The Father and his Prodical
Son - Luke 15:17-24
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. 19 I
am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired
servants.’ 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.’
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.
This is the story of the famous Prodigal son and how he came
back to his father after spending all he had taken from him. Then the scripture says he came to his senses. When
can we come to our senses in the spirit to know that our heavenly Father have
enough food and blessings for us that we don’t have to starve to death. The word says, “I will go back to my Father”
This is a picture of God's Grace welcomed the
son back. His father (God) ran and met him and hugged him. The grace of God
flowed out of the Fathers heart instead of putting a condemnation, guilt and
fear in his son. He embraced him and kissed him instead. Grace will kiss and
forgive you. God grace will not find fault with you even you are wrong and
failed. We don’t find grace but grace finds us.
Firstly, in Luke 15:19
the son says, ‘I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like
one of your hired servants.’
We can come to a
point in life and ministry that we can lower the standard of our calling or sonship
in Christ or as a believer or minister.
Do not lower the standard of your calling in God. God has called you to be a son, minister and
priest and king. The Lord would not
accepted that.
That is what the
devil wants us to confess weakness when we sin and fail God every time. But God forbids that. Today
God the Father is restoring the revelation of son-ship. The revelation of son-ship is what will take
the Church to a greater level of doing the same miracles that Jesus did. It is
not just our inheritance to do the miracles that Jesus did - it is the absolute
will of the Father to do the same miracles that Jesus did.
Secondly, notice the phrase that the Father said, “My son was dead but have come alive”. Why was he ‘dead’ all about? He was
‘dead’ because He felt the father did not love him. He was ‘dead’
because of his performances. He was ‘dead’ because he did wrong. He
was ‘dead’ because he never knew the love and blessings of the Father. We
can be dead for many reasons. We are
dead because of sins but Christ has made us alive because of the Fathers
love.
Many believers lived
of what the Father considers ‘dead’ in religion, in works and performance. The
meaning of “deadness” means there is no life, no healing, nothing.
But today God is
restoring LIFE, MORE LIFE AND ABUNDANT LIFE into our lives. Romans 15:13 says – Now, may the God of
Hope will fill you with all joy and peace, holiness in believing that you may
abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Let us have a
revelation of who the FATHER IN HEAVEN is and touch his love for us. Let our Christian life be living and joyful
in abundance. The prodical son came back and got a shock instead of
punishment He got celebration.
Today, many
believers are thinking God is punishing them for some sins. Sins cannot be
punished twice. It was punished at the Cross where Jesus took for us our
punishment on his body. Jesus was punished so it is a guarantee that God
will never ever punish you! Jesus was made a guilt offering by God so you will
never feel guilty".
God will not count your sins. Why will He count your sins when
He has forgiven them? “For God was in
Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against
them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation (gospel)”. – 2
Cor. 5:19
Thirdly - I saw, in verse 22 it says
“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.
When we failed and
returned, God still brought us the best of everything – here the best robe is
the Robe of righteousness. He brought the Ring of authority and
power back to our lives. The Sandals
of freedom to choose to be his son again. (yoke of bondage)
“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good
gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the “Holy
Spirit” to those who ask him!” – Luke 11:11-13.
If God can give us the Holy Spirit that is God Himself –
He will give us the best of everything in life.
This is what the Heavenly Father is all about. We read in Luke, “how much more” God will
give you everything in life to make you successful. Amen!
The older brother came against his brother – a Legalistic
person and self-conscious of the Law.
The Law condemns the sinner – Grace redeems the sinner.
The Law brings us to bondage – Grace brings us liberty.
The Law prohibits us to come to God – Grace invites us to
come just as we are.
The Law ends with a curse – Grace ends with an abundant
blessings
The Law was given
by Moses – Grace and truth came by
Jesus.
God wants us to come to our senses – Come out from sin
consciousness to righteous consciousness.
Come out from law consciousness to grace consciousness. Paul says I am what I am by the Grace of
God. Paul says I want you to be
established in the grace of God. Amen!
