Luke 15:11-32
Happy Father’s Day!
I’m grateful that you are here to worship our heavenly
Father this morning. No matter how you feel about your
earthly father, you have a heavenly Father who loves you
and wants a relationship with you.
Today we are going to discover several lessons from the
father in the parable of the prodigal son.
This morning we are going to see 4 Attributes of the
gracious father of the prodigal son.
The first attribute is found in verses 11-12.
Luke 15:11-12
He Provides Generously for his Children
The prodigal son had evidently reached the age that he
felt he needed to spread his wings and go off on his own.
Of course the father here has been providing for all of his
son’s needs from the time of his birth. And as we will see
later on in this story, the father continued to give
generously.
He threw a great party to celebrate his son when he
returned.
He killed the fattened calf.
He gave him a ring, a robe, and shoes.
Now the prodigal son has asked for what was really
supposed to be his at his father’s death. He said,
“Dad, I want my inheritance now!” And notice how the father
generously divides the property between the prodigal son
and the older son.
He has given beyond what was expected.
What a generous display of a father’s love and generosity.
I’m sure this father knew what his son was going to do
with the money. But, he allowed his son to go and make
his own mistakes.
Luke 15:13-17
He Gives Space when it’s Needed
Once children reach adulthood our role as parents
changes.
Gary Ezell writes about the;
4 Stages of Parenthood.
1.Discipline – Age birth -5 – Set the guidelines and
expectations. Show them what is right and what is
wrong.
2.Training – Age 6-12 – Set the example by being a
role model. Children are sponges and they imitate
their parents. They are impressionable. They soak up
everything we say and do.
3.Coaching – Age 13-19 – Sit on the sidelines – they
are on the ones playing the game. Parents coach
them, share wisdom with them and call the
occasional time out.
4.Friendship – Age 20 and older – Sit and talk – you
offer advice when needed, you come over and help
them with their projects. You will always be their
parent, but you are now in the role of trusted
advisor. What would you do? Etc.
We went to Heather’s mom’s house this past week
and her mom asked me if I could fix this air
conditioner vent. I looked at it and wasn’t sure
exactly how I should handle it so I facetimed my
dad and asked him how he would do it. He ended
up driving three hours over the next afternoon to
help me get it fixed. Because that’s what dads do.
The father of the prodigal son gave him the space he
needed even though he knew he was likely going to make
a huge mistake.
We can offer our wisdom and advice, but our children are
going to make their own decisions. We can provide for
them, love them and pray for them, but they are
responsible for their own actions. Sometimes we just
need to give them space.
Luke 15:18-24
He Offers Forgiveness
I believe the father offered forgiveness because he could
sense true repentance in the heart of his son.
We can see the repentance in verse 18 as the son
practices what he is going to say to his dad when he
returns home after squandering his entire inheritance. “I
have sinned against heaven and before you.”
He realizes he messed up. He feels like he is not even
worthy to be his father’s son any longer.
He is willing to be treated like a hired hand.
He is ready to accept whatever discipline or punishment
that he may receive. He has lost his inheritance and
deserves nothing.
But look how the gracious father responds.
While he is a long way off, his father sees him.
He was looking for him. Waiting for him to return.
And he felt compassion for him.
Then he ran to him and kissed him and
had the servants give him every luxury; the ring, the
robe, shoes, the fattened calf.
The prodigal son tried telling his dad he was no longer
worthy to be called his son, but his dad was so happy to
see him that he threw a huge party.
There is definitely a time for discipline in parenting, but
there is also a time for forgiveness. And this dad knew it.
Luke 15:25-32
He Loves Equally but Handles Differently
One thing I have learned about being a dad is that
because your kids are all different they need to be
handled differently while being loved equally.
This gracious father loved his sons equally, but look how
he responded to his older son.
Keep in mind that the prodigal son would have only
gotten about 1/3 of the property because the older son
receives a double portion. So, the older son was upset
about his brother coming back after spending his share of
the inheritance.
He did not respond with forgiveness like his dad. He
withdrew and refused to come inside for the party.
The prodigal son’s sins were physical. Everyone could see
what he had done with his money. It was obvious.
The older brother’s sins were less obvious because they
were emotional, not physical.
The father went out to the field where he was and
pleaded with him to come in. He reminded him that
everything he had belonged to him.
He tried to help his oldest son realize what a blessing it
was to have his brother back. Everyone thought he was
dead, but he was back home safe.
This father:
Provided generously
Gave space when needed
Offered forgiveness
Loved equally
Let’s take a few minutes to think about our heavenly
Father.
He Provides for His Children
He cares for the lilies of the field and He provides our
needs
God will supply every need according to his riches in
glory in Christ Jesus.
He will not let His children go begging for food.
He has also provided for our salvation
He lavishes His love upon us
He give us grace upon grace
He Gives His Children Space
God gives us free will. He doesn’t force us to turn to Him
or to love him. He simply loves us first and allows us to
receive His grace or reject it.
He Forgives His Children
If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us
and cleanse us of all unrighteousness
He made Him who knew no sin to become sin on our
behalf that in Him we might become the righteousness of
God.
He who calls upon the Lord will be saved.
He Loves His Children Equally
God sent His Son into the world to die on the cross to
take on our sin and to save us from death.
He promises to graft in all who believe in Him into His
family tree. We receive the inheritance of eternal life.
APPLICATION
Families are tricky.
Sometimes we can let our emotions get the better of us,
like the older brother in this story.
What we need to realize is that our time on earth is
short. Dads, we don’t want to waste our time being upset
about things that happened in the past.
Also, maybe we need to call our dads and forgive them or
ask them for forgiveness.
Let the Holy Spirit guide you this morning. Is there a
relationship that is suffering?
Take time this week to make an effort to
Be Generous and Forgive.
The Bible tells us to forgive just as we have been forgiven
in Christ.