Sermon Central
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A Parent's Answered Prayer
Contributed by Carolyn Malaika Foster-Brooks on Sep 10, 2002 (message contributor)
Summary: There are many "hurting" parents in the Christian community who have rebellious children. This is a message of agape love!
Evangelist Carolyn Malaika Foster-Brooks
THE MINISTRY OF S.A.R.A.H. in Lyons, GA.
PRAYER:
God, my Father above, I thank you right now for your undying love. Lord I am before You as a humble servant, yet bold enough to not be afraid of the Gospel of Your Son and my brother, Jesus Christ.
God bless all those who read Your Word and apply it to their daily lives.
In Jesus name, I have prayed.....Amen.
SCRIPTURE: Luke 15:18-23
I WILL ARISE AND GO TO MY FATHER, AND WILL SAY UNTO HIM, FATHER I HAVE SINNED AGAINST HEAVEN, AND BEFORE THEE. (19) AND AM NO MORE WORTHY TO BE CALLED THY SON: MAKE ME AS ONE OF THY HIRED SERVANTS. (20) AND HE AROSE, AND CAME TO HIS FATHER. BUT WHEN HE WAS YET A GREAT WAY OFF, HIS FATHER SAW HIM, AND HAD COMPASSION AND RAN, AND FELL ON HIS NECK, AND KISSED HIM. (21) AND THE SON SAID UNTO HIM, FATHER, I HAVE SINNED AGAINST HEAVEN, AND IN THY SIGHT, AND AM NO MORE WORTHY TO BE CALLED THY SON. (22) BUT THE FATHER SAID TO HIS SERVANTS, BRING FORTH THE BEST ROBE, AND PUT IT ON HIM: AND PUT A RING ON HIS HAND, AND SHOES ON HIS FEET: (23) AND BRING, HITHER THE FATTED CALF, AND KILL IT; AND LET US EAT, AND BE MERRY: (24) FOR THIS MY SON WAS DEAD, AND IS ALIVE AGAIN; HE WAS LOST, AND IS FOUND. AND THEY BEGAN TO BE MERRY.
TEXT:
Luke 15:11-32.......Jesus used parables that made his listeners think and often were examples of something they could relate to in a worldly way. The parable of the Prodigal Son has been called a "gospel within a gospel" and the "crown and pearl of all of Jesus Christ parables" because of its vivid portrayal of the gospel truth! You see in response to the grumblings of the Scribes and the Pharisees, Christ structured a parable around the Jewish custom whereby a father could assign his possessions to his heirs during his lifetime.
Jesus tells us about a parent who had two children, both for whom he was responsible. Raised under one roof and not treated any differently. Yet, one son, the younger one, had an obvious rebellious spirit which was contrary to the rules and regulations of his father’s house.
Sometimes, no matter how much you teach your child the right way to live, they come to a point where they feel like they don’t have to do what you tell them to... such was the case of this " man-chld". He was apparently at an age when he was developing into his man-hood, he wanted to hang out with the fella’s, get a girlfriend and do all that he thought he was big and bad enough to do! He became bold enough to tell his father ( not ask him), but to tell him that he wanted his father’s money NOW so he could leave and see the world and what it had to offer!
In my spiritual mind and having had an experience like that myself with one of my two children (my son), I can imagine that the father was not pleased at all. There is no happiness in having a disrespectful, disobedient child, living in your home, eating your food, sleeping under your roof and wearing the clothes that you provided. But you see, when they come to you that way, there is something called tough love when you have to let go and let God deal with that rebellious spirit (demon).
Yes...the father gave him enough to live on and the bible says that the son took his journey into a far country.
A far country.
Anytime you fall away from the arch of safety of the Lord who is your guide and your protector- you are in a far country!!! You see, a far country is not necessarily a place that you go to physically, but anytime you are out of your mind, you are in a far country and trust me, if you think you can do without the Lord, anytime you think you can be disobedient, bold enough to demand something from your Father God that you do not deserve, YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR MIND AND IN A FAR COUNTRY!!
But just like the Lord will never leave us or forsake us and love us with an agape kind of love- that is how this child’s father felt about his son!
He didn’t want to see his boy out in the world, but he no longer wanted to abide by the rules and regulations of his father’s house.... So the father had to let his child go and see that the world had nothing to offer him. (The father knew this to be true because he ,himself, had been there and done that!)
