Am I Worthy To Be Your Son After Being Lost In A Far Country
Luke 15:11
11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons!
The devil’s number one job is the prevention of salvation! If we can understand this, then how we react to certain things would be different! Christ came to save and the devil came to prevent us from being saved and he will do It, “by all means necessary!” However, when he fails at his first job! And he has failed and will continue to fail! His second job is to make us doubt our salvation and make us doubt that we are children of the King! He wants to make us think that we are not worthy to be sons and daughters of the Father!
This Brings Us to the Parable of the Prodigal Son
A Familiar Passage of Scripture
12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them.
Point Number One:
- Everything We Have Comes From The Father
The Younger Son Asked for his Share of the Property
Have you read anywhere in these passages of scripture that the younger son help earn anything the father had? Yet He Says, “Give Me MY Share!” WHAT SHARE?
My kids are leaving home soon for college. One is going to Georgia Southern and two of his sister is getting an apartment while attending Georgia State. They are Taking Some Stuff With Them. They are taking their bedroom furniture, they are taking towels and A lot of other stuff! But guess what, they didn’t buy anything! It’s stuff My wife and I are giving them!mIt’s stuff we bought for them!
But wait a minute, let’s look at verse 31
31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
The younger son’s riches didn’t start when he asked for them.
So often we ask for what we already have! Or when we have everything we need, we ask for what we don’t need! Or we ask for what doesn’t belong to us!
The father tells the older son when you are with me, all that I have is yours! Everything I Got You Got! Everything I Have You Have! And, What the Father HAS Doesn’t Run Out, Doesn’t Get Old, Doesn’t Get Stolen! Doesn’t Crash Like The Stock Market, Doesn’t Burn Up In Fires!
Everything We Have Comes From The Father!
13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
Point Number 2
- The Father is the Sustainer of Everything He Gave Us!
Not only is the Father the giver, He is the Sustainer! But when we take the Father out of the equation: Everything Falls Apart! You see, not only did this son lose everything!mWhat’s Amazing IS! The famine didn’t come until he lost everything!
If we stay connected to the Father, not only are we blessed! But our blessings will bless those around us! But when we disconnect ourselves from the Father, It doesn’t just affect us! It affects our families, our friends, our jobs It affects everyone and everything in our world!
But all he had to do was turn in the direction of the father! But let us think about this thing….. We always look at this parable from the standpoint of A son spending all his money and ending up in a pig pen!
Let’s Flip the Script
What if He Didn’t Lose The Money!
What If He Had Invested It Wisely!
What if He Had Doubled or Tripled his investment!
So often, when we have moved away from the Father, it’s only failures that turn us back to Him! That’s why Jesus said: “It would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to make it into heaven”! Not Impossible! Not that it can’t happen! It’s just not easy because success puts us in places we want to be!
Success Does Not Put Us In PIG PINS! That’s why it’s a good thing for failure to sometimes be apart of our lives because it’s our pig pin experiences that turns us to the Father!
The Father is the Sustainer of Everything He Gave Us!
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18a I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him,
Notice What He Called Him! Father!
My 3rd Point
- Once A Son, Always A Son
When Christ was on the cross there was only a single moment of separation between the Father and the Son. When Christ referred to the Father, not as Father, but as, “My GOD, MY GOD!” The relationship between was severed. But this was only a moment of time and yes, the only way we could be saved!
But here in our text the son even in the pig pin refers to the Father as Father! The Question, “Is There Anything That Could Have Stop This Young Man From Being The Father’s Son? In Other Words, Once I’m a Child of GOD, Washed in the Blood of the Lamb!
Is there anything that can stop me from being a child of GOD? Is there anything that can prevent me from going to heaven? Of course many believe that this parable is a sinner getting SAVED!
However, this is not the picture of a sinner getting saved. When this boy was living at home with the father and was in fellowship with him, He was a SON! And when this boy went to a far country to throw away all his money, he was still a son. And when this boy hit rock bottom living in the pig
In this parable, it’s never questioned whether the boy was a son or not! He was a son at the beginning, he was a son at the end! However, this parable does reveal the heart of the Father! Who will not only save a sinner! But will also take back a son that has sinned!
Once A Son, Always A Son
20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
My Final Point and the Title of This Sermon:
- Am I Worthy To Be Your Son?
The answer to this question is simple! The answer is no! The boy in this parable was not worthy!
He Was Not Worthy to Wear the Best Rob!
He Was Not Worthy for a Ring to be Placed on His Finger!
He Was Not Worthy of Shoes to be Put on His Feet!
He Was Not Worthy of Being Feed the Fatted Calf!
He Was Not Worthy of the Celebration!
He was not worthy to be a son! And we are not worthy either! We are not worthy to be called sons and daughters of GOD! This boy didn’t have anything to do with being a son other than the fact he was born to the Father!
Likewise, we don’t have anything to do with our salvation! It was our acceptance of what
It was not we who saved ourselves!
It was JESUS who was born of a virgin
It was Jesus who went from judgment hall to judgment hall
It was Jesus who bore the nails in His hands and His feet
It was Jesus who suffered and died on the Cross
It was Jesus who was buried in a borrowed tomb
It was Jesus who went to Hades and snatched the keys of heaven and hell from satan
IT WAS JESUS Who GOT UP ON THE 3rd DAY WITH ALL POWER IN HIS HANDS!
Are we WORTHY?????? NO! NO, WE’RE NOT!
We Are Like Fifty Rags Before a Righteous GOD!
We Are NOT Worthy!
But GOD loves us so much That He Made A Way For Us To Be More Than Just Created Beings! He loves us as Sons and Daughters!
All We Have To Do IS TURN TO HIM!
All We Have To Do Is Turn in the Direction of the FATHER!
And He Will Receive Us With Open ARMS!
It Doesn’t Matter How Long We’ve Been In The Far Country!
It Doesn’t Matter If We’ve Wasted EVERY GIFT and EVERY TALENT
The Father Is Waiting!
Luke 15:11
11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons!
Am I Worthy To Be Your Son After Being Lost In A Far Country!
The devil’s number one job is the prevention of salvation! If We get that if we understand that! how we react to certain things would be different! Christ came to save and the devil came to prevent us from being saved and he will do It, “By all means necessary!” However, when he fails at his first job! And he Has! And he Will! And he Does! His number two job is to make us doubt our salvation and make us doubt that we are children of the King! Make us think that we are not worthy to be sons and daughters of the Father!
This Brings Us to the Parable of the Prodigal Son
A Familiar Passage of Scripture
12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them.
Point Number One:
- Everything We Have Comes From The Father
The Younger Son Asked for his Share of the Property
Have you read anywhere in these passages of scripture that the younger son help earn anything the father had? Yet He Says, “Give Me MY Share!” WHAT SHARE?
My kids are leaving home soon for college. One is going to Georgia Southern and two of his sister is getting an apartment while attending Georgia State. They are Taking Some Stuff With Them. They are taking their bedroom furniture, they are taking towels and A lot of other stuff! But guess what, they didn’t buy anything! It’s stuff My wife and I are giving them!mIt’s stuff we bought for them!
But wait a minute, let’s look at verse 31
31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
The younger son’s riches didn’t start when he asked for them.
So often we ask for what we already have! Or when we have everything we need, we ask for what we don’t need! Or we ask for what doesn’t belong to us!
The father tells the older son when you are with me, all that I have is yours! Everything I Got You Got! Everything I Have You Have! And, What the Father HAS Doesn’t Run Out, Doesn’t Get Old, Doesn’t Get Stolen! Doesn’t Crash Like The Stock Market, Doesn’t Burn Up In Fires!
Everything We Have Comes From The Father!
13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
Point Number 2
- The Father is the Sustainer of Everything He Gave Us!
Not only is the Father the giver, He is the Sustainer! But when we take the Father out of the equation: Everything Falls Apart! You see, not only did this son lose everything!mWhat’s Amazing IS! The famine didn’t come until he lost everything!
If we stay connected to the Father, not only are we blessed! But our blessings will bless those around us! But when we disconnect ourselves from the Father, It doesn’t just affect us! It affects our families, our friends, our jobs It affects everyone and everything in our world!
But all he had to do was turn in the direction of the father! But let us think about this thing….. We always look at this parable from the standpoint of A son spending all his money and ending up in a pig pen!
Let’s Flip the Script
What if He Didn’t Lose The Money!
What If He Had Invested It Wisely!
What if He Had Doubled or Tripled his investment!
So often, when we have moved away from the Father, it’s only failures that turn us back to Him! That’s why Jesus said: “It would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to make it into heaven”! Not Impossible! Not that it can’t happen! It’s just not easy because success puts us in places we want to be!
Success Does Not Put Us In PIG PINS! That’s why it’s a good thing for failure to sometimes be apart of our lives because it’s our pig pin experiences that turns us to the Father!
The Father is the Sustainer of Everything He Gave Us!
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18a I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him,
Notice What He Called Him! Father!
My 3rd Point
- Once A Son, Always A Son
When Christ was on the cross there was only a single moment of separation between the Father and the Son. When Christ referred to the Father, not as Father, but as, “My GOD, MY GOD!” The relationship between was severed. But this was only a moment of time and yes, the only way we could be saved!
But here in our text the son even in the pig pin refers to the Father as Father! The Question, “Is There Anything That Could Have Stop This Young Man From Being The Father’s Son? In Other Words, Once I’m a Child of GOD, Washed in the Blood of the Lamb!
Is there anything that can stop me from being a child of GOD? Is there anything that can prevent me from going to heaven? Of course many believe that this parable is a sinner getting SAVED!
However, this is not the picture of a sinner getting saved. When this boy was living at home with the father and was in fellowship with him, He was a SON! And when this boy went to a far country to throw away all his money, he was still a son. And when this boy hit rock bottom living in the pig
In this parable, it’s never questioned whether the boy was a son or not! He was a son at the beginning, he was a son at the end! However, this parable does reveal the heart of the Father! Who will not only save a sinner! But will also take back a son that has sinned!
Once A Son, Always A Son
20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
My Final Point and the Title of This Sermon:
- Am I Worthy To Be Your Son?
The answer to this question is simple! The answer is no! The boy in this parable was not worthy!
He Was Not Worthy to Wear the Best Rob!
He Was Not Worthy for a Ring to be Placed on His Finger!
He Was Not Worthy of Shoes to be Put on His Feet!
He Was Not Worthy of Being Feed the Fatted Calf!
He Was Not Worthy of the Celebration!
He was not worthy to be a son! And we are not worthy either! We are not worthy to be called sons and daughters of GOD! This boy didn’t have anything to do with being a son other than the fact he was born to the Father!
Likewise, we don’t have anything to do with our salvation! It was our acceptance of what
It was not we who saved ourselves!
It was JESUS who was born of a virgin
It was Jesus who went from judgment hall to judgment hall
It was Jesus who bore the nails in His hands and His feet
It was Jesus who suffered and died on the Cross
It was Jesus who was buried in a borrowed tomb
It was Jesus who went to Hades and snatched the keys of heaven and hell from satan
IT WAS JESUS Who GOT UP ON THE 3rd DAY WITH ALL POWER IN HIS HANDS!
Are we WORTHY?????? NO! NO, WE’RE NOT!
We Are Like Fifty Rags Before a Righteous GOD!
We Are NOT Worthy!
But GOD loves us so much That He Made A Way For Us To Be More Than Just Created Beings! He loves us as Sons and Daughters!
All We Have To Do IS TURN TO HIM!
All We Have To Do Is Turn in the Direction of the FATHER!
And He Will Receive Us With Open ARMS!
It Doesn’t a Matter How Long We’ve Been In The Far Country!
It Doesn’t Matter If We’ve Wasted EVERY GIFT and EVERY TALENT
The Father Is Waiting!
Luke 15:11
11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons!
Am I Worthy To Be Your Son After Being Lost In A Far Country!
The devil’s number one job is the prevention of salvation! If We get that, if we understand that! how we react to certain things would be different! Christ came to save and the devil came to prevent us from being saved and he will do It, “By all means necessary!” However, when he fails at his first job! And he Has! And he Will! And he Does! His number two job is to make us doubt our salvation and make us doubt that we are children of the King! Make us think that we are not worthy to be sons and daughters of the Father!
This Brings Us to the Parable of the Prodigal Son
A Familiar Passage of Scripture
12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them.