A WORTHY FATHER (Luke 15:11-32)

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1 A WORTHY FATHER (Luke 15:11-32) A. It s no surprise that the word "father" appears in the dictionary just before the word "fatigued" & just after the word "fathead." B. Telephone companies report that Father s Day is a distant third place to Mother s Day & Christmas as the most popular days for long distance calls. C. However, Father s Day is the most profitable day for telephone companies, because more collect calls are made than on any other day of the year. D. On Mother s Day we hear lessons about the virtues of motherhood to the praise of godly mothers. E. But on Father s Day preachers come down hard on fathers in regard to their duties as husbands & fathers perhaps that is as it should be. [I want to direct your attention to a good father; we want to extol the virtues of fatherhood, to praise a godly father, & to do that we will look at the father of the prodigal son. This parable is about learning important lessons in life. The Father is not a passive character in this drama; He s a teacher without interfering with their free will, he patiently guides his sons in a study of right & wrong behavior.] I. HE WAS A TEACHER A. The younger son learned: 1. Making demands on your Father can be disastrous; He knows what you need & when. 2. The severe consequences of sin can lead you to repent, to change your heart & redirect your life. 3. But repentance can only occur when you are honest with yourself about your condition ( he came to himself ). 1

2 2 4. Repentance is evident when the sinner leaves behind his former sinful way of life & fully takes up again his duties to God the Father. 5. When you truly repent, a good home will take you back there s forgiveness in a good home! B. The older son learned: 1. He was to forgive a brother who repents, & rejoice with him as one who had come back from the dead. 2. Jealousy will only leave you miserable & uncertain about your own life & place in the affections of your father. [When all was said & done, the father in Luke 15 had taught his sons these lessons. But what was the character of the man that made him such an effective father?] II. HE WAS APPROACHABLE A. This trait comes easier to some fathers than others. Remember the OT character Nabal (1 Sam 25)? 1. He was a harsh & evil man; his name meant folly & that s just what he was, a fool. 2. His own servants thought of him as such a scoundrel that no one could even talk to him. 3. And though he was a rich & powerful man, with many servants in his household, something was missing; his children are not mentioned. a. Considering how things turned out for Nabal, I m sure Abigail his wife was glad that there were no children involved. b. He wouldn t have been the kind of father that a son or daughter could approach with their problems, or for comfort in times of distress.

3 B. This father appears to have been a man who had the respect of his sons without intimidating them. 2. Approachable fathers don t leave the impression of being inconvenienced by their children. 1. The younger was confident that he could demand his inheritance early without fear of reprisal (12). a. And after his prodigal life, he knew there was only one person who might have any sympathy & compassion left for him (18). 2. The older never left his father s presence; that ought to say something about his father s personality he apparently was approachable. B. Most fathers want to convey a sense of authority, yet they want their children to respect & obey them. 1. But effective fathers have a gentle, unthreatening manner that allows their children to approach them without fear. 3. We have such a Father in heaven: approachable! Psa 34:4, 6, 15, I sought the Lord, & He heard me, & delivered me from all my fears. 6 This poor man cried out, & the Lord heard him, & saved him out of all his troubles. 17 The righteous cry out, & the Lord hears, & delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, & saves such as have a contrite spirit. (Psa 3:4; 120:1) Heb 13:6 we may boldly say: The LORD is my helper [to call; to run]; I will not fear. What can man do to me? Phil 4:5-6 The Lord is at hand [near] 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything [success or failure, joy or sorrow] by prayer & supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. [The father of Luke 15 was a great teacher of his sons because he was approachable.] III. HE WAS SPIRITUALLY MINDED A. He was apparently wealthy enough to sustain three families, & yet he did not love his wealth. 3

4 1. When his son left he didn t complain about losing another hand to work the farm. Luke 15:20 And he arose & came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him & had compassion, & ran & fell on his neck & kissed him. 2. He was not bitter when giving away his money. 3. And when the boy returned the father said, My son who was dead is alive again! a. Those words come from a man who thinks in spiritual terms: man s accountability to God, the judgment day, life after death OR death after life. A. The father had no idea what was on his son s mind, only that he had decided to return home! 1. And the father rewarded him with tender affection! B. Some fathers would have walked away from this son, while keeping a stoic (unemotional) look on their faces. b. So many parents (fathers) only think in terms of their child s earthly accomplishments. [The father of Luke 15 had his treasures in heaven; he was mainly concerned about the spiritual condition of his sons (Matt 6:19-20; Col 3:2; Heb 11:26).] IV. HE WAS AFFECTIONATE 1. But this father was not ashamed to outwardly show his tender love & compassion for his son, & THAT, even before he knew what his son s intentions were. 2. Similarly, Paul warned the Ephesian elders that apostasy would begin in the eldership, & yet when he left them he was affectionate. 4

5 Acts 20:36-38 And when he had said these things [explain], he knelt down & prayed with them all. 37 Then they ALL wept freely, & fell on Paul s neck & kissed him, 38 sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. 2. Or was this the response of a man (a father) who knew what it was like to be in sin & to need forgiveness? [Like the father of Luke 15, real men of God will be affectionate when the occasion calls for it, & they re not ashamed to be affectionate with their children.] [The father of Luke 15 didn t lecture or give a cold shoulder, he was ready to forgive & rejoice with his son, because he understood his own need of forgiveness.] V. HE WAS FORGIVING VI. HE WAS A DISCIPLINARIAN A. The father in this parable illustrates how to forgive when we see repentance in others. A. As we consider this father, we might think he was soft, that he didn t have any backbone. Luke 15:21-24 And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven & in your sight, & am no longer worthy to be called your son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring out the best robe & put it on him, & put a ring on his hand & sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here & kill it, & let us eat & be merry; 24 for this my son was dead & is alive again; he was lost & is found. And they began to be merry. 1. That is until we consider the wisdom with which he dealt with his older son (15:25-32). 2. He gave this son what we might call instructive discipline Does this seem a bit excessive? Wouldn t just a pat on the back & a Welcome home son have been enough? a. Not all discipline has to be harsh, like the end of belt or the denial of privileges, sometimes the best discipline is sound advice.

6 3. This father spoke reasonably & intelligently to his older son, reminding him of what ought to be done on an occasion like this (Eph 6:4; Col 3:21). [What a wonderful example to those of us who are fathers is this father Jesus tells us about in Luke 15.] God s Plan For Our Salvation: Hear the gospel of Christ: Acts 2; 3; 13; Rom 10:17 Believe Jesus to be Son of God, Savior, Lord, Christ: John 3:16; 8:24; 20:30-31 Repent of sin: Acts 2:38; 17:30; 1 John 3:4; Acts 3:19 Confess faith in Christ: Matt 10:32-33; Acts 8:37; Rom 10:9-10 Baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of sins: Gal 3:27; Rom 6:3-4; Acts 2:38 Be Obedient to Christ: Titus 2:11-12; Heb 5:9; 2 John 9; Rev 2:10; John 12:48 CLOSING A. WE NEED fathers like that today; WE NEED TO BE fathers like that today. GOD is just such a father to us! 1. His is our teacher (Jn 6:44-45); He is approachable (Matt 11:28-30; Jas 4:8; Heb 7:25), spiritually minded (Jn 4:24), affectionate (Eph 2:4-10), forgiving (Acts 13:38; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14) & willing to discipline (Heb 12:5-11). B. God, the ultimate father, created to role of father to provide for the ultimate spiritual good of the family & society. Gen 18:19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children & his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness & justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him. 6