Luke Series #71 July 07, 2002
Title: How to be Restored to a Right Relationship with God.
Email: pastorsarver@yahoo.com
Website: www.newlifeinchrist.info
Introduction: Welcome to New Life in Christ. This morning we are continuing in Chapter 15 of the Book of Luke in our verse-by-verse teaching series out of that book.
Read Luke 15:11-32
Opening Prayer
Illustration: While putting my 4-year-old daughter to bed one evening, I read her the story of the Prodigal Son. We discussed how the young son had taken his inheritance and left home, living it up until he had nothing left. Finally, when he couldn’t even eat as well as pigs, he went home to his father, who welcomed him. When we finished the story, I asked my daughter what she had learned. After thinking a moment, she quipped, "Never leave home without your credit card!"
Source: Jolene Horn, Atascadero, CA. Today’s Christian Woman, "Heart to Heart."
I don’t really think that this is the lesson Jesus intends for us to learn from this story. Jesus tells this story to illustrate, among other things, how people can be restored to a right relationship with God. This subject should be of great interest everybody because we all tend to drift or depart from a healthy and joyous relationship with God. This parable certainly applies to those who are not Christians by showing them how to have a right relationship with God. This parable also applies to Christians whose relationship with God is not what it should be. In either case, this story shows us how we can be restored to right relationship with God.
This parable serves as an analogy of our Heavenly Father’s relationship with his children. The father in this story represents God, while the two sons represent people. The younger son represents those who have left a right relationship with the Father. The older son I will discuss in my verse by verse discussion.
How can a person be restored to a healthy relationship with God? I see in this text three things necessary for restoring your relationship with God. Before I share on those three things, I will share on verses 11-16 which show us two important matters. First these verses reveal how a person ends up in a broken relationship with God. Second these verses show us the consequences of a broken relationship with God.
Read Luke 15:11-16
How did this younger son end up so far from the abundance of the father’s home? In other words, why was he so distant from the joy and fulfillment of a right relationship with God? Was he kicked out of the house because he was unwelcome? No. Did he just have a string of bad luck? No. Was he never given a fair chance in life? No. The reason he was missing the blessings of a healthy relationship with his father were his own desires and decisions. Our relationship with God, and the consequences of an unhealthy relationship with God, is the result of our own choices.
There are two decisions in particular that brought this man to this appalling condition. First he decided he wanted to be independent of his father. He said to his father, "Give me my share of the estate." He wanted to take control by owning the property. This way he would be able to make his own decisions, independent of his father. The first step toward ruin in our lives is to decide to run our own lives, independent of God. When we make the rules we come to ruin.
The second foolish decision this man made was to seek fulfillment in sin. Verse 13 tells us that he took everything he had and "squandered his wealth in wild living." He sought to indulge his wildest desires. He went to the wildest parties. He drank the best liquor. He slept with the prettiest women, but in the end it was not fulfilling. How do we know that this lifestyle was not fulfilling? Well, Jesus did not say that he "spent his wealth in wild living" but rather Jesus says he "squandered (wasted) his wealth in wild living (sinful indulgence)." It was a waste because it didn’t deliver what is promised.
When my children see a toy commercial and want to buy that particular toy, I sometimes tell them, "Don’t waste your money." I use the word "waste" because I know that the toy will not be as fun or as fulfilling as the commercial promises. It is the same with sin. Jesus uses the word "squandered" or "wasted" because sin does not deliver the fulfillment that it promises.
There were two decisions that led to this man’s ruin. The first was to live independent of his father. The second was to seek fulfillment in sin. What were the consequences of these two choices? In verses 14-16 Jesus tells us that there was a severe famine and he began to be in desperate need. He ended up taking a job feeding the pigs and even they ate better than him! Now keep in mind that this was a Jewish audience Jesus was speaking to and they would have assumed that the young son was Jewish. A young Jewish boy feeding the pigs of a Gentile man just isn’t kosher! In that culture, this would of been what we call hitting "rock bottom" This was as low and a shameful as a person could go. That is where running from God and running your own life will take you.
Johnny Cash was once asked by a reporter, "Do you believe in hell?" He answered in the affirmative and was then asked, "How do you know?" He replied, "Because I’ve been there (referring to his hard life of sin)." His answer may not be theologically correct, but there is a point to be made. Living for God is not only the right thing to do; it is also most rewarding thing to do." Source: Unknown
The consequences of living independent of God and trying to find fulfillment in sin are appalling. In a sense, you tend to create your own hell. The good news is you do not have to stay in that condition! Just like this man’s relationship with his father was restored, so your relationship with God can be restored. No matter how distant you are from God today, no matter what foolish choices you may have made, you can be restored to a healthy, joyous, and fulfilling relationship with God. How? There are three things necessary to restoring your relationship with God the first thing is found in verse 17.
Read Luke 15:17
What is the first step towards restored relationship with God?
1. The first step to a restored relationship with God is to admit the stupidity of staying where you are.
That is in essence what this young man did. "He came to his senses!" He finally opened his eyes and said, "This is stupid! Even my father’s servants have food to spare." Even life as a slave in his father’s home would have been better than the so-called freedom he was experiencing.
Before person can be restored to a joyous relationship with God, they have to come to their senses and admit that the life they’re living and the direction they’re going is foolish! Each person has to come to the point where they’re dissatisfied with the way things are now.
1. The first step to a restored relationship with God is to admit the stupidity of staying where you are.
It amazes me how many people are not willing to come to this conclusion. Life is falling apart all around them; they are figuratively speaking reduced to feeding the pigs, and yet they try and convince themselves that life is good. Sometimes people will call the office looking for Pastor to talk to, so an appointment will be made. The amazing thing is how many of them, even though their life is a mess, are still trying to hold on to their old life and make it better. They have experienced one failed relationship after another, they have no money, they’re depressed and without peace in their life, and yet they will say things to me like, "My life is not that bad; I just need to get a few things straightened out." I will look at them and say, "Come to your senses, your life is a mess!" This is not to discourage people but to get them to acknowledge the reality so that they will run with all their hearts to God.
1. The first step to a restored relationship with God is to admit the stupidity of staying where you are.
Satan is out there filling people’s minds with lies. He is trying to keep them from coming to their senses by convincing them to life is not that bad. If people will take a look and be honest they will admit that the direction they’re heading only ends in ruin.
Read Luke 15:18-20a
2. The second step to a restored relationship with God is to return to God with the repentant, humble attitude.
Some people admit the mess their life is in but never do anything about it. Some people even say, "I need to get my life right with God" but never actually return to God. Not only did this man plan to get right with his father, he actually took steps to do so. He did not stay where he was at write a letter to his father asking for money, but rather he returned with a repentant, humble attitude. He knew that his father could not bless him where he was at. Some people simply want God to bless them where they are at, but to have of restored relationship with God you must leave the old life behind and return to God.
Now I want you to notice the attitude this man had in returning to his father, because it illustrates the attitude we need to have been returning to God. He did not minimize his behavior as if it were no big deal. He said, "I have sinned against heaven and against you." He took full personal responsibility for his decisions and actions. No one else was blamed and neither did he ignore his own sinfulness. He was humble and unassuming in his return to his father as we must be in our return to God when we have blown it. He acknowledged, "I am not worthy to be called your son. . ." In other words, he was acknowledging that he did not deserve anything from his father. This is something we all need to recognize in returning to God. God owes us nothing and is not obligated to bless us in any way. We don’t come to God making excuses or making demands but rather we come acknowledging personal wrongdoing and asking for mercy.
So far we’ve seen two things necessary for restoring your relationship with God.
1. The first step to a restored relationship with God is to admit the stupidity of staying where you are.
2. The second step to a restored relationship with God is to return to God with the repentant, humble attitude.
Read Luke 15:20b-24
3. The third step to a restored relationship with God is to recognize that God will lovingly welcome you home.
Illustration: Do you remember the popular song "Tie a Yellow Ribbon?" It tells of a man who’s been sent to prison. He’s served his time and is now coming home on the bus. But he admits that she who once loved him has every right to reject him. He’s to blame. So he’s written to tell her that if she forgives him, she should "tie a yellow ribbon ’round the old oak tree." If there’s no yellow ribbon, he’ll just go riding by on the bus.
As the miles roll by, all the man thinks about is that oak tree. When he gets home, will there be a yellow ribbon on it?
The song ends in triumph with the entire busload of people cheering as the man sees not one but a hundred yellow ribbons on that old oak tree! His lover not only forgives him, but she exuberantly welcomes him home.
Like the man on the bus, we’re fearful of not be lovingly welcomed home. We know our own hearts, and we wonder if God will really forgive us, let alone celebrate our coming.
Source: Harold L. Myra, Living by God’s Surprises (Word, 1988); quoted in Men of Integrity (January/February 2001)
In the song this man was looking for a sign that, despite his terrible behavior, he was welcome home. He got his sign in abundance. In a similar way, people who have blown it in their relationship with God also need to know that God will accept and welcome them home lovingly. Many times people who have really messed up are unwilling to come home to God because they are unsure they are welcome.
3. The third step to a restored relationship with God is to recognize that God will lovingly welcome you home.
Do not do like I did for many years. I really blew it by committing the same sins again and again, despite many promises and vows to never do that again. After messing up so repeatedly and seriously, I would hesitate to go to God because deep in my heart I was unsure how God felt towards me and how he would receive me. Today I do not hesitate to return to my Father no matter how badly I may have strayed from his will in ways. I now recognize that no matter what, God will lovingly welcome me. We certainly see this truth illustrated in this parable.
There are seven things the father does in the story which all convey the depth of his love and illustrate the Heavenly Father’s love, even for those who totally messed up. First the father saw the son while he was still a long way off. This could only happen if the father was looking and hoping for the wayward son’s return. God wants you home and is looking for you to take any step in his direction. Second the father was not filled with anger at the sight of his rebellious son; no he was "filled with compassion" so he "ran to his son." This in itself is a remarkable display of love, but it is even more extraordinary when you consider Middle Eastern protocol and culture. In Middle Eastern culture it would be very undignified for a father to run to his son, but this father was not concerned about what others thought. His love for his son came before his own reputation. After these two displays of a loving welcome there is a third display of acceptance. The father "threw his arms around the son and kissed him." Jesus went out of his way in this parable to make God’s loving welcome of sinners abundantly clear.
3. The third step to a restored relationship with God is to recognize that God will lovingly welcome you home.
In verse 22 the father continues his loving welcome. He says to his servants, "Quick (no hesitancy), bring the best robe and put it on him, putt a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fatted calf and kill it" for a feast. He did four more things, all expressing the father’s love and acceptance. Each of the three items (robe, ring, sandals) were symbols of acceptance, position, and status. In a similar way that my wedding ring tells of my status as a married man. These three items were status symbols of sonship because a slave would never be allowed to wear these things. In other words, the father fully accepted and restored the son. God’s forgiveness and restoration of those who come to him with a repentant and humble attitude is 100% complete! The feast or celebrations is like icing on the cake. All seven of these things (looking, running, kissing, robe, ring, sandals, feast) are intended to illustrate one point. God will lovingly welcome you home when you return to him with a humble and repentant attitude.
Read Luke 15:25-32
Because of time constraints I will only cover this section briefly. The older son in this story illustrates the attitude the self -righteous often have about God’s abundant grace toward sinners. This man misses the party because he’s too busy talking about how faithful he has been and how unfair it is to bless those who do not deserve it. This part of the story is a warning for those who are unwilling to forgive, restore, and rejoice when sinners come home. You are going to miss the party because you’re standing outside pouting when you should be inside feasting! God is a loving and gracious God who loves to restore those with fallen, that is something to celebrate.
Conclusion: Maybe you have drifted or departed from God. Maybe you’re beginning to experience some of the consequences of living independent of God or seeking fulfillment in sin. The good news is that today you can be restored to right relationship with God. There are three easy steps. . .
1. The first step to a restored relationship with God is to admit the stupidity of staying where you are.
2. The second step to a restored relationship with God is to return to God with the repentant, humble attitude.
3. The third step to a restored relationship with God is to recognize that God will lovingly welcome you home.
Illustration: A recent promotion by H. R. Block Inc. offered walk-in customers a chance to win a drawing for a million dollars. Glen and Gloria Sims of Sewell, New Jersey, won the drawing, but they refused to believe it when an H. R. Block representative phoned them with the good news.
After several additional contacts by both mail and phone, the Sims still thought it was all just a scam, and usually hung up the phone or trashed the special notices.
Some weeks later, H. R. Block called one more time to let the Sims know the deadline for accepting the million-dollar prize was nearing and that the story of their refusal to accept the prize would appear on an upcoming NBC "Today Show."
At that point, Mr. Sims decided to investigate further. A few days later he appeared on the "Today Show" to tell America that he and his wife had finally gone to H. R. Block to claim the million-dollar prize.
Mr. Sims’ final words were: "From the time this has been going on, H. R. Block explained to us they really wanted a happy ending to all this, and they were ecstatic that we finally accepted the prize."
Source: NBC "Today Show" (7-09-01); submitted by Loren McBain, Tucson, Arizona
God also just wants a happy ending and that can be the case if you will stop ignoring or running from him and respond to his offer of restoration.
Closing Prayer
