SERMON MESSAGE FOR FATHERS DAY 2007
"Come Home --- to the Love of the Father"
(As delivered by Dr. Dwight Garrett on Sunday June 17, 2007 at, Friends Of Truth Christian Fellowship Church)
11: And 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 falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13: And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
14: And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
15: And 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 fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17: And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18: I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19: And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20: And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet 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 unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22: But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23: And bring hither the fatted calf, 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 elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
26: And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
27: And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
28: And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
29: And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
30: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
31: And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
32: It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
* SERMON *
I read and re-read this portion of scripture so many times this week, and each time I read it, and studied it and contemplated it---I got more and more out of it. Many emotions poured through me as I went through it word for word---verse for verse.
As you probably already know very well, this is one of the parables Jesus spoke that we know and love as “The Prodigal Son”.
Jesus often spoke in parables, which a lot of people use as a way to try to discredit Him as being nothing more than a “story teller”. But Jesus was not into the “story telling business”, instead He found it quite necessary to speak in Parables as a way of getting His point across in a more understanding way to those He was speaking to, and therefore painting a picture (if you will) of a much broader scheme of things.
Jesus spoke many parables and in many different settings---and to a wide range of folks, and for many reasons. Some folks will try to argue that the parables Jesus spoke were only relevant to who He was speaking to at the time---and for whatever setting was present when He was speaking---however, I also believe very strongly that every word Jesus ever spoke, and any parable He ever presented, was intended not just for one particular period of time, and not just for those who He was speaking to. But also for generations to come---and that we too can find meaning and life-applications through His thoughts and words right here and now---today.
As I studied this parable, I wondered---and asked God---“What message was He wanting me to deliver this morning?”.
So I wondered:
Was the message He wanted delivered to be about---and for Christians who walk away from their faith?
Because that could apply to this portion of scripture.
Was the message He wanted delivered to be about---and for, those who may not yet be saved by His loving grace?
Because that too could apply to this portion of scripture.
Many times when I write something I have somewhat of a theme in mind---a certain scenario if you will, and then (and with the Lord’s guidance) I search out scripture that goes along with what He puts on my heart to write about---and then there are just as many times I will be reading my Bible and studying---and God will give me an underlying theme or scenario to go along with wherever I am in my Bible at any given time.
But this time it just wasn’t happening.
I even considered other portions of scriptures that would have brought to mind different themes. But every time I strayed away from this parable---God brought me back to it.
My problem was, there were many thoughts coming to mind, and in some ways there were too many thoughts. And I wasn’t able to put all the pieces together and make them fit on my own.
And that is the key---I was trying to do it---on my own instead of simply doing what I should have been doing all along, and that was to allow God to lead me, guide me, and direct me.
And because I was trying to do it on my own, and because I was trying so hard to find what God’s message was suppose to convey this morning, and because I got so caught up in my thoughts---I was missing what God was laying on my heart.
It wasn’t till around mid-week that God finally got my attention. I went to bed on Wednesday night, and before I went to sleep, I prayed (like I always do) and in among my prayer time, I asked God to clear my mind, and to give me a clear understanding as to what message He wanted delivered here this morning through this portion of scripture.
And just so you know, I didn’t just stumble across this parable while searching for a message today either. I have been reading through God’s Word in it’s entirety for the 6th time now in my life, and when it was requested last Sunday that I deliver a message this week (and possibly next week as well) I was reading through, and studying the book of Luke and I was just finishing Chapter 14 and preparing to go into Chapter 15.
Now, like I already mentioned, I prayed about the message God wanted delivered this morning, and after I prayed I went to sleep.
Now, I have had many dreams while I have been asleep before, but none compares to the one I had on Wednesday night. It was a dream that seemed so real, and so lifelike that once I woke up on Thursday morning the first thing I did was, ask God:
“Where are You going with this?”, and “Where do You want ME to go with it?”.
And He gave me an answer, and He gave it to me in a big, big way.
The dream I had took me back in time, and to a place that I’d much rather forget, than to ever live through again. My dream took me back to a very dark, ugly, horrible and even dangerous period in my life. And it was in and through this dream that I finally came to realize what God was saying to my heart---and what message He wanted delivered here this morning.
I absolutely believe that God Hand delivered His message, through and by my dream---and more importantly and above all, through this parable---for and on this day we call “Fathers Day” and that message is:
You Can Always - "Come Home---to the Love of the Father".
I find this parable---spoken by Jesus---very encouraging. Why?
Well, because even though Jesus was speaking directly into the hearts and minds of the sinners who were surrounding Him at the time, He was also speaking to the Pharisees and the scribes who were upset that Jesus was hanging out with sinners, as is noted in verses 1 & 2 of Luke, Chapter 15, therefore confronting the hardness of their hearts against lost sinners.
And, I do not believe Jesus was simply speaking about the sinner who is lost and who is embracing the ways of the world, but in a much broader sense, I also believe it is intended for those who walk away from the Love of our Father as well.
This parable instills great encouragement in me because it tells us that no matter what we have done---no matter where or how far we may journey in life, and no matter how far we may stray from our Father in Heaven:
We can always - “Come Home---to the Love of the Father”.
In this parable, Jesus tells the story of a young man who couldn’t wait to get away from home. He makes a very selfish demand of his father, he takes his inheritance and he heads out to a far country to live it up, free from the restraints of his father and his rules.
What he finds in the far country however is not what he expected to find. Oh, he found good times and new friends, but when his money ran out, the good times and good friends ran out as well. He finds himself living with a pig farmer in the far country, working day by day feeding the pigs. He is broke, lonely, hungry and for all intent and purpose---no one cares about him!
When he finally reaches rock bottom, and all hope seems lost, he comes to his senses and remembers how good things had been at home after all. He remembers that there is no place like home! He returns home with a plan to be a servant in his father’s house. But, when he returns home, he finds more there than he ever bargained for. He finds out that no matter what he did, or where his journey took him---and no matter how bleak things had become:
He could - “Come Home---to the Love of the Father”.
My dear friends, whether you are lost in a mountain of sin, or lost in the far country into which you have strayed, you need to know that you can come home. If you are like the elder brother, who never left his fathers house, but none the less was angered and felt that his father had betrayed him and that his fathers love was lacking---you too can come back home.
Regardless of where you are in the journey of life, you need to know today that “There’s No Place Like Home” and that the Father is waiting for you with outstretched Arms, and with a heart filled with a never ending love.
To those who are lost in a world of sin---Jesus is calling for you to---Please, Come Home, and to those who once knew, and accepted Him and for whatever reason, left home, and left the safety and love of our Father, He is watching and waiting for you to Come Back Home!
At home with Jesus you will find a loving, receptive Father. In our text this morning we find that while this Prodigal son was in the far country, he had no one who cared about him, as we see in v. 16.
But yet when he arrives at home, the very first one to meet him is someone who does care, and always has cared---his father who he had disgraced and dishonored earlier---and who still loved him as much as he always did!
This verse tells us something of the very nature of our Heavenly Father Who waits for us, and Who’s love for us never diminishes, and Who yearns and longs for the day that we will “Come Back Home”.
I don’t want to spiritualize this very much this morning, but as a way of illustration and as a result of the dream I had---I myself can relate to what this is all about.
At one point in my life, I knew what it was like to be home and to be safe in our Fathers love. But through certain situations that I felt I could not deal with---I walked away from home (not necessarily my physical home, but my spiritual home with Jesus).
The fact is: I didn’t simply walk away---I ran as fast as I could.
First I made heavy demands on Him, and then I tried to dishonor my Father in Heaven---I tried to disgrace Him---I tried to paint a bleak and very dark picture of Him---I even publicly declared many times that there was no God---and that I had no Father in Heaven.
I was a man of my own making. I was self sufficient. I did not think I needed God, I didn’t even want God, and I sure wasn’t ready or willing to accept Him as my Father in Heaven.
I thought I was having the time of my life. Instead of glorifying God, I was glorifying drugs, guns and alcohol---I was finding glory and self satisfaction in lust and adultery and riotous living. I had new circle of friends that I thought actually cared about me.
I ran with the world at my side in everyway I could, and I thought I had it made---and that life was going to be grand. I thought I was free from my Fathers rules and free to be who and what I wanted to be, and I made a party out of living and a living out of partying.
BUT and like the young man in this parable---I found nothing but sadness, heartache, discouragement, despair and even pain and suffering.
My life was spinning out of control like that of a high speed runaway train---on tracks bound for nowhere. And when I finally realized where I was, and where I was heading, and when I hit rock bottom and slammed head-on into a brick wall and found myself in the filthy, stench filled pig-pen of the world, I wanted to come back home to the Father---and I was scared.
Why was I scared? Because deep inside of me, I did not think that after all I had done, and after where I had been that our Father in Heaven would ever love me, or accept me the same as He once did---and I was wrong---because not only was He waiting for me---and watching for me---He still loved me as much as He always has!
It didn’t matter what I did, or where I had been---once I returned home to Jesus---He left me know that He still loves me and exactly the same, without a black mark painted on my forehead, and His love for me is without any blemish whatsoever---and He lets me know how much He loves me---everyday of my life!
As I read this parable that Jesus told, I closed my eyes, and I can almost envision this father as he spends his lonely heartache filled days looking down the road for just a glimpse of the son he saw walk away so long ago?
I can see him maybe stepping out of the house every day and looking down the road in hopes that he will see his son coming home.
He has spent the time since his son left, waiting and watching and wanting for his son to return. He knew where the son had been, still he wanted him to return home, and still he loved him in spite of where he had been and all he had done.
What a picture this paints of our Heavenly Father!
Just like this father, God stands in wait, and want, and watching for us to come home to His love. God sees us when we return home, but He also sees us while we are wandering in the far country of sin, and wallowing in the pig-pen of the world. He sees us as we waste our substance with riotous living. He knows what we are, He knows who we are and he has seen all we have done, and still He desires for us to return to Him. God is a concerned Father Who loves even those who are living in the pig-pen of sin, that we call the world
Jeremiah 31:3 says: “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”
And then we all know what John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Our Father in Heaven is a caring and concerning Father Whose love never fails or falters, not matter what, and His love is immeasurable.
In this parable, when the father sees his son returning home, I am sure the son wouldn’t look like he did when he left home---probably dressed in dirty, filthy rags for clothing. Probably would have smelled of the pig-pens.
But none of that mattered to his father, and when the father sees him, not only does he put aside all the hurtful things that were said when the son left. He forgets the wasted resources. He forgets all the lonely, heartbroken days while the son was away. All he knows is that his son has returned home! He is safe and he is home!
Here comes this son, slowly down the road in humiliation, and when the father sees him, he runs swiftly in excitement to meet him and he falls on his sons neck and hugs him and kisses him.
Why all the excitement? Because the father has carried this boy in his heart since he left home!
Now, he doesn’t have to hold a memory---he can embrace the reality!
He runs, which was totally out of character for men of the time. It was considered beneath a man’s dignity to run. Still, this father is excited! His prayers have been answered and he runs to meet his son. He meets him and he clings to him.
Again, this paints a picture of our Heavenly Father. He too responds in compassion to all those who return to Him in faith. When a sinner takes a step of faith toward God, He moves in great leaps toward the sinner---and He clings to us.
James put it this way, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.”, James 4:8. He is able to run to us, receive us and kiss us back into His sweet fellowship, and He waits for us with outstretched Arms---and a heart overflowing with love.
When I returned to our Father, and returned to His Loving Arms, I was wearing the filthy, dirty and soiled rags of the world and I smelled badly after the rotten stench of the pig-pen of sin that I wallowed in for such a long time.
And when God saw me coming down the road, humiliated and scared, on my way back home, He ran to me and embraced me with His unending love, and showered me with the sweet kisses of His forgiveness and love.
Imagine the fear that must have been in this boy’s heart as he headed home. I can imagine it because I lived it when I was returning home. It is clearly seen in verses 17-19. He wanted to return home as a “hired servant”. Hired servants were lower than slaves.
Slaves often came to be considered a part of the family. Hired servants, on the other hand, could be dismissed at any time. He feared being turned away, as I did as well, but he found a father who loved him and who was filled with great compassion for his son---and Praise’s to Jesus---I found it too.
My friends, you need not fear the Lord turning you away today. He loves you and if you will come to Him, you will find a warm, loving, caring welcome, not a harsh rebuke,
Jesus says, in, John 6:37, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
Thank You Precious Lord---there IS a loving Father at home!
The son returns home with a prepared speech for his father, (see) verse 21, but the father interrupts him to declare that all is forgiven. The Father’s statements in verse 22 prove that all is well between him and the son. His statements demonstrate the fact that all is forgiven, and that all is well!
The love this father had for his son was not a tarnished kind of love---but it was a pure love---just like our Father in Heaven extends to us when we Come Home to Him.
Here stands the son in the rags of his sins. He doesn’t look like a child of this father. But, the father orders the best of his robes to be brought and to be put on the son. This robe would cover all the stains and dirt of the pig pen. This robe would make him look like the father. This robe served to erase all the visible signs of this boy’s sinful past.
When I returned home to our Father, He too clothed me with His purest robe too---and He cleansed me whiter than the whitest snow.
When we as sinners come home, we receive a robe from the heavenly Father, Isaiah 61:10; says:
“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”
And Revelation 7:9-14 tells us:
“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;”
“And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”
“And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,”
“Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.”
“And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?”
“And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
This righteousness is not the righteousness of good works or of human goodness. No, this is the very righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed to those who receive Him by faith, as we find in Philippians. 3:9,
“And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”
When we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ, all the pain and the stain of our past is forever washed away! All the dirt and the filth of a life of sin is forever washed away from us!
After the robe, the boy’s father asked for a ring, and put it on his hand. The ring was a symbol of son-ship and authority. The one with the ring could speak for the Father! The one with the ring had access to all that belonged to the father! The one with the father’s ring was in a position of great privilege!
When lost sinners repent of their sins and come home to the Father, they are given the great privilege of being recognized as His sons, and daughters 1 John 3:1-2,
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.”
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
They are given the privilege of speaking for the Father, Acts 1:8,
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
They are allowed access to all that belongs to the Father as well, Romans 8:17,
“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”
Psalm 24:1;
“A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD'S, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”
When we come to the Father, He opens the storehouses of His grace and gives us everything He has! What a privilege belongs to those who go home to the Father!
The father then calls for shoes to be brought for the feet of his son. Only the slaves went barefoot, sons wore shoes! This boy returned home desiring to be just a mere hired servant, but the father is determined to recognize his position as a son! In the boy’s eyes, he didn’t even deserve to be a slave, but even lower, even a hired servant. The father, however, looked at him and said, “This is my son!” The father alone determines the position and worth of his children!
I want to encourage you today that you are not a nobody if you are saved by grace! We sometimes have this idea that we are supposed to think of ourselves as “just old sinners saved by grace.”
Well, let me tell you, when you are saved by grace, you became a child of God! He no longer sees you as a slave or as a sinner, but he sees you as His darling child, whom He loves like He loves His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ!
We are right to humble ourselves in His presence, but let’s never forget that if we are saved by grace, that it is the Father Who determines our standing in the family and not we ourselves!
What I am saying is this: Don’t let satan or the flesh keep you down by telling you that you are not worthy to be a child of God. If you are truly saved, you have been accepted by the Father in Heaven and He has called you His child! What a wonderful and special place of privilege that is!
After the son has been covered and restored to his place in the family, the father calls for the fatted calf to be slaughtered. This calf was kept for the sole purpose of great celebrations and for entertaining honored guests. The father calls for this celebration because he wants to fellowship with his son. This hadn’t been possible before because this son was like one that was dead, v. 24. But now, the son is home and he and the father can fellowship!
Before a person is saved, they can have no fellowship with God because they are separated from Him by a great chasm of sin.
Isaiah 59:2, says,
“But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”
After Christ has re-worked the heart and faith has been exercised toward God, the lost sinner can experience sweet fellowship with God Himself! There is nothing in this world like knowing and experiencing the personal and powerful presence of God Himself.
Please notice in Luke 15:10 that the Father is pictured as rejoicing over sinners that repent,
“Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”
Not only does our Father rejoice, but this parable indicates that He allows those who return home---to celebrate with Him. Thank God for the rejoicing that dwells in the hearts of the redeemed, as we can see in
1 Peter. 1:8;
“Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:”
and
John 16:22.
“And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.”
So now this parable tells us that a celebration begins! The father probably invites the servants, the neighbors and the friends of the family to a great celebration!
But, notice that when the father and whoever else had gathered together to celebrate, the elder brother stays out in the field. He is angry because he has always been there, but the Father hasn’t so much as given him a goat, much less a fatted calf. He may have lived in the father’s house and worked in his fields, but he did not love the father like he should have, and he didn’t enjoy the attention his younger brother was getting. He may have been home, but he was in the far country in his heart!
This is a picture of many who are in the family of God today. They are always around the Father, but they take Him for granted. They do not enjoy His fellowship and they refuse to rejoice when someone else comes to know Him.
They could eat the fatted calf anytime they want to, but they refuse to enjoy the blessings of their Father. The fact of the matter is this: not all the prodigals leave home!
Many stay right there in the Father’s house, sulking because they are jealous of the lives lived by those off in sin.
What a blessing it would have been had this elder brother ran behind the father to greet this boy! What a difference there would be in the house of God if those who were already there would join the Father in looking for those who aren’t home yet, and would rejoice with Him when then do finally come home!
An interesting note is that the end of this parable is left open.
Did the elder brother ever come into the feast?
Did he ever reconcile with his younger brother?
Did he ever reconcile with his father?
Did he ever find lasting and eternal peace?
We do not know because those things are in the future. Jesus left the parable open-ended so that the Pharisees and the scribes could write the final paragraph for themselves.
Today, you get to write the final paragraph to your story too. How it ends will be determined by what you do with the call of the Lord in your heart.
Have you found yourself down in the pig pen of life?
Are you concerned our Father in Heaven will mark you as “Less than” if you return to His Love?
Are you afraid you will be rejected, or that the love of our Father will somehow be tarnished?
Or are you already in our Fathers house and feeling rejected and betrayed, angry or jealous?
I am here today to tell you that I am living proof that He will receive you and He will erase your past and restore you to a place of blessing and rejoicing.
Maybe you are like the elder brother. You are in the Father’s house, but you aren’t having a good time! Maybe it’s time to come on down to the feast. Maybe it’s time for you to come to the Father and renew your commitment to Him.
Friends, regardless of where you are today, there’s no place like home! If you are in the far country, you need to come home. If you are out in the Father’s field, but lack the kind of love and respect you need for the Father, you need to come home too.
The door is open, the table is spread, the fatted calf has been slaughtered and the feast has begun, the celebration is on---and the Father is watching, waiting, and wanting for all who will:
“Come Home---to the Love of the Father”