Coming Home To God // REACH Women Conference

Luke chapter 15 and we’re going to be reading from verse 11 to the end of the chapter. Luke 15 beginning at verse 11.

“Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.  After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.  For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.  ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.  But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.  But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” (Luke 15:11-32)

This is the word of the Lord.

The Joy Of Being Together

Are we on? There we go. Ladies, what an awesome morning we’ve had together. Like, just being able to sing together again, to be in a, in a room full of women like this again, is just-it’s remarkable. And I don’t know about you, but I just I always feel uplifted by this. And I love being able to meet in a larger group like this because, like it’s just, it just means that we can encourage one another and walk with each other and it really, really has been too long since Covid put a stop to everything. I think I love the opportunity that this conference brings to just be able to catch up and meet new people, catch up with old familiar faces. And I don’t know about you, but I always leave here feeling really, super encouraged, a little rebuked, but a heart that is full. And I know that I’m loved, not only by God, but by those around me. 

So, I don’t know why you came today or how come you came to be here this morning. And maybe you came with a friend because you’re not really sure what women do when they get together on a Saturday morning in a church. Or maybe you’ve heard about Jesus but you’re not really sure if it’s into everything and what meaning this has. Maybe you just needed the encouragement of meeting together like this. 

But maybe you here today because your world has come crashing down around you. Maybe you feel hopeless and maybe you feel lost and have nowhere else to turn. Whatever your reason is, you’re here and God has something to say to each one of us. Our hope is that you will leave here convinced of God’s kindness to undeserving, religious people, people like you and me. And not because Ikho and my words are particularly brilliant, but because God himself will show you his heart of extravagant kindness. With that in mind, let’s just come before him in prayer and ask him to reveal himself to us.

Our Heavenly Father, as we come to this passage, we ask that you open our eyes and our hearts to hear what it is you have to say to us this morning. We ask for fresh understanding and a willingness to see your heart. Lord, reveal yourself to us through your Word. Amen. 

Jesus’ Concern Is For People

This is the third parable that Jesus tells in this chapter and so we need to bear in mind that the scene hasn’t changed. The audience is still the same and, as Ikho pointed out in verse 1 and 2, there are tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees and teachers of the law all listening to what Jesus tells us in these stories. And thank you Ikho, for pointing out what these tax collectors and these Pharisees, what that meant in that day – who they were. So, as we saw in the first two parables, these teachers of the law were more concerned about their status and reputation, than about people. But Jesus’s concern is for people. It’s a consistent message through Luke, and indeed all the Gospels. We see it in his actions as he eats with undesirables, engages with a Samaritan woman, restores dignity to a woman who touches him to be healed, and is filled with compassion as he heals the lame, the blind, the sick, and the demon possessed. Luke 19 sums it up in one sentence, and says, 

“For the Son of Man came to seek and save the Lost.” (Luke 19:10) 

Jesus came for those who know themselves to be lost. Luke’s message is that the Gospel is for all – for Jew and Gentile, ceremonially clean and unclean, religious and immoral, acclaimed and marginalized, rich and poor. There is no one excluded. And the parable of the lost son is a very familiar one in Christian circles and it’s often referred to as the Prodigal Son, meaning wasteful. And we certainly see that just how wasteful this younger son is with what his father gives him. The twist, however, is not that the son’s excessive in his wickedness, but that the father is extravagant in his kindness. 

God’s Kindness To The Undeserving

So, in the first part of the story, we see God’s kindness to the undeserving. This story would have been shocked those first hearers, but even as we read it today, you can’t help be struck by the audacity of this youngster, this demanding his inheritance. Can you imagine going to your parents, who are still alive, by the way, and demanding that they give you what is rightfully theirs? It goes against instinct, goes against everything, against us and, in fact, when we do that, it’s like him saying “You are dead.” So, the message he sends is, “I value your wealth more than I value you.” He receives up to half of his father’s very, very vast estate, so there’s a lot of money there, continues to show contempt for his father by not being wise with how he spends that. He foolishly squanders what he’s being given. He’s wasteful: he throws it away on wine, women, and song. He blows it on self-indulgent living. He’s destitute in a foreign country, and out of desperate need, lands up feeding pigs and longing to eat just what the pigs are eating, which for this Jewish man, would have been highly offensive. Just being with the pigs made him unclean. He has hit rock bottom. He is blowing it and he’s blown it big time. So, this young upstart of a teenager offends his father and brings shame on his family. He breaks all the cultural rules. He’s disrespectful, unwise, selfish, reckless, foolish, unclean, and wasteful.

Shame and Honour

And as Ikho mentioned, the culture of the day was a shame and honour culture, which meant that public reputation was everything. The family name was everything. When a family member was offended in some way, you showed your loyalty by avenging the offense, because only through payback could honour be restored. In a shame and honour culture, it matters how you address someone. There is different greetings for the older, respected father than for the younger, upstart teenager. What was important was restoring honour. So, what the son deserves, as he considers to go back to his father, is retribution, payback. No one would have been surprised if the father had turned him away, and cast him out, and shunned him. And that’s certainly what the listeners of the day would have expected.

But everything the father does from the time he sees his son is unexpected. This father breaks all cultural and boundaries of honour. It’s abundant. It’s over the top. When he runs out to meet his son, he’s not concerned with his name and restoring his honour. Have a look at verse 20. It says, 

“But while he was still a way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion…” (Luke 15:20)

Not vengeful retribution. This is a father who has been waiting for his son. His compassion compels him to shame himself and run after his son. He publicly humiliates himself as he embraces him and welcomes him home. The father, overcome with joy at his lost son’s return, spares no expense, kills the fattened calf reserved only for special occasions, and lays on a banquet, calling everyone to come and celebrate the return of his son. The son who was dead and is now alive, who was lost and is now found. But he doesn’t just take care of those immediate needs. He brings him back into the fold, clothes him with a robe and a family ring, showing everyone that his status in the family has been restored. He has more than a hired hand’s privilege – he has sonship privileges. The son is restored, not because of anything he had done, but because of the overwhelming kindness and compassion of the father. This is the Gospel: our compassionate God forgives us, not because of anything we have done because of his unfailing love. He overwhelms us with his kindness, and he welcomes us in as daughters of his family.

 No One Is Too Lost To Turn To God

I’m sure that there are many of us here sitting today that can identify with the son. As I mentioned in my testimony, I didn’t grow up in a Christian home and, like I said, the first time I heard the Gospel was around the age of 12. But kind of choosing Jesus when you’re going into your teenage years seemed a little restrictive for me and I thought life had something far more exciting to offer. So, I wanted to experience life for myself. I was determined to live life my way, to carve my own path, be the master of my own destiny. So, like this younger son, I squandered my life on wild living. I turned to many things over those years, turned to many things in this world that I thought would bring me satisfaction and, I think ultimately, I hoped that they would save me. But all of them let me down, in one way or another, at one time or another. 

And so, I landed up in a place where I felt trapped and I felt like I had nowhere to turn. But it didn’t seem like turning to Jesus was an option because I knew what I’d done. I knew the life that I’d lived and I carried shame and guilt for what I’d done and I knew I didn’t deserve to approach a God and ask him for any form of favour.

I don’t know what you’ve done in your life. I don’t know what guilt or shame you may carry as you sit here today, but you need to hear this: there is nothing you have done that excludes you from God’s compassionate embrace. There is nothing you have done that excludes you from God’s compassionate embrace. All you need to do is come, turn to him. He’s waiting for you. 

Did you notice how the son comes to the father? He says twice in the story, 

“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” (Luke 15:18&21) 

This son comes to his senses and knows that his actions have caused great offense to his earthly father, but even more so, he acknowledges that he’s wronged God. He knows he’s unworthy of any favour or acceptance. He knows he’s lost. 

Maybe today, like the son, you’ve been brought to your senses by what’s been said here this morning. It’s time to stop hiding in your shame and guilt and admit that you are lost and unworthy and turn to God the Father, who will lavish his unfailing love on you and welcome you into his family. Be overwhelmed by the extravagance of God’s kindness, not by the extent of the wickedness of your sin. Father’s heart is compassion and his heart doesn’t change, as we consider his response to the older son. 

God’s Kindness To The Religious

In the second part of the story, God appeals to the religious. It’s quite easy maybe to gloss over this part of the parable because the focus of the story does seem to be on those who are wild and rebellious at heart. Surely only people who come off the rails need Jesus and mess up their lives. Surely, they’re the only people who need Jesus. They’re the ones that need forgiveness. Me? I’m a fine, upstanding person. I go to church. I help my neighbour. I give it to charity. I come to conferences on a Saturday morning.

If I think of my family growing up, they would have been horrified if you had told them that they were far away from God. They were decent people. We were a decent family. There was no fighting, swearing, excessive drinking, and as kids, we were dropped off at Sunday school and picked up after afterwards. My parents did their duty. My mother was a Brown Owl – I don’t know if any of you remember what a Brown Owl is – but it was when Brownies were around and she was in charge, you know. My dad was a Rotarian, so constantly doing things in different communities to help out underprivileged communities. They were good people. But they would have been horrified if you told them that they were just as lost as Mr Jones down the road who spent every night in the pub, or Mrs Jones and Mrs Smith up the road who struggles with addiction. 

This is exactly what the teachers of the law were grumbling about. How could Jesus show kindness and acceptance to those who hadn’t played by the rules? As the story unfolds, the Pharisees knew that Jesus was talking about them when he referred to the older son. Jesus was saying that they were just as lost as the tax collectors and sinners, just as lost as that wasteful son. The younger(older) brother is angry. He’s angry with a father who lavishes his love on a brother who has broken all the rules. This older brother paid his dues. Where’s his recognition and acknowledgment for his years of service? He’s mad! This is unfair! He rejects his brother, remains outside the banquet, and is fuming that his brother didn’t get what he deserved. In fact, he got the opposite of what he deserved and got what the older brother thinks is rightfully his. It’s outrageous. It’s scandalous. Grace is scandalous. And so, the older son misses the heart of the father. He’s angry at a God who shows kindness to sinners.

Our Response To God’s Kindness To The Underserving

But before we judge this older brother too harshly, we forget how easy it is to fall into the trap of thinking that God’s kindness to the undeserving is unfair. All too often, as I’ve had a conversation with someone or looked down my nose at someone’s behaviour or shown favouritism, I’ve had to realize that I’m holding up standards – standards I think they should live up to. I haven’t cheated on my husband. I haven’t stolen, lied, gossiped, been through divorce, moved in with my boyfriend, but God, this drug peddler, this alcoholic, this racist, this person you forgive – unfair!

And the minute I think “unfair”, then I believe that the rules – there’s rules to play by, standards to uphold, credits to gain – and the problem with holding up standards is that anyone who doesn’t measure up is beneath me and should get what is due then. You see, we want a God who doesn’t share grace to others but shows favour to me. And that’s why the religious people reject grace -because they think that they have built up credits. They are outraged when they found out that the credits don’t count. It’s why the Jews were angry. They built the Temple, kept the laws, had Church attendance, baptism, church membership, whatever status you want to hold on to. None of this gives us favour with God. The older brother’s own pride meant that he had self-excluded himself from the father’s banquet. Pride will exclude more people from Heaven than wild living. It was my pride that took me so long to bend the knee to Jesus. Sadly, the most decent, law-abiding, church-going people refuse Heaven’s banquet. And yet, the compassion of the father extends to the proud and the self-righteous, people like you and me.

The father wants his older son to know that he is welcome at the banquet. And so, no one… and so, once again, ignores the shame and honour protocol and goes out to find his son and pleads with him, affirming his love and inviting him into the banquet.

God’s Invitation

The story ends here. We don’t know if the son goes in or not. It’s kind of like an “over to you” type ending, because I don’t know how you are going to respond to this invitation, just like we don’t know how the brother responds to his father’s invitation. The invitation is extended because Jesus secured the banquet for you. He’s paid the price for your sin by dying on the cross. Compassion is extended because justice is satisfied at the cross. Jesus says, “I will take your punishment.” This is grace: getting what you don’t deserve. It’s more than kindness, which is unexpected. It’s more than mercy, which is giving someone what they don’t deserve. Grace is giving someone the opposite of what they deserve. God gives us the opposite of what we deserve. He pays the penalty for our sins and adopts us into his family. This is what God lavishes on us.

There is an invitation today. There’s an invitation to the lost: “Call on me and you will be saved.” And there’s an invitation to the self-righteous: “Call on me and you will be saved.” Will you call on him today? Will you come to him today? Let us pray.

Oh, Heavenly Father, thank you for your presence here this morning. Thank you, Lord, that you show your face and that you’ve overwhelmed us with your grace and your kindness to us. Oh Lord Jesus, forgive us for those times that we forget just how undeserving we are. And Lord, may we lay our hearts before you again this morning, acknowledging that we are nothing without you, that there is nothing we can do to earn favour with you. Thank you, Lord, that you hear the cry of our heart. Thank you, Lord, that as we turn to you, you lavish your love on us. We just ask this in your precious name, Amen.