Tanilba Bay Baptist Church
Worship

      • Luke 15:11–32ANGLNIV2011

  • A Day of Mixed Emotions

    Father’s Day can be fun.
    For those with primary aged children, or possibly even primary aged grandchildren, you often get those gifts from the Father’s Day stall at school, or possibly some craft they did in class. It’s the joy they have when they give you that very special gift.
    And then there’s the family get together - possibly a picnic lunch.
    It’s just a great day of being with loved one’s and reflecting on our father.
    Except, while I might have just described your situation, there’s a good chance it’s not quite that simple.
    For some of you, this is your first Father’s Day without your father.
    For some, there is tension in your family, and this day just brings up all sorts of issues.
    For some, your memory of your father is unfortunately not full of happy memories - in fact it might be very painful.
    If Father’s Day does bring up difficulties for you, I first want to acknowledge that there is no easy answers. Over the last few weeks as we’ve been going through the end of our series on 1 Peter, we gave a bit of consideration of suffering, and how God can use that suffering, but even still, the pain can be real.
    But know this… while I don’t at all want to minimise the pain and struggles that some of you might feel, if you are a Christian, you have a perfect Father.
    Our heavenly Father never lets us down.
    In fact, here’s the thing… even for those of us who have earthly fathers that looked after us really well, I can guarantee they were not perfect.
    Even the best of fathers on earth fall short.
    Underdeserved anger.
    Self-focussed decisions.
    Broken promises.
    This morning, my plan is to look at the story that we usually refer to as the Prodigal Son, but rather than focussing on the son, I want to focus on the father in the story.
    You see, for those who are familiar with the story, which I suspect most of you are, the father figure in this story gives us a glimpse into God.
    Now there are actually two main things I want to do as I explore the father figure in this story.
    On one hand, while it’s perhaps not the primary message from the parable, but as we look at some of the characteristics of this father, I’ll consider how some of these same characteristics can be reflected in the lives of dads.
    But the other main objective is to just marvel at the greatness of our Heavenly Father… to see the invitation that is there for us, and just know, that we can take comfort in being a child of God Most High.

    Context of parable

    Now, this is a parable, and an important aspect of trying to understand parables is to look at the context in which they are given.
    Well, this particular parable is actually only found in the gospel of Luke, and it’s one of three that really go together.
    The three are all found in the fifteenth chapter of Luke.
    Now it’s good to look at the start of chapter 15, because here you’ll get the context in which these parables are given.
    You see, there’s a feature to the ministry that really comes under scrutiny here. That is, that Jesus had this tendency to attract the people that the religious people tended to really despise - the tax collectors and the sinners.
    They came because they were hearing something they’d never heard before.
    They heard forgiveness. They heard someone who loved them, even while they didn’t have things together.
    The religious types, namely, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, had quite a different view point.
    They knew the law that God had handed down. They knew when people were living contrary to the way God told them to. And these people gathering around Jesus were clearly people far from God.
    The fact the Jesus was not only tolerating them, but actually welcoming them and even eating with them was all too much.
    And so in verse 2 we find them all muttering to themselves.
    Jesus is well aware of their concerns, and responds with three parables.
    The first, is where a shepherd leaves 99 sheep to go find the one lost sheep. It’s a type of love that from our perspective is reckless, but it’s borne out of such a deep love for each and every one of his sheep.
    The second parable is of a woman who loses one of her coins but does everything to find it, and when she does, she has a great party.
    The point of these parables is that God cares for those who are lost. He will do whatever he can to bring them back.
    The first two parable are relatively simple. But in the third of these parables, he actually gives the longest of any of the parables that are recorded for us. And in doing so, he really starts to dig deeper into this deep desire he has for the lost, and in the process, also looks at why the one who stays with the father feels left out.
    So let’s explore this parable now...

    The Father who lets his children choose

    Well, it starts with a father and two sons.
    The younger son then does something which is truly shocking.
    He asks for his share of his inheritence.
    Now, just so we’re clear, he’s effectively saying - you’re as good as dead to me. I want out.
    We need to realise how deeply offensive this is. We’re talking, complete rupture of the family type offensive.
    Now, what would you do if you were the father and your son made such a request?
    I think for most of us, the response would be to fight back.
    It is in fighting back that we feel we’re showing how much we love the family.
    Interestingly, the father in the parable let’s the son choose. If he wants to separate, then the father will let him.
    There’s a freedom that God allows. He does not force anyone to come to him.
    We can use that freedom in such a way that we honour God for all that he has done for us. Or we can squander the freedom in a self-indulgent way - just like the prodigal son.
    I mentioned before that one of my aims this morning is to explore how this story influences how we see the role of earthly fathers.
    Well, I don’t want to labour the point too strongly, but we need to give our children freedom.
    Now let me just clarify this point because when we have very young children, there far less freedom.
    I’m more talking about the fact that as your children grow up, you can give them the best guidance you can, but at some point, they are going to make their own choices. Unfortunately, as much as it breaks our hearts, even when those choices are bad, we have to recognise that we can’t control them.

    A Father who watches and waits

    But in saying that the Father gives freedom, even when they make poor choices, that doesn’t mean a father gives up on them. Far from it in fact.
    You see, we see in the parable, the father remains on the lookout. In some ways, it’s the main point of the parable. The father watches intently, willing his wayward child home.
    Meanwhile, this prodigal child has a wild time.
    Now, just a little side point, because of our familiarity with this parable being referred to as the prodigal son, it can be easy to assume the word prodigal means returning child - after all, we might even refer to someone as the prodigal son if they come back to a place they once belonged.
    But the truth is, the word “prodigal” actually refers to the wild and extravagant lifestyle of the son that left.
    Unfortunately, this prodigal living doesn’t last long if you don’t have a constant source of money coming in to support it, and sure enough, it’s not long before he hits rock bottom. So low in fact, that he’s feeding pigs.
    Now just remember that pigs are unclean animals under Jewish law. This is almost as low as you can go… it would be humiliating.
    It takes a while, but he does come to his senses. He remembers his father… he would have remembered the love and how well he provided… he also would have remembered how terribly he treated his father.
    And so he comes up with a plan. It might not see him return how things were, but it’s be a big step up from where he is now.
    He’ll humble himself so maybe his father will accept him as a hired servant.
    But it’s the father next action which quickly takes the focus.
    We’re told that the father spots his son while he’s a long way off. This only happens for a father that constantly has his eye on the distance, always hoping that he will come back. He might have allowed him to make a choice, but he didn’t give up.
    What about you? How patient are you with your children?
    Is there a point at which it’s all too much? A point at which you convince yourself that the hope you have is just dragging you down?
    The sad thing is, children becoming estranged from their parents is becoming more prevalent.
    I couldn’t find Australian stats, but a recent American study found that 26% of adult children have reported experiencing an estrangement from their father. Anecedotally, I suspect Australia would have a similiar figure.
    For those of you where this might be your experience, do you anticipate change?
    Does the love you have say you’re not willing to give up?
    I don’t want to suggest this is easy. Depending on your situation, it might be very difficult. You needs God’s love… you need to know that it is God that will help you.

    A Father who runs

    Now, one of the things I love about this parable, is that the father does not just see and then wait while the wayward son walks the road to the house… the father instead starts running towards him, and when he gets there, he throws his arms around his child.
    The son doesn’t even have a chance to say anything before the father gives this gesture of love.
    He doesn’t treat him as his actions deserve. And this is important.
    The reality is, this son deserves to be treated badly. He deserves to be shun from the family. He deserted them and wasted family money.
    The fact the father ignored this is incredible.
    The father doesn’t even allow the son to finish his pre-prepared speech asking to be treated like a hired servant. Instead, a robe is placed on him and a ring put on his finger. What’s more, a fattened calf is used for a feast and celebration.

    The Older brother

    But we need to consider the older brother here because he’s noticed how unfair this is. When he finds out what has just happened, he is furious.
    And you can understand why. In fact, I suspect many of us, including myself, can really identify with this older brother.
    But if you do, I want you to look at the father’s response to the older brother. He says: “My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is your”.
    Now it’s worth taking a moment to recognise how incredible this is. You see, I sometimes here people say, you know, if you only knew when you were going to die, you could live a wild life, and then at the final moment, just before you die, confess and repent and you get to go to heaven.
    Of course, people will be quick to point out that you don’t know when you’re going to die.
    But this parable gives a much better reason why that kind of thinking is wrong.
    Just think about it - why did the prodigal son return? It wasn’t because he thought he was about to die. It was because he recognised that life with his father was so much better.
    Don’t wait to become a Christian because you think you’ve got time. Recognise that life with God is so much better than life away from God. Recognise that when you’re with God, you have everything you need.
    The older son didn’t realise how good he had it. Perhaps if he had have spent just a bit more time on reflecting on the goodness of his father, he might have started to realise this.

    Who God is

    As I’ve gone through this parable, I’ve given consideration to some aspects of what it might mean for an earthly father.
    The truth is, rather than this being special teaching aimed at earthly fathers, it’s actually about who God is.
    God loves us very much. He loves all of humanity.
    That doesn’t mean he loves what humanity does. In fact, the actions of much of what humanity does makes him very sad.
    But he loves his people. He loves them so much that he allows them to be free to choose.
    But he never gives up on them.
    He waits. And when one of his beloved children returns to him, he welcomes them with open arms.
    He is a forgiving God. Whatever it is you’ve done, he’s willing to not count it against you.
    The truth is, it’s not because he isn’t just. He does care about justice. It’s that he can forgive becuase of the work of Jesus. Your sins have already been atoned for.
    God wants you.
    And here’s the best part about it. When you present yourself before God, you have access to the full inheritence. And I’m not just talking about going to heaven when you die.
    Right now, in this life time, you can know the peace and joy of being with God. You can have hope in a world that is desperately lacking in hope.

    Invitation

    For those of you who may have wandered from God, I want to give you an invitation. It’s an invitation to return.
    He knows what you’ve done - nothing is a secret from him - but he still wants you.
    All you need to do is return. You don’t need to get yourself right first. The process of getting yourself right will start to work itself out after you enter his presence. You just need to present yourself before God and allow him to embrace you and take you into his family.
    For those of you who haven’t wandered… perhaps you’ve been a believer for a long time… I want to give you an invitation, but I slightly different one.
    I want to invite you to reflect on how good it is to be in God’s presence. Think about how good it is, and all the benefits that God gives you right now. Recognise that you’re actually not missing out on the fun that the rest of the world is having, in fact, recognise that that is just a lie the devil tries to tell you. The extravangant life without God is actually just empty and leads no-where.
    So whether you’ve already with God, or whether you’ve strayed, there’s an invitation - but know you don’t need to do it alone. God has placed you in a community, so reach out to others. Talk about your journey. Talk about where you’re at. Pray with each other.

    Conclusion

    Today is father’s day, and regardless of your reaction to the day, just know that our heavenly father shows us what a perfect father is.
    As an earthly father, we’re never going to be perfect, but with the help of God, we can reflect his goodness.
    God is patient, and he will always wait for you. And this is one of the greatest truths we can know.
    Let me pray...
Tanilba Bay Baptist Church
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