Welcome back to the daily scriptures. We are in the week of God's love. We will take seven days to talk about God's love. Before we start, I want all of you to take a moment of prayer.
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Amen.
We are going to study one of the parables Jesus used.
The parable of the prodigal son.
One day, Jesus was in Judea, preaching to a crowd. In the crowd, there were Pharisees and scribes. These were religious leaders who were jealous of Jesus and wanted to find a way to get rid of him.
Jesus talks about two parables above, one about a lost coin and another about a lost sheep. Then his third parable is about a lost son.
Luke 15:11-12 "Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them."
Verse eleven shows us that God's children have two sections, which we will talk about in the story.
In verse twelve, when the younger one goes to the Father and says, "Father, give me my share of the estate." The second son represents the sinners. They went to the Father and said, "Give us our share." So they got all their share while still on earth. It gets better.
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. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.
The younger son got all that he had. All that the father had given him and set off for a distant country. We humans, we sinners ask God to give us our share of blessings, and when he gives us our share, we take all that we HAVE not deserved, and move to a distant country. Distance ourselves from God. BUT after we spend everything we have, a great famine will hit the whole country, and we will be in need.
The sad story begins in verse 15: So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
After a famine hits our world, we forget that we once had a God who looked out for us. We forget the Father. And we turn to the earth and all its citizens to give us what to do to escape the famine. But look at the prodigal son. Is it working out for him? He was reduced to wishing he could eat the pods of the pigs. Truly, I tell you. Once you separate from God, you will wish to eat the pods of the pigs, and even that you shall not get.
And the promise starts in verse 17: "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.'
We shall come to our senses, and we will remember our Father in Heaven. He who can provide for his servants. Elijah, Moses, Elisha, Noah, etc. Just like the lost son, we should first set out to ask for forgiveness. A trespass against the Father shall be forgiven by the Father. He was ready to lower himself to the place of a servant in his Father's house.
But the bible has an incredible promise. Matthew 23:12 "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
Here is what happened in verse 20 So he got up and went to his father."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. 21 "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
When the Father saw his lost son coming back from a distance, he was filled with compassion. Not anger. Not disappointment. Compassion. High-level love. And he didn't just stand there. He ran and met the son halfway. The Father didn't think about the money the son spent. He didn't mind all that. He was just filled with so much love that he ran and threw his arms around him and kicked him.
The son was from a pig's style after hitting poverty, so he is very dirty, but the Father didn't mind. He hugged and kissed him when he was still filthy. Our Father in Heaven wants us to return to Him just as we are. Don't try to first cleanse yourself. Go the way you are. The devil will tell you lies that the Lord will not allow you with all that sin, to that I say? Luke 15:20.
It gets even better in the next verse. Verse 22 "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. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
Remember Matthew 23:12. He who humbles himself shall be exalted. The Father calls out for the best robe, a ring, sandals, and the fattened calf to be killed, and a feast to be thrown for you. Why? Verse 24. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. All of Heaven will feast because a sinner has turned back to God. That is how much God loves you. He will throw a feast for every sinner who turns back to him. No matter what you have done. No matter how bad you think you are. The Father loves you and will throw a feast for you, too. So, as people who love good things, let us keep the feasts in Heaven happening.
In the following verse, something happens that people don't really realize. Verse 25 "Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ' Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' 28 "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29, But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years, I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!' 31 " 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 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.' "
When the older brother, who was working for the Father, hears that they are celebrating his brother's return, he grows jealous. He refused to enter until his Father comes out. The Father tells him when he complains about not receiving a single thing. "You are always with me, and everything I have is yours."
God is talking to the Pharisees and scribes. Just like the older brother who didn't rejoice when the younger brother returned, the Pharisees didn't rejoice when sinners returned; they judged. They think they are better than the others. They have no love for each other or God. They only love themselves.
Even in Luke 18:11, a Pharisee says, "The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector."
In short, Jesus uses this example to show that there are two ways to be lost. To run away. To stay, but your heart is wrong. The Father is ready to give love and forgiveness to both. When the older son said this son of yours, he showed that he didn't understand grace, which is what saved us and can save him. He also lacked love and thus lacked God, as in our previous session, we saw that he who doesn't know love doesn't know God(1 John 4:8)
Thank you for reaching here. This was a chapter directly inspired by God. I was about to write other things, but my website kept deleting all that I wrote, from 1k words back to 6 words. It was so frustrating, but I knew God was doing it for a reason, so I was patient. It happened about 6 times before I saw that this was the message I had to deliver today.
It is said that when the message is to be delivered, everything will work so that it may be as the Lord wills.
May the Lord be glorified.
Let us pray. We will be saying grace as a closing prayer.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all, for yours is the glory, the power, and the kingdom forever and ever
Amen.
Thank you all. See you tomorrow for more talks on the love of God.