My Take on the Prodigal Son

I had an assignment for one of my classes. I had to write a paper, but the paper had to be in a sermon format.

This is what I came up with.

The sermon format is the reason for the different style. Check it out, I hope you can take something away from it and I'd like to know what you think about it.

As a note, two writers, Keller and Bock really influenced my thinking on this topic.

Student Ministry Sermon on the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)

11 And he said, "There was a man who had two sons.12 And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.' And he divided his property between them.13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.15 So he went and hired himself out tot one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs 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 more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants."'20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.21 And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'t 22 But the father said to his servants,t 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate.

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 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.27 And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.'28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him,29 but he answered his father, 'Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!'31 And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'" -Luke 15:11-32 (ESV)

Today, we are going to explore the story known as the “Parable of the Prodigal Son.” It is a parable told by Jesus in the book of Luke. It is a famous passage, many of you have probably heard the name “Prodigal Son” before but it is more accurate to go along with some versions of the Bible that call this the “Parable of the Two Sons” because this story has many facets. Let’s look at the first part of the story, read through verses 11 to 16.

Now like most young people we see today that come into a lot of money very quickly, the youngest son blew his wealth. This translation says he squandered his wealth on “reckless living.” If you look into some other translations you can infer that the young man spent his money on women, partying, and every form of excess you can imagine. He set out to enjoy every worldly indulgence he could think of and lived it up for a time.

Eventually he uses up all of his money, and the story says that there was a famine so people were in dire straights. It was hard to find work and food. In a way it is similar to today. The economy is doing poorly, so a lot of people are having a hard time finding work. It just makes for a lot of people scraping by.

I like to picture this young man growing up wealthy in his father’s home, not having to work for much and generally living a life of luxury. Now he is working as a farmhand tending and feeding the pigs!

Things are bad for the youngest son. He is living in the dirty pig sty, knee deep in the pigs’ waste. He is in need. He is hungry. In fact, he is so hungry, Jesus says he starts looking longingly at the slop that he is giving to the pigs.

Hold on. Do you know what pigs eat? Have you ever been on a farm and seen what farmers feed their pigs? Pigs are known to eat anything. I mean anything. Farmers regularly feed their pigs all the scraps that the people and other animals on the farm wouldn’t eat. They throw it in a big tub and mix it all up and make this foul smelling slop of leftover scraps. That was appetizing to this guy.

Let’s keep going, look with me at the next few verses. Read verses 17 to 24.

The young man knows he is in squalor, and remembers his fathers house. He looks at his life and knows that his father’s servants live better than he is living now. He has no hope to be treated as his father’s son again. He doesn’t think there is anyway that his father would accept him into the home and make him heir of the estate again, he just wants a job. He hopes that he can crawl on his hands and knees, beg his father for forgiveness, and work for him. He knows he hurt his father, dishonored him, and insulted him. The son is just hoping that his father is compassionate enough to let him go work in the field.

So the man swallows his pride and heads back to his father’s house, with his speech prepared on how he will ask for forgiveness. But something astounding happens. The father sees him coming while he was still far away. The father was looking and waiting for his son. Quickly, the father runs out to his son. He embraces his son and the son tells his father that he’s not worthy of this warm welcome. The father responds by calling his servants to immediately adorn the son with a robe, ring, and shoes. This signifies that the father is reinstating the son as his heir, bringing him back into the home. The father is giving the son back his full status as son. The father doesn’t make the son pay. He doesn’t make the son beg. The father immediately accepts him and rejoices. He throws a party to celebrate the son’s return.

At this point it is important to clarify who the people in this story are. Jesus is telling this story and makes it clear that the father is God and the youngest son represents all of us sinners in the world. This story explains some huge points about God’s relationship toward those that turn away from Him.

I’ve done this in my life. I have told God that I didn’t want Him around, just give me what’s mine and let me live my life. I’ve said, “I don’t need you, God.” There are many stories of us running away in our own way. Squandering all the blessings that God has given us on our selfish desires. How many of your friends don’t want anything to do with God and try to find joy in partying, drugs, sex?

It is so natural for us to do this. We want God to give us what we think we deserve, and we chase after everything we think will make us happy. We fulfill every desire in us, just consuming what feels good. Its called hedonism, we just keep chasing after pleasure not withholding from anything.

You and I, we end up just like the prodigal son. We use up all we have in the pursuit of pleasure and end up broke, sad, empty, lonely, and miserable. When I see this, I just think of rock stars. Do you ever watch those shows on VH1 about big time rock stars? The ones about how after they’ve become rich and famous, their lives spiral out of control. Why is that so common? Why does that seem to happen to so many people that look like they have everything that should make them happy?

Its because this selfish pleasure is not enough. Addiction can pounce on you and get a hold of you quick. You can end up like the prodigal son, scarred from doing nothing but serving yourself, and worse off than before.

The youngest son reaches rock bottom and remembers his father. It takes courage what he did. It takes courage for us to do the same. But when you are in that place, when you are sitting in the pig pen like the son, you realize you don’t have any other choice.

The youngest son returns to his father to beg for forgiveness. When we turn to God and ask for forgiveness, He treats us the same way that the father in this parable does. He runs to us! He embraces us! He accepts us before we can even say a word.

I love that phrase in verse 20, “while he was a long way off.” God will accept you even if you are a long way off. You don’t have to have your life in order. You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to be clean. You don’t have to be living right before you come to Him. Come to Him as you are and He will accept you.

God rejoices when we return to Him. He celebrates in heaven, and He immediately restores us as His children. Romans 8 says that when we turn to the Lord, He makes us coheirs with Christ. We are His children like Christ is His son. It is an amazing and hopeful promise. When we repent, God says we are alive again in Christ, no longer dead in sin. No longer lost in the world, we are found in Him.

What’s interesting is there is still another part to this parable. It deals with the older son. Let’s finish up this parable. Read with me verses 25 to 32.

The older brother hears the commotion while he is out working in the field. When he finds out there is a celebration for his brother’s return he gets mad. He refuses to join the party. The father comes out to him and asks his son what’s wrong. The son responds by saying that he is angry at the father. The son says that he has worked hard for his father and has been perfect but the father doesn’t ever celebrate him and give him the party he desires. The father is surprised and says “all that is mine is yours.” The father then invites the son to celebrate with the family.

Why is this part in here? Why didn’t Jesus leave this part out? He could have had this great story about forgiveness and now he soured it with this jealous older brother. Well the reason is interesting. If you look back in Luke, you see that Jesus was not telling this story to sinners or common people that were thought of as unholy. Jesus was talking to the church people of the time. He was talking to the Pharisees. These guys were super holy, they lived the law to perfection, their job was to be holy.

They are the older brother in this story, the religious people. And guess what, if you are here in church today, you might be the older brother in this story. I know this hits me hard. I’ve always been a pretty good kid, grown up in the church and did the right things. Jesus knows people like me and warns us of what can happen.

It is easy for us religious people to follow the commandments like the older brother and expect things in return. We go to church, we do what we’re supposed to do, we sing the right songs, we say the right things, and we get self righteous. We think we’re so good that we deserve our father’s inheritance. We think we deserve the grace that God has given us. And when we pray to Him, asking for our “young goat,” and He doesn’t give them to us, we get angry. Sometimes we look across the row and see the Lord giving that thing we want to a “sinner!” We get even more mad. The Lord should give that to us! We deserve it!

Jesus is reminding us we don’t deserve anything. No one deserves anything from the Father. We are all sinners. We all fall short of the glory of God. Nobody is good enough, follows the law well enough, lives a good enough life to earn anything from God. When we think we do, we let that self righteous seep into our lives. Soon, we think we don’t need a savior either.

That in itself is sin. This parable is reminding us that we are all sinners. For some of us our sin is expressed in our selfish lifestyles, our empty pleasure seeking. For others, our sin is expressed in our self righteousness and our legalism. But the beauty of this story is that God wants us both to come to the party. God will accept all of us if we turn to Him. He will throw a robe around our shoulders and welcome us back into His presence. He is a God of forgiveness, mercy, grace, and compassion

The Right Way

I have to admit, I am a little concerned with this new trend going around in the Christian book community. Some of the hot new books being sold are calling us to remember God as a righteous judge. They claim that the church has focused too much on God's love, but ignored his justice. And there is some superiority around these "real" Christians, that have read the books, and know God's full character.

While I agree that Health and Wealth sermons are not biblical. I agree that Jesus does not call us to a life of comfort. I agree that Jesus calls us to surrender everything to Him. I do not agree with diminishing the importance of love in God's character just to prove a point.

Believe me. I get it. It is easy to attack the mega churches out there. They are a mile wide and an inch deep. They are doing it all wrong. Where's the growth? These are all valid points.

But at least they are doing something. No church is perfect. I've been in both scenarios, the mega church, seeker friendly, looking for people who don't know about God. And I've been to small churches, with spiritual people, moved by the Holy Spirit, and focused on growing deeper in the Word. If you are waiting for me to jump on one, I'm not going to.

Both are great. But neither are perfect.

They both serve a unique purpose. Both types of church provide something to people in different stages of their walk with God.

It is also popular for well intentioned ministers and deep thinkers to attack those in the church who provide a "salvation prayer." A "magical prayer" that gets people in to heaven.

Yes! We all agree that trusting Christ is more than a prayer. It is surrendering your life. But isn't praying to God, and telling him that you are putting your faith in him, part of the whole believe in your heart, confess with your mouth passage in the Bible? At least a prayer is a start. It may not be the perfect tiny package of Christianity all in one small prayer, but it is leading people down a road to Christ.

I don't want to come across as favoring one side or the other. Nothing makes me angrier than watching a pastor of a huge church on TV preach and seemingly shrink away from mentioning the existence of sin or sacrifice. And I get mad when I see small churches that haven't grown for years, sitting in their pews, tithing, but not getting their hands dirty, doing the work of God in the world.

I'm sorry if this angered you. But in some ways, I hope it got you thinking. There is no one right way to do church. Quit thinking your way is superior. You do church your way because that is how you feel comfortable, or that is how God called you to do it. That is great! But that doesn't mean it is the way everyone is supposed to do church. Christ is for everyone. But there are different churches for different people.

Let's try and find the middle road between the Health and Wealth Gospel, and Hell Fire and Brimstone Preaching.

God is love. God is righteous. But let's not diminish one to exalt the other.

Hurdles

Life hurts, it beats you down and wears you out.

There are times when I am exhausted.

I feel like I can't battle sin anymore.

I just don't understand why a loving God would make it so hard for me to follow Him.

I try and do what's right but still do what's wrong.

My flesh leads me to temptations I can't withstand.

I am weak.

It's times like this when this verse hits home.

"Even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
-2 Corinthians 12:7-10

You see, Paul's been there.

He knows what I'm going through. He was a better Christian than me and even he still had sin he had to battle. It's not about being perfect, I just can't do that. I try my hardest, but I still screw up. But it is in my weaknesses, my failures, my defeats, my brokenness, when He is strong.

Maybe that's why I write at a time like this, fresh from battle with sin, in my moments of weakness is when God will use this.

But I tell you, in our defeats, we find victory in him.

When all is lost, He is there.

Through Him, we can overcome.

These sound like cliches until you've been there. God has lifted my spirits and delivered me from my shame and hurt.

He can do the same from you.

Only God can heal a broken home, stop an addiction, or simply give you the strength to go on.

Life is hard, I screw up.

All I know is life is better with Jesus than without.

It breaks my heart to see people going through pain without God. I firmly believe that is one reason why God puts hurdles in our paths. So we can experience them, and overcome. Once you've been there, you can reach out and help someone who is there now.

Only those who have been through divorce can truly understand the hurt of someone going through divorce.

Only those who have overcome addiction can relate to others trapped in the bondage of addiction.

God gives us the strength, when we are weak, to pull through problems, reach out to others, and in the end glorify Him.

There are other forces at work, causing pain and sorrow, we come across those people in our lives everyday, coworkers, classmates, spouses, family. God doesn't make us immune to these problems, God gives us the strength to deal with them, and come out on top, victorious.

That way we can go into a broken world and show them that there is a way out of the pain.

That way is Jesus.

The Benefits of Atheism?

Simply put, what are the benefits of atheism?

You live your life with no one watching out for you, no one caring about you, no one making you part of their plan.

Then you die, and that's it?

That's all there is?

Can someone explain to me why anyone would be an atheist?

I understand some people have hang ups about the church, or about certain things that have been done under the banner of "religion," but what does atheism have to offer?

If you look at your life on a singular, personal level, I just don't see the benefit.

I know many atheists that say they are too rational to believe in God, too logical to believe in the hocus pocus of religion.

You are too rational to avoid universal evidence that puts doubts in all of our beliefs?

So you stick to your atheist guns?

Why?

Why would you turn away from a loving, caring God that wants the best for you, that accepts everyone, that is the definition of love?

What is so alluring about atheism, and why would you try to convince me to change my ways?

Why would you try to make me give up my faith in a better world and loving God and join the ranks of an atheist and believe in nothing?

If this is it, and there is nothing more to live for, why would I want to be a part of that?

I just don't see the upside of atheism or the downside of believing in God.

Maybe I just don't have enough faith to be an atheist.

Unimaginable

My mind keeps wandering back to God's grace. I don't know what He wants me to think about or for me to say, but I keep thinking about it. I think it is the most powerful force in the world. Whenever I concentrate on the magnitude of His grace, mercy, or sacrifice, and start to barely grasp the cusp of any of those qualities, I am overwhelmed with emotion. It truly is too much to bear and that's why God doesn't place it all on our hearts. Which leads me to our burdens that Christ bears for us, and paid for on the cross. The magnitude of the entire wrath of God, paying for all sin everywhere. Is far too much for any normal person to bear. There is no way for me to begin to describe how much all of this is. Yet Christ did it for all of us, even for people who wouldn't give Him the time of day.

I guess this is the purpose of this post. All the qualities of God, are truly unimaginable to man. His holiness, His glory, His love is more than we can even think of. It is amazing and ever deserving of praise. That is what I try to focus on during Christmas. If you are having trouble with the distractions of the holidays, slow down and focus on one simple aspect of Christ. Whether it be His sacrifice, His grace, or His love. Plead with God, ask Him to show you how it feels. When He gives you a taste you will be overcome with emotion. How can I not live for someone who loves me so much and has sacrificed for me so much? I owe it to Him and His everlasting love to serve Him.

I know none of that is scientific evidence. I know none of that is hard fact. But I know in my heart what I feel. Sure that's nothing solid to go off of. But if you don't know Jesus, why not take that chance? All I know is that life is hard, and we all have our problems. Life is definitely better with Christ, than without Him. If you don't know God, you have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. I urge you, investigate Christ's claims. See what this whole God thing is all about. It is Christmas after all. Seek Him and He will reveal himself to you. Just give it a shot, I know in my heart you won't come out for the worse.

things going on in my head

hey everybody, i was just reading, and had some things running through my head

- if you know God, do you think about how lucky you are to have been called by Him, to Him? without Him initiating this loving relationship and calling you at one point or another, you would still be out there, lost, and searching.

- are you like me? do you wish sometimes you could just say, "hey God run my life." or at least have the strength/focus/intelligence to rely on God 24/7?

- i was reading in 2 Samuel about the amazing friendship between david and jonathan. i was wondering why this isn't brought up more when people are looking at how to deal with relationships. especially when people aren't sure of what to aim for in a friendship. this is an amazing example of genuine love, care, and self sacrifice for a true friend. go check it out.

- one of my prayer requests is that i can find where God is at work up here. where he is really present and growing a community of Christians. i want to find that place and join them.

- sometimes i can beat myself up over past mistakes, feeling distant to God, feeling like i don't pray enough, read my Bible enough, and the like. but what i have to remind myself is that God doesn't love me any less because of these things. His love for me can not change, and that it is always a joyous occasion when i go to Him. He knows i am imperfect, but still He has given everything to me in our relationship. He knows i deserve nothing but through his amazing grace i have everything. i think if i could fully grasp that. how much God has given me, how much He has done for me, how much He loves me, i would be closer to Him than ever imaginable. i encourage everyone out there to stop thinking that is impossible. go try and attain that. focus on His love, His grace, His eternal giving. and when you think you've thought about it too much, think about it more. there is no way it won't have a positive impact on you.

anyways... that's what's going on in my head.