At Home With The Prodigal Son
Luke 15
Introduction: He was a rebellious 20-year old who went home to live a life of drunkenness, wild parties, & vandalism. He was kicked out of his parent's home and eventually lived under a bridge for several weeks until he came to himself. Humiliated & consumed by guilt, he knocked on the door of his parent’s home—and with tears apologized to them. Totally conscious of grace, he is now preaching the Gospel.
His life is similar to Jesus' most famous parable, the Prodigal Son. It probably is the most loved of all the illustrations Jesus ever used. There are only three characters: a Father and his two sons. The younger was a libertarian (a rebel) and the older was a perfectionist (also a rebel). It is interesting to see how both responded to the grace and love of their father. This parable illustrates several attitudes toward grace:
1. Abuse grace--The Libertarian---I can do what I want to do in my father's house. The younger son was always overshadowed by his older brother who never seemed to do anything wrong. Younger brother didn't make the best grades in school. He had trouble paying attention. He'd rather be outside playing or joking with his friends. He heard others say, "Why can't you be like your older brother?" and those words cut him like a knife. He secretly admired his brother's high standards and his persistence in doing a job. But deep down he knew he would never be able to accomplish what his older brother had accomplished. Older brother often criticized him too. "You'll never amount to anything. You are an embarrassment to Father." He knew there was some truth in his older brother's words. He was irritated by his brother's "better-than-thou" attitude. And he was tired of his father's rules, his brother's criticism, and he didn't like people who had authority: teachers, elders, policemen, and job supervisors. He did know who cared for him--his friends. They said he was the life of the party. He knew how to make people laugh. He was the class clown. Life at home wasn't very exciting. He needed something to spice up his life. So he decided to leave. There are no standards or laws which we should follow. You have no right telling me what to do. Two of the churches of Asia were polluted with those who abused grace. Pergamos had those who taught it doesn't matter in regard to food offered to idols and to fornication (Revelation 2:14-16). Thyatira had a woman teacher, called Jezebel, who essentially taught the same thing. Jesus warns her to repent (2:20-23). When the church tolerates false teaching, they anger Jesus. We need to uphold Biblical standards in our families and in the church. Libertarians will say that if a Christian is saved by perfect doctrine, that no one can be saved because we are all wrong on some points. On the surface this sounds powerful. Does this mean that Bible doctrine doesn’t matter? If it does, then could one be wrong about the doctrine a Savior & still be saved? What if someone believed that Buddhism was the pathway to salvation? If we ignore the commandments of Scripture, we do not love Jesus. John 14:15: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:31: “But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.”
2. Despise grace--The Perfectionist--- Paul prior to his conversion was a perfectionist. The older son was a hard-driving, performance-oriented person. He was so self-absorbed with his own performance, what he had done—that he never noticed how generous & loving his own Father was. Perfectionists measure their own worth & value in terms of their accomplishment & productivity. There are big differences between perfectionists and healthy achievers. Perfectionists believe that mistakes must never be made and that the highest standards of performance must always be achieved. This older brother had accomplished much in his lifetime. He was the frequent recipient of someone's compliment, but it bothered him in the completion of a job if someone did not notice his hard work. It was partly the complements of others which motivated him to try even harder. He was an honor student who never gave his teachers any trouble. Though he was insecure about himself, he knew that he could earn respect by setting high standards for himself and others, so he became a workaholic. It was a constant irritation to him to see his brother's happy-go-lucky attitude. His brother did the bare minimum and would be off laughing and talking with the workers. Perfectionists are unhappy with self & they are extremely critical of others. They have little peace of mind & frequently fight with others. He broke the rules. Why should he get any breaks?
3. Admire grace-- Though his leaving saddened his father, he was surprised that his father gave him the freedom to leave. At first, things were wonderful: friends, laughter, parties, pleasure, plenty of money. "If my money runs low, my friends will help me." How wrong he was. The Father's love is greater than we had ever imagined. Libertarians and Perfectionists irritate one another when they enter into relationships. Most Perfectionists are in denial in regard to their own faults. "If I admit that I am wrong, then others will not respect me." Scripture teaches the very opposite. Proverbs 28:13 "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." If I point out your faults, then maybe mine won't be noticed.