A Father’s Love

I’m not sure there is any greater grief than what a parent feels at the loss of a child. I cannot speak from personal experience, and I know I cannot even begin to understand this pain. This is not an experience with which most parents expect to deal. If you have gone through this trial, there is no greater One that understands your loss than our heavenly Father. He gave His only begotten Son. He realized the fullness of this agony when His Son died the cruelest death in the history of mankind.

Last week in my post, A Wasted Life, we examined the first part of the Prodigal Son. The prodigal had chosen to pursue his own personal desires rather than spending his life in the protection of his father’s loving home. The father’s home is a picture of the will of God. There is no greater place of rest and peace than in being in the center of God’s will, even if this does mean the jungles of Africa.

As the Prodigal departed, his father was greatly grieved. I’m sure the depth of his agony was as great as if his son had died. While he clung to hope, he did not have the assurance of his son one day returning. The father knew, however, that his son had a free will. The son had to make his own personal decision to follow God. The father could not force this upon his son.

The son’s wasted life  led him to the degradation of the pigsty. Pigs were considered unclean animals to a Jew, and he could have gone no lower. He had lived a promiscuous life and was now reaping the consequences. There will always be a price to pay for sin.

Jesus, however, did not end the story here. As Paul Harvey says, “And now for the rest of the story….”

Luke 15:17:

“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! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 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. 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. 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: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.”

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The Repentance

Here we see the son makes a complete change of mind. He not only admits his sin, but he recognizes his total unworthiness. His sin has caused a separation between him and his father.

Isaiah 59:2,

“But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”

When we truly repent of our sins before the Lord, we realize we deserve nothing more than to be His servant. In His graciousness, He allows us to be called His sons and daughters – joint heirs with Christ. We are heirs with Christ! Have you ever really let the reality of that sink in? What an incredible thought!

Romans 8:15b-17,

“…but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 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.”

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The Reconciliation

As the Father looked down the path, he saw his son returning home. He did not wait for his son to arrive but ran down the path to meet him. This is a beautiful picture of the Love of God. God the Father is looking and longing for our return.

As we turn toward God, He moves in our direction. Some say, God never moves. This is not completely true. God does not move away from us. He does, however, move toward us. When we draw nearer to Him, He draws nearer to us. Even when we are still lost in sin, He seeks us out. God is consistently moving in our direction, drawing us unto Himself.

James 4:8a,

“Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you.”

The father did not wait to receive his son and kiss him until he was cleaned up. He accepted him just as he was. Dirty, smelly, and no doubt ragged in appearance. This is a picture of our sin, but is an ever greater picture of the amazing grace of God.

There is nothing we can do to deserve the grace of God. He gives it freely to whoever asks it of Him. Our own righteousness is as filthy rags (Is. 64:6). No matter how hard we try to clean ourselves up apart from Christ, it will never be good enough. We cannot buy our salvation by our good works.

Titus 3:5,

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”

The father called for the best robe to be put upon his son. He gave him a brand new robe in exchange for the dirty, smelly, ragged one the son was wearing. When we turn to God in repentance and faith, He gives us a brand new robe of righteousness in place of our sin stained, cursed one.

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:”

The son’s repentance brought about reconciliation with his father. They experienced a renewed relationship. Our repentance brings about reconciliation with our Heavenly Father, and the blessing of a restored relationship with Him.  At some point in our lives, we are all prodigal sons. We all have the need to turn to our heavenly Father in repentance and faith.

Have you, dear friend, repented of your sins and asked Christ to save you?

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The Response of the Elder Brother

Sadly, this story does not end with the restored relationship of the Prodigal and his father. As they were making merry over the return of the lost son, there was one who was not so happy.

The elder brother returns from the field and hears music and dancing. He quickly calls to one of the servants and asks him what is going on. The servant explains that his younger brother has returned home, and the father is throwing a party to celebrate. We find the brother’s response in verses 28-30:

“And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. 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: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.”

The Elder Brother’s response is a picture of the Pharisees’ attitude. It pictures the contrast between their attitude towards the lost sinner and the mercy and grace extended by God.

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Conclusion

If we examine our lives, we will find ourselves reflecting the character of one of the three men in this story – the Prodigal, the Father, or the Elder Brother.

The Prodigal

Are you running from the Lord? Do you need to surrender your life to the Lord and His will?

The Elder Brother

Are you religious but lack God’s love for others in your life? Are your religious prejudices keeping you from reaching others with the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

The Father

The Father is a beautiful picture of our Heavenly Father. It is the perfect picture of His love, mercy, and grace.

Do you reflect the character of our Heavenly Father in your life?

He desires that we reach out and love lost sinners in the same way the loving father extended love and grace to his lost son.

“It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this they brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.”

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