Kerwin Baptist Church Daily Broadcast

Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist and the entire parable first, and then going back, we'll cover it as we go along. Notice verse 11. And he said, A certain man had two sons, 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.

The lost son. Let's pray. Lord, we love you this morning. I ask you to bless your word. You have promised that it never returns void. Lord, at this point in our lives and in our society, in this culture, in the stage that we are in in history, we just don't have time for things that are void. Lord, we need something real and substantial. So I ask you, Lord, to do that work in hearts this morning in Jesus' name. Amen. We find here the introduction to the lost son, or the parable of what we would call the lost son, the rebellious son, the wayward son, the prodigal son.

It's been called quite a bit. Let me just give you, if I can, a little bit of things that I found interesting as we're covering all of these stories together. And there's a reason why I wanted to cover the entire chapter of Luke chapter 15 in segmented Sunday mornings.

You've got to understand the entire chapter to understand any particular part of the chapter. And it's amazing as Jesus moves through these stories. Remember as he opens, he is preaching to the Pharisees and the scribes who criticized him for eating and fellowshipping with the publicans, or those that were down and out, those that didn't look the best or smell the best, or whatever the case might be. And so he was basically preaching this sermon in these three stories, the lost sheep, the lost silver, and the lost son.

He's preaching this story to the religious hypocrites. And it's interesting as you notice this, in the parable of the lost sheep, there was one sheep out of 100 missing. That is 1%. In the illustration of the lost silver, the Bible says that there was one coin out of 10 missing.

Notice the progression. In the first story, there's one out of 100 missing, and the shepherd went after that lost sheep. Then in the second story, there's one out of 10 missing, and that one was important, but in the story of the lost son, there's one out of two missing.

Now we've gone from 1% to 10% to 50%, and next Sunday as we talk about the lost sibling, we'll find that it is one out of one, 100%. What is God doing here, and why is this different? Well, the illustration as we find that in the first two stories, the objects were animal and material. It was a sheep and then a coin, but in this parable, it's a human being. What is God trying to say? He is progressing more and more as he preaches this sermon to let us know that every soul is precious to God. One out of 100, one out of 10, one out of two, every individual is important. I want you to notice number one this morning we find in this story. Listen, you have heard this passage a thousand times. Now the tendency is to kind of turn off a preacher, well, he's dealing with this passage. I have preached on this passage I think four times since I've been here at Kerwin in just almost two and a half years, but you've got to listen, all right? God has a different way of doing things every time, and there's some things that I hadn't seen.

Number one, I want you to see a harsh request. In verse 11 and 12, this young man comes to his dad. Remember he was one of two sons, and he came to his dad and he said, Dad, give me the portion of all your goods that falleth to me. We know from Deuteronomy chapter 21, in particular verse 17, that this young man was entitled to one third of his father's estate. One third. Now it's not half, but it's a third, according to law, the progression of when he was born into the family. The oldest obviously got a portion, the youngest or the second, and it went on down depending on how many children you had.

But him obviously being the younger son, he was entitled to one third of his father's estate. And I don't know about you, I find first under this, and if you're keeping notes, we see that it was a shocking request. Now why was this a shocking request? Well because he's asking for something that he wasn't supposed to get until his dad was dead. So what this young man was actually saying is this, Dad, I'm so tired of you and home and the rules that I basically wish you were dead. Would you just give me what you owe me and I'll be on my way? Sounds kind of shocking, doesn't it?

That I've literally heard, I've had teenagers in my office in years past and even I've preached numerous youth camps every summer when I was in evangelism and I would have kids talk to me and I've literally heard numerous of them say, I wish my dad or I wish my mom were dead. A shocking request, I want you to notice secondly, it was a selfish request. Notice what he said, Father, give me. Me, me, me.

Give me. He obviously wasn't thinking about anybody else but himself. But listen to me, not only was he only thinking about himself, but he was thinking nothing of the Father. You know it's amazing when you and I become selfish, not only do we really not think of other individuals at all, we're so focused on ourselves that oftentimes we don't even focus on the ones that are closest to us that we are hurting. You find a rebellious young man or rebellious young woman or oftentimes even a little bit older or younger age individual that has rebelled and it finds that as you sit and you talk to them and you watch how they have hurt their wives and hurt their husbands and hurt their children and hurt their parents and hurt their family, you sit in an office and all they talk about is what everybody's done to them. How well he didn't meet my needs and she didn't this and he didn't that and they didn't this and they don't even see how they have hurt the ones that are closest. They don't even think about them. They're so selfish, so self-oriented that that's all they see.

Selfish request, give me. What's interesting later on in the story as he gets right with God, he goes from saying give me to his father to make me as one of thy hired servants. I find interesting here that the younger son, listen to me, he wanted what his father could give him but he didn't want the father. Did you hear me?

He wanted what his father could give him but he didn't want the father. You say well that's just absolutely ridiculous. Oh listen to me dear friend, you and I are the same way. We say you know God I want the things that you can give me. I want your air and God I want your food and I want your water and I want your time and I want your world and I want your resources and I want your miracles and I want your healing and I want you to meet my needs and Lord I want you to show up when I need you but I don't want you to be involved in my life. Do we not do that folks?

Us. And if you don't want to admit it I'll admit it gladly, I do that. I want you to notice second not only a harsh request but second in the story we see a hard reality. He got what he wanted and folks often do. Notice if you would verse 13. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together and by the way let me just say this is interesting. I'm going to talk about this probably next Sunday even more in depth but you'll notice we don't ever hear this talked about but in verse 12 the father says that the younger son said would you divide unto me the portion that followed to me. Notice what he says the father divided unto them his living. That means he not only gave the portion to his younger son but he went ahead and gave everything that was owed to the older son too. It literally cost, look at me, it cost the father everything. Do you know that literally as I was reading and studying this I never even thought about this.

Look at me. For him to divide it like the younger son because of that younger son's sin it literally cost the dad everything he had. He had to go ahead and divide all of his money, all of his land, all of his property between the two sons. It cost him everything that he possibly had and for you and I to ever be redeemed it cost the son of God everything. Our sin cost him everything. Verse 13 it says not many days.

In other words it didn't take long. The younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country and there wasted his substance with riotous living. It's a hard reality. First under this I want you to see the reality of sin's pleasures. The Bible says that he took his father's money and his grace and his mercy and everything that the father had done and given to that young man and he squandered it living a wicked self-indulgent life. That word riotous living literally means a life given over to wickedness.

He just did everything he could possibly do. Got everything he could possibly buy and he literally turned his entire life over to wickedness. The Bible says in other words when this boy left home he also left behind all of home's moral principles. It literally means this when he left the father he left everything the father had taught him. How many times have we seen individuals that used to serve God and it seems when they go into sin they go way into sin because they're rebelling and it's not just they're leaving home.

They can't stand home and they're not just leaving church and they're not just leaving the things of God. There's a hatred and a bitterness towards it and they want to get as far away from it as they can. But dear friend you are mad at the wrong thing. Your father had not done anything but be good to him. He was really mad at himself and he didn't realize it. He really hated his own self.

I want you to find under this that sin's pleasures and I got to be honest here this morning. You would say this did the young man have fun? Yeah he did. The Bible says that he took his journey into a far country and there wasted his substance on riotous living. Did he have a good time?

Oh yeah. I would be obviously dishonest with you if I said that that young man probably did not have a really good time for a very short period of time. He probably tried everything there was to try, did everything there was to do and anything and by the way even in his society like it is our society money can get you just about anything. That's why money is such a god in this world. But the Bible itself makes this statement for us in Hebrews chapter 11 that you can enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season. And usually that season does not last long. That's why it's called a season. I would call sin like spring in North Carolina. We go from winter and we have spring for about a week and a half and then we have summer. This year we had summer and then it started feeling like spring in the middle of the summer.

You all know after it's been cold and every morning you get up take the kids to school and you're turning on the heat and you're cold and it gets so dark so early and it seems that you finally get where it says hey first day of spring is here and you're still freezing half to death and then all of a sudden you get one week in the 70s and you're like man this weather is great then it turns into 98. That's why it's called a season because it comes and goes and dear friends sin does bring pleasure but for a very short period of time. I want you to notice not only the reality of sin's pleasures but for a second I want you to see the reality of sin's price. Look at verse 14. The Bible says and when he had spent all. That's what sin does by the way. It costs everything. It takes everything from you. There arose a mighty famine in that land and he began to be in want. Now everybody look up here at me.

I'm so thrilled. It sounds like I'm so glad you're here in a crowded house for a Sunday morning that's rainy and yet it sounds like I'm preaching hard but look at me dear friend. Would you turn on a TV program anywhere and hear a preacher preach about sin? And I'm just saying in this day and time you still need somebody to get up in the pulpit and talk about sin. Just because I'm talking about sin doesn't mean that I don't sin.

It doesn't mean that I'm above you and I have got this thing figured out. I sin every day and I'm mad at myself for it and I'm trying hard every day and I'm asking God to forgive me and getting in God's word and trying but dear friend I fight sin. You fight sin. All God's children fight sin and it still needs preached on.

I want you to notice this. The reality of sin is price. Number one sin brings separation. The Bible says he spent all there arose a mighty famine in the land and he began to be in want.

He had no body. Sin brings separation. Oh by the way there was a whole bunch of friends in the verse before. Riotous living.

Can I tell you something? It's kind of hard to have a riot on your own. Unless you're schizophrenic. And I'm not trying to criticize anybody here. I don't know who is or isn't but I'm just saying. Then you can have a...

There's some I think are but I don't know. You can have a big party when you're schizophrenic but I'm talking about if you're by yourself it's kind of hard to have a riot. I mean you can get the party streamers and you can get the party hats and you can go buy yourself a big old cake. You can sit around and go... It's hard to have a riot on your own so if this young man's having a riot guess what he had a whole bunch of people around him. But when the money ran out nobody was there.

Isn't that amazing? Sin brings separation. I want you to notice secondly sin brings sorrow. The Bible says he began to be in want. Literally life had turned upside down from this boy look at me. He went from the security and comforts of home and a good home and a well maintained home. He went from that to a whole bunch of money living a high lifestyle riotous trying everything there was to all of a sudden in the snap of a finger he had nobody and he had nothing and it was the first time in his life he had ever been there. And it was all cost because his dad was too strict.

Oh that's what I hear all the time. That wasn't what caused it. His sin caused that. You can blame mom, dad, preacher, church, Christian school.

You can blame everybody you want to blame. But let me tell you what brings the problems in your life and it's sin. It's sin. Sin brings sorrow.

Not only do we see the reality of sin's pleasures and the reality of sin's price but number three I want you to see the reality of sin's pain. Notice verse 15 if you would and he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country. We don't know what that means. This young man could have went and gotten married.

This young man could have went and just buddied up with a friend. We don't know what this phrase means. Apparently God didn't think it to be that important to really explain it. But the Bible says he went and joined himself up with a citizen of a different country.

Let me tell you what I often see when people in their life do wrong and they sin and they reap the rewards of that sin. Often times they try to find companionship somewhere and it's usually in a different country. I don't mean from America. I mean from church.

They don't want anything to do with that. Notice if you would here the Bible says he sent him into the fields to feed swine. What we believe and I believe is that joining himself to a citizen of that country means that he went and found an employer. That's what I believe from this verse. And that employer sent him out to feed swine. And what is horrible about this and you'll notice number one under the reality of sin's pain is this. Number one sin brings shame. This Jewish young man who is not supposed to have anything to do with pork.

Thank God for grace instead of the law. Amen. Baking good. Pork chop good.

Some of you men actually smiled on that one. I appreciate that. This young man, listen, not supposed to eat pork. Unclean animal to this Jewish young man.

Now listen to me. Now he is slopping the hogs. Now he is in the junk.

It is as low as this Jewish young man could possibly get. Sin brings shame. Number two sin brings suffering. The Bible says in verse 16 he would have fain filled his belly with a husk that the swine did eat. He was hungry. He was starved. He was lonely. He was forsaken. He was heartbroken. He was guilty.

He was all these things. Now he is so shameful doing what he thought he would never ever do. And now he's so hungry that he even thought about eating the slop that he was feeding to those filthy animals.

I want you to notice number three sin brings sadness. The Bible says and no man gave unto him. While he was handing it out there were people everywhere. But when he needed it nobody was to be found. And then he started to think.

All these people that I always thought were friends these past few weeks however long his season lasted. He started thinking hmm I gave to all them. I gave to them.

They're not here. Who is the one person in my life that I've never given to but they gave to me. It was his father. Dear friend if you'll stop and think about it. Alpha times you and I we have a tendency to get mad at God and blame God. It's always God's fault for things. But if you stop and think about it. There's not one person in your life that has never ever taken anything from you. But only given to you except Jesus Christ himself.

God's the only one that's ever done that. Sin brings shame. Sin brings suffering.

Sin brings sadness. You know why this young man was so sad? Because he knew what he had at home and he had left it.

I want you to notice number three. A humble return. Verse 17 the Bible says that when he came to himself. And that basically means this that this boy's entire time in this far country had been a time of insanity. He had gone crazy. He was making the dumbest decisions.

I'm not even going to get started on that one. Are you like me? When we get away from God do we not make the dumbest decisions? 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. A humble return. First we see the son's realization when he came to himself. All of a sudden this young man begins to realize how good it had been for him at home. And how his perception of home was a little bit clouded. And all of a sudden he realizes how good dad had been. And how good dad's house was. And how good dad's rules were now.

And he began to realize how great that property was. And how he wanted to see that front gate again. And how he wanted to see that front door again. And how he wanted to eat at dad's table again. And how he wanted to get into dad's fridge again. And how he wanted to be able to wear dad's clothes again. And all of a sudden he began to think I left all that for this?

How dumb am I? Can I say this as in this story? The first step in getting out of sin is to realize you are in sin in the first place. He never came to himself until he realized where he was. See a lot of people don't think they need help.

And that's why they don't get help. You've got to get to the point that you know and see exactly where you are. You've got to get to the point to realize I'm in sin. I'm away from the father's house. I've got problems.

I've got things. I didn't even realize it. But realizing it's the first step. You know the devil doesn't come to you and say now listen you're going to like this sin for a while.

And I'm going to make you feel really good for a short period of time. But eventually you're going to die and when you do you're going to burn in hell forever. Satan doesn't say that. I wonder why?

He would lose a lot of customers like that wouldn't he? You're going to do this for a while. You're going to say no to God. You're going to burn alive in hell forever. But you're going to have a real good time for a few years.

Well ain't nobody would take that. Satan lies to us. And he always has. I want you to notice not only do we see the son's realization but number two I want you to see the son's resolve as we sang this morning. Look at verse 18. He said this I will arise.

He didn't say you know I think I'm going to try. You know I'm going to get some things in order first preacher and then I'll get back in church. He said I will arise which means right now. I will arise and go to my father and I 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. He makes up his mind right there that I am going home.

I am not going to spend another lousy second in this far off wilderness of a country when I have a home like that to go to. And if dad won't let me be a son I will at least be a servant. That's humility. I want you to see the son's resolve. Second I want you to see the son's return. Look at verse 20. And he arose and came to his father but when he was yet a great way off his father saw him had compassion ran fell on his neck and kissed him. Do you know that the forgiveness that Jesus offers is so glorious it is pictured in this story.

And listen here's the picture. Home had begun to look so good to that young man that there wasn't one thing he wouldn't do one sin he wouldn't stop doing one job he wouldn't be willing to do on that farm or that ranch. Let me tell you something that boy would have come and if dad would have let him he would have cleaned toilets he would have scrubbed the tile floor with a brush he would have done any little menial job it took just to be on the property with his father because he realized all this time the father had been so good and I've been so bad that I'm willing to do anything to get back home.

And when you have an attitude like that you are on your way back home. When you show up at church hey I want to do this and I think I ought to do this let me tell you something you are a long way from home you can be right there on the ranch but a long way away but this son said hey I'll do anything just to get back on that property. I'll do anything just to get back around my father. I want you to notice number one and I believe under this the son's return excuse me number four we see a happy reunion. Not just a humble return but a happy reunion. Look at verse 20 the Bible says he arose and came to his father but when he was a great way off as we read in a minute and I had never seen this story like I see it now.

I want you to notice verse 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. I want you to notice first in this happy reunion the son found reception. He found reception. As he headed home he didn't know what the dad was going to do he didn't know how the dad was going to react the dad could have very easily not even allowed him on the property the dad could have said no you've done what you've done you've hurt me I've done everything I can do for you I've already given you your inheritance you go on with your life. The dad would have been well within his rights to do that and this young man really had no idea what was going to go on but we find that when he went back home before he ever even got to the property he found reception.

You say how do you know? Well number one we see that the dad ran. He ran. Notice when he was a great way off his father saw him had compassion and ran.

What does that mean? Why did the father run to the son? Now listen we've got just a couple more minutes but you've got to listen to this before we go on.

You've got to listen to this. Why did the dad run? And I've always preached and I believe it's the case he loved the son so much that he just couldn't wait to get to him and he ran and met him half way and I believe that that is absolutely true but let's think about this for a second the son was already coming back home dad could have stayed right there he could have went to the gate he would have been just as happy and just as excited but I didn't realize this until I began to dig into it that in those days when a young man did wrong and when a young man had hurt his family and shamed his family that literally neighbors could throw stones at that young man. Why did the dad run out to meet him? Look at me folks just in case one of those neighbors knowing how bad that young man had been knowing how much that young man had hurt his dad knowing how that young man had shamed the family. Look at me it could have been that as that young man got closer to the property there could have been some neighbors that had all the right in the world and they could have gotten out and cast stones at that young man but the dad ran to them so that they wouldn't throw the stones because they might hit the dad if they did. Let me tell you something it's never our job to throw stones. God bless you.