THE FATHER'S LOVE

Luke 15: 11-32
Key Verses: 15:31,32

"'My son", the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.""

Today's message is about the parable of the lost son. This parable was written by God himself. No human-being is able to invent such a story - neither Goethe, nor Shakespeare, nor Hemingway. This parable only Jesus can give us. Here we can find the love of God for lost sinners. Jesus told it to those who couldn't understand the love of almighty God.

While Jesus was preaching the good news of the kingdom of God and healing the sick in Israel, many tax collectors and prostitutes, known as public sinners, came to hear his word. The Pharisees had a strong dislike for such public sinners; they were ashamed to associate with them. But our Lord Jesus was happy to welcome them. For example he welcomed a tax collector named Levi. Levi was so happy to be welcomed by God. He got up and followed Jesus. Some years later Levi was completely changed into Saint Matthew who wrote about the God's royal love in his gospel.

All lost people were so happy to be with Jesus because they felt Jesus loved them. After his preaching was over, these public sinners, out of thanks, invited Jesus and his fellowship to dinner. The dinner party was literally a kind of beggars¡¯ party; but in fact it was a heavenly banquet, for where Jesus is, there is the kingdom of God. But the hypocritical Pharisees and teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." (15:1,2) Therefore Jesus told them the parable of the lost son (15:11-32). Jesus hoped they might somehow come to know the heart of God toward lost souls and be shepherd for their people.

First, 'I will set out and go back to my father' (11-20a)
Look at verses 11,12. "There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them." The younger one wanted to get his share of the estate and use it freely. Freedom is the best gift given by God to man in the Garden of Eden (Ge 2:16,17). After Adam was just created he looked to his creator like a little baby looks to his mother. "God", Adam may have said, "my life is in your almighty hands: I am your robot." God gave his lovely creation many gifts: fruits to eat, animals to play with, stars to watch. But the best gift of God was not to live like a robot but as a child of God. In the Garden of Eden he could be his own boss and manage the earth with all the talents God gave him. The father in the parable was concerned for his son's safety, but he did not want to treat his son like a slave, so he gave him his share of the estate.

The younger son really wanted to enjoy a carefree life. When he wanted to look at some girls on the Internet, he found that his father put a blocking program on the computer. And when he wanted to play video games all day, he found that the video cable was cut. Finally, the last straw was when his father would not allow him to go on a date with one cute girl. The son ignored his father¡¯s broken heart. He could not see his father's love. As a result, when he ignored his father's love, he lost his father himself. When he lost his father, he virtually lost himself. In the parable, the younger son wanted to handle his own money as his sinful desires directed. In this way, he rejected his father but he was not free. He was a slave of sinful desires.

Look at verse 13. "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living." The younger son used up what he had received from his father only for himself. Therefore, his desire to live a wild life came from his selfishness. Selfishness is the bad fruit of the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden. When Adam misused Gods" best gift of freedom and disobeyed God's only order, he became selfish. His love for God and especially his love for his weak wife flew out of his heart like a bird. Adam accused God who gave him this wife, and he accused his wife who gave him the forbidden fruit. After the Fall of Man all men living in this world are infected with selfishness. Bad fruits of selfishness are hedonism, individualism and materialism. Their "one word" is: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." (1 Co15:32) I love Germany because of the traditions, order, cleanliness and others. But in Germany when people come to my fitness center they claim unused treadmills by tying their towels on them. The nature of man is a fallen nature. Fallen nature wants to have his share of the estate and squander his wealth in wild living. These people willingly hear Satan's lie to enjoy life according their sinful nature. But God gave man abundant wealth: intellect, feelings, health and the freedom of choice, and the privilege of living in God's world. One who uses Gods gifts only for himself is spiritually blind. Through one-to-one Bible study, each of us must come to know how to live for the glory of God.

What happened to the runaway son? Verse 14 reads, "After he had spent everything. There was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need." The younger son rode to the Wild West and there he spent all his money. It was not easy for him to spend all his money in only a few months. Perhaps he rode to Las Vegas, lived in luxurious hotels, played games of chance. On each arm there was a foxy girl who was spoiled with diamonds and champagne. But after he had spent everything, he was in need. No one wanted to say, "hello," to him when his pocket was empty.

Verse 15-16: "So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything." Here Jesus used the words, "he hired himself out". This is a good expression for some one who has lost the Father's home. When a person doesn't hire himself out to God, he must hire himself out to a bad citizen and finally hire himself out to Satan. For example in a bank we can find the loan officer with a big smile saying, "if you only sign this paper, we will give you a $10,000 loan, and you can get a sports car. You can pay it back comfortably in 48 years." Suddenly we hire ourselves out to a bank and fall in the dept trap. Another example is the bondage to sexual desires that lead to fornication, adultery and homosexual relationships. Many lost people have hired themselves out to the computer or the television which stand in their living room like idols. Many people have hire themselves out to cigarettes, marijuana, cocaine and alcohol. Especially intelligent young men hire themselves out to psychological sects, loud Boom-Boom music or sports fanatism. We see Satan is very creative to bind people who set off from the Father's home and fall in need.

In desperation, the lost son got a job on the bottom of society; a pig-feeding job. But he received too little to support himself. One day he was so hungry that he became envious of the pigs which had pods to eat. On his knees he longed to fill his stomach with the rotten pods. But when he wanted to steal one of them, a native pig shepherd stepped on his long fingers and smeared mud into his face. The son had failed. His fall was deep. His decision to follow his feelings and leave home was wrong. He had been wrong. Instead of being free and enjoying life, he became a slave. In his hunger and sorrow, he remembered his father and his father's home.

Look at verse 17. "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!" When he experienced the real world, he came to his senses. Self-realization comes when one begins to open his heart to the Father's love. At the moment he remembered his father's love, he realized that he had been wrong. Without knowing God's love, man is like an orphan who is endlessly sorrowful. We can also watch this kind of sorrow when children expect God's love from their parents. Not knowing that their parents are only sinful persons, they feel misunderstood and unloved by them. But human love, even if it is parents" love, cannot substitute for God's love, because their love is limited. Only God's love is eternal, holy and deeper than the ocean.

What was the son's decision? Let's read together verses 18-20a: "I will set out and go back to my father and say to him; 'Father, 1 have sinned against heaven and against you. 1 am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father." When he realized his father's love, he decided to go home. This was not a small event. For him it was a moment of coming home to his Father God. This was indeed an outstanding and courageous decision. In this situation many become depressed and restless. They go to the psychiatrist, swallow pills and contemplate suicide. The younger son made many mistakes. But here he acts exemplary. He said: "I will set out and go back to my father and say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you"." This wonderful decision was the result of a long spiritual journey in his inner being.

It is interesting to see that the son found himself a sinner not only against his earthly father, but also against his heavenly father. What was the background for this perception? It was the realization that God created his father and that God created the heavens and the earth. God sees everything. Almighty God saw him not only in his father's home but also as he squandered his wealth in wild living. There was nothing which could excuse his former life. So he came out of his hiding place and came to his father as dirty as he was. He decided to ask God and his father for forgiveness and mercy. He didn't want to eat even one more pod but set out and go back to his father with all his sins. This was the turning-point of his life.

Second, 'The father was filled with compassion for him' (20b-24)
The climax of the parable is the father's welcome. The rest of the story is but decoration. Perhaps the son's heart sank as he came near his father's house. He hesitated when his father's home came into sight, and perhaps all his resolution crumbled. In his rags, he had had to pass through all his father's servants and all the people in his hometown. But he did not give up going to his father because he remembered his father's love.

Let's see what the father did then. Look at verse 20b: "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." This is the exact picture of the heart of God. The son rejected his father's love. He made his father unbearably sorrowful. But the father did not remember his son's transgressions. He waited for his return day by day. When he saw his dirty son and noticed him hesitate, he ran to meet him. Probably the smell of his dirty face was sweeter than honey to his father. The father's joy for his homecoming son was indeed great. It was exactly the heavenly joy. Apostle Paul, who knew the love of God, said in Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

There were many people who experienced God's forgiving love. They experienced that God will not break a bruised reed. When Isaiah the prophet saw the King, the Lord Almighty, he feared for his life because he was a man of unclean lips. But then God sent an angel to him, touched his mouth with a live coal so that his guilt was taken away. (Isa6:5-7) So after receiving God's forgiving love Isaiah confessed: "Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon." (Isa55:7)

Maybe Moses was the only man who could see God face to face. After he came up on top of Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, the Lord came down in the cloud and passed in front of Moses. Moses was overwhelmed and completely awed. What was the reason for his deep awe? Moses proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. (Ex 34,6-7a) Here Moses saw the amazing grace of God towards his rebellious sons and daughters of Israel.

Let's see how the son responded when his father did not hit but kissed him? Look at verse 21. "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 1 am no longer worthy to be called your son. "" God gave him the spirit of repentance. In verse 19b, the son wanted to ask his father to give him a job as one of his servants. When he said, "one of his hired men," he did not mean to become a servant for a paycheck every other week. He meant he was willing to serve his father with a new heart, with gladness and full devotion.
What was the father's reply to his son? Read verses 22-24. "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate." The father gave no verbal answer to his son's confession. But he ordered the servants to bring the best gifts for his son. The robe, traditionally, was a familiar emblem of character. The father clothed his prodigal son in the best robe. The ring is a token of being an heir. Suddenly the son was no more a hungry pig shepherd but a heavenly prince and a royal priest. This story teaches us that our God forgives our sins unconditionally and crowns each of us with the crown of the heavenly kingdom through his Son Jesus Christ.

I was born in summer 1964 in Solingen, Germany. My father was a well known graphic designer, and my mother was a very good housewife. After school we played in the forest, climbing trees and building dams at the brook, or we played tennis and soccer. Each Sunday we went to church. But when I was 14 years old, my father died of a heart attack. All happiness flew out of my home. Starting from the age of 16, I was no longer the dear son. 1 went to pubs, drank alcohol, smoked cigarettes and marijuana, spent my share of the father's estate in games of chance and expensive journeys. Meanwhile, I seemed to fail in my study of sports medicine. In this time I lost not only my earthly father but also my heavenly Father. After a while I found myself lying on the grass full of despair. At this time I came to my senses and cried to heaven: "Jesus, please help me!" It was a cry of my heart. This was the turning point of my life. Less than one year later God changed my life. He gave me a Bible teacher and let me know Jesus through the Gospel of Mark. God gave me the spirit of repentance, so Jesus" blood flowed deep into my dark soul until His wonderful light filled me. Soon I was restored as God's child and blessed with God's mission to live as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. When I repented because of my sinful desires, God gave me His heavenly princess, Shepherdess Dr. Ulrike Grof3, with whom I could receive a sporty son named Paul . When I repented because of my irresponsible squandering of God's gifts, God gave me a fitness center to manage. When I repented because of my shyness before man, whereby I stammered in every sentence I spoke, God placed me to preach the Gospel. I praise God, my true Father, who is full of love and mercy to me. May the Father's love touch the hearts of all young college students and teenagers in America, Germany, England, Russia, Muslim countries, North Korea, China and all nations through 1:1 Bible study and graceful Sunday Worship messages. Amen!

Third, 'You are always with me' (25-32)
The older brother came back from working in the field and heard the sounds of joyful music and dancing. He asked one of his servants, "What's going on here?" The servant explained about the feast. Then the older son became very angry and refused to go in. He thought that his younger brother didn't deserve such a big feast. He himself worked hard and obeyed his father. Yet his father did not give him even a young goat. The older brother was quite reasonable. But he was spiritually blind to his father's love: he only had a boss-employee relationship with his father. He participated neither in his father's sorrow nor in his broken heart (25-27). This older brother refers to the hypocritical Pharisees. The father said, "My son, you are always with me, and everything 1 have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found" (31,32). According to the father, the older son's inheritance was safe. His father's possessions were all his. Furthermore, the father himself was his. Most importantly, he had a great privilege in serving his father. But he did not realize his blessed privilege.

He only wanted his father's young goats for his wage. Here Jesus reminds all his veteran servants, why they live as Jesus' disciples. Jesus asks them, "What wage do they expect?" What is my wage, when I deny myself, take up the cross of mission every day and follow Jesus? Do I expect a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends? Jesus stresses that the best wage of following him is to be always with him. To be with Jesus means to know the way to eternal life in heaven.

In this passage we learn that God's love is unconditional to those who come to him. God's love is like the Father's love. This love is like a warm summer rain. In the Hermitage, the famous museum in St. Petersburg, we can see a wonderful picture by Rembrandt of the Father's welcome to his lost son. The hands of the father are painted are so gently. He embraces his kneeling son so warmly and is filled with so much compassion. It is man's greatest decision in his life to return to the Father. And it is man's best wage in his life to be always with him. May each of us come to our Father God today. Amen!