The Third Sunday After Trinity

SERMON

Text: Luke 15:11-24

INI

Then 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 falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants." ’And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still 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 to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here 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.

In Christ Jesus our Savior and Lord who this morning paints a picture for us in His Word. We have entitled it: WHEN THE LOST COMES HOME -- fellow redeemed:

Hardly a week goes by without hearing of a missing or lost person—most often children. In fact, as you might have noted from a recent Free Press report that there are presently more than 97,000 active missing persons cases in the U. S. Furthermore, 85% of missing person’s cases involves children.

If we have not experienced such tragedy personally it is impossible to imagine the helpless agony and inner turmoil of the parents as well as friends and relatives when a loved one is missing, especially if it is a child. And just as we cannot fully appreciate the sadness when someone is lost I suppose we cannot fully grasp the utter joy WHEN THE LOST COMES HOME.

Well, since these things are the case in the physical sense what about the spiritual? That is what the Lord is talking to us about in our Gospel lesson and also in our text for this morning. Here He describes for us the joy in the kingdom of God WHEN THE LOST COMES HOME!

I presume that you are all well acquainted with the parable before us generally known as The Parable of the Prodigal Son. But actually there was serious problems with both of the sons. Both were spiritually sick. Specifically, one was blind to the blessings which were all around him and longed for the ways of the unbelieving world, the other was self-righteous, loveless, unforgiving. Both were seriously sick spiritually. In fact, the younger son died.

Are we alarmed when our children, loved ones or friends are physically sick? Of course we are. We will do anything we can to help them to get healthy again. Does it bother us when our sons, our daughters, our fathers or our mothers—any of our friends or relatives are spiritually sick and refuse treatment? You know, the fact is, all of us are spiritually sick. All of us need treatment regularly. It is the refusal of treatment that causes concern.

Because our spiritual sickness is life threatening.

So how do diagnose such a situation. To list a few examples, it might manifest itself by a neglect of the Means of Grace. It might show itself through an unhealthy emphasis upon earthly things while spiritual matters seem to have little or no importance in ones life. It might be seen in ones regular involvement with worldly-minded people and their way of life.

So what can one do? Anything? Yes, there is something we can do. But first of all we must realize that our help must carry with it a great amount of humble love and heartfelt caring. They must know that all of us are naturally sinful through and through. And that our spiritual health is found only in God and His grace in Christ Jesus. In Him and in Him alone we will find the continual control of our spiritual illness. We need His Word to transfuse us His Spirit to strength us to fight against our illness, our sinful flesh and Satan who poses a constant threat to our spiritual well being.

Indeed, we can help. But there are times also when we simply must let go. We can pray. We can speak gently. We can offer our loving advice but it is obvious that anything beyond this will meet with resistance and resentment. So we have to let it go. That is what the father in our text finally had to do.

Though the younger son had everything that he needed for a happy life—he was not content. He looked out there into the world. Oh, how inviting it all seemed. His heart longed to be loosed from what he considered to be a stifling relationship, which he had with his father. The ways of the unbelieving world looked so inviting and so filled with excitement. So, finally, no doubt with a heavy and prayerful heart the father finally let him go.

My friends, what a blessing it is to be brought up in the knowledge and fear of God from a child. No father or mother can give his or her child a more meaningful, enduring and life-sustaining gift. We can provide the best education possible. We can supply them with every thing that this world has to offer. But my friends if we have not done all we possibly can to give them the blessing of life in Christ through His Word of life what value is it all when all is said and done.

Oh, to be sure, many are the times that children may take the spiritual blessings for granted and begin to treat them with apathy and unconcern. They may display an I can take it or leave it attitude. But my friends, let your heart rest in this. As our Savior prayed to His heavenly Father, shortly before he would leave this world to return to the glories of eternity, He prayed, "I HAVE GIVEN THEM YOUR WORD (John 17:14)…SANCTIFY THEM BY YOUR TRUTH. YOUR WORD IS TRUTH" (John 17:17).

I wonder:

How many words the father spoke

How many tears he shed

How many sleepless nights he spent

How many prayers he said.

But finally, he had to let him go. The father took what he had and divided his livelihood between his sons. What a beautiful picture of our heavenly father. He gives us everything that He has. And what does he have? He has everything. Everything in this world belongs to Him and He gives it to us to enjoy, to discover and uncover, in invent, to use with His blessing. And beyond that, everything in eternity belongs to Him and He gives it all to us. To be sure, my friends, "HE WHO DID SPARE HIS OWN SON, BUT DELIVERED HIM UP FOR US ALL, HOW SHALL HE NOT WITH HIM ALSO FREELY GIVE US ALL THINGS?" (Romans 8:32). Yea, "ALL THINGS ARE YOURS" (I Corinthians 3:21) promises our Lord through the Apostle Paul. No one can give more than all.

But you see man may take it all and waste it if he so chooses. God did not make us like robots. God does not force us to do anything. He wants us to love Him because he loves us. He by the power of the Spirit wishes to cause us to "WILL AND TO DO FOR HIS GOOD PLEASURE." (Philippians 2:13) But when man rebels against God and insists upon walking his own way there is one thing that is certain---he may choose his own way but not with the blessing of God. The blessing of God did not rest upon the young man of our text when he took all which had been graciously given him and offered it up to the god of this world and traded everything that he had for riotous living.

But it didn’t take long before the god of this world had devoured his possessions and he stood destitute, alone in the midst of the desert that he loved so much and to which he had given all that he had. He had nothing left to give and so the god of this world forsook him.

BUT WHEN HE HAD SPENT ALL, THERE AROSE A SEVERE FAMINE IN THE LAND, AND HE BEGAN TO BE IN WANT. THEN HE WENT AND JOINED HIMSELF TO A CITIZEN OF THAT COUNTRY, AND HE SENT HIM INTO HIS FIELDS TO FEED SWINE. AND HE WOULD GLADLY HAVE FILLED HIS STOMACH WITH THE PODS THAT THE SWINE ATE, AND NO ONE GAVE HIM ANYTHING.

Sad! Sad! Sad! But do you know what? This is the very best thing that could have happened to him – to become destitute. As someone once very wisely said, "Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity." Now he had time to think. Now he had time to remember. Now he had time to probably even pray. But whatever took place, by God’s grace, the eyes of this young man, which were so blinded by this world’s ways, began to focus upon what life is really all about. What is solid; what is sound; what is secure?

"My father! Of course, my father! The only one who truly loves me is my father. He loved me already as. a little child. He loved me as I grew up through the years and gave his love to me unconditionally and constantly. And even now he pours out his blessings unto his servants everyday of their lives. Perhaps---just perhaps I could become a servant to him. I don’t deserve to be called his child because of the way that I have cast aside his love from me and trampled upon it, and gave my self to serve the god of this world. But perhaps a servant? What a wonderful picture this is of a truly penitent sinner and a truly loving father.

As the son returns to his father what a sight to behold. As he makes his way toward home and now was STILL A GREAT WAY OFF, HIS FATHER SAW HIM AND HAD COMPASSION, AND RAN AND FELL ON HIS NECK AND KISSED HIM. And while his son poured out his heart unto his father in true repentance saying, FATHER I HAVE SINNED AGAINST HEAVEN AND IN YOUR SIGHT, AND AM NO LONGER WORTHY TO BE CALLED YOUR SON the father speaks to his servant, BRING OUT THE BEST ROBE AND PUT IT ON HIM, AND PUT A RING ON HIS FINGER AND SANDALS ON HIS FEET. AND BRING THE FATTED CALF HERE 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.

The lost has come home!

Isn’t it beautiful? The total wonderful grace of God for lost sinners. Notice, the father does not refer to the past and subject his son to ridicule or lengthy interrogation. "Where have you been? Look what I have done for you and what thanks do I get. You take my love and my goods and cast them aside like a filthy rag. I hope you’ve learned your lesson." No nothing of the kind.

Once again, notice, the father’s love reaches out even before the son has said a word. His shabby attire is covered with the finest robe. He is completely fitted out with shoes for his feet and a ring on his finger. He is received back with joy as his son—totally forgiven. It’s time to celebrate FOR THIS MY SON WAS DEAD AND IS ALIVE; HE WAS LOST AND IS FOUND!

Do we fit into this picture somewhere? Of course we do. And you’ve already made that application haven’t you? All of us have missed the mark of love to God and love to our fellow human beings. The god of this world has elbowed his way into all of our hearts and lives. We all deserve nothing from God. We all need to fall on our knees in repentance that He may lift us up. We all need to shed the spotted garment of the flesh and watch as he covers us with the finest robe of righteousness. We all need to recognize the husks of the world before we will appreciate the feast of love to which he invites us.

For when we have recognized that we are worthy of nothing then we will possess all thing by God’s grace. And this will cause our hearts to sing:

There is joy among the angels of God WHEN THE LOST COMES HOME. Amen.

—Pastor Emeritus L.D. Redlin