet
- Get that fattened calf we've been feeding extra
- Let's celebrate that My lost son is now found
I am indelibly humbled tonight in knowing God never stops loving His sons and daughters who think they can run too far & be too far lost. Some think we cannot ever be truly restored after some of the things we have done.
By the way, did you notice that the Father was not interested in the son's clever speech nor in his decision that he could never be restored again - He is not impressed by our clever words nor is he about relegating His kids who make mistakes and end up coming home to life in the back pasture.
Maybe you are like that son, you've got some things you have squandered and you have come back to God and the church but you are holding yourself back. You are not serving, you don't sing from the depth of your heart, you don't join in the community of the body in small group Bible Study, etc. You are this way because you have lost sight you are truly forgiven and you are still a son or daughter.
You are the son in the story and God is YOUR Father. Draw near and be free.
I was reminded of this tonight....
I Am a Son Of That Father
Who could want anymore?
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