GOD'S COMPASSIONATE LOVE FOR REPENTANT SINNERS

Luke 15:11-24

There are four things listed in the Bible that causes joy in heaven: (i) the night when Christ was born (Luke 2:13-14); (ii) the moment when a sinner gives his/her life to Christ and gets saved (Luke 15:7, 10); (iii) The Time when the Church arrives in heaven; and (iv) When Christ defeats his enemies on earth and returns to reign. The first has already happened. The two involves all of us. If you are a Christian today, you were once a sinner. And when you got saved, there was joy in heaven. Because sinners get saved every day, heaven is full of joy for them! It follows that heaven is joyful over those people who bring sinners to repentance and salvation (Pro.11:30; Daniel 12:3).

The heart of God is full of compassion for sinners (Ezek.18:32; 33:11). Our Saviour Jesus reflected this same compassion for sinners when He walked on earth (Mat.9:36-38). He said, “My Father loves me because I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:17). In the story of the prodigal son/lost son, Jesus is opening a window into the heart of God the Father. We will consider a number of lessons from this story: (i) the demands of sinful man; (ii) the degradation (ruin, destruction) of sinful man; (iii) the destitution (poverty, lack, need) of sinful man; and (iv) the deliverance of repentant sinners.

The Demands of Sinful Man

(Luke 15:11-13; Isa.53:6; Rom.3:10)

The lost son here represents for us lost humanity. People today are like lost sheep without a shepherd. Everyone does what is right in his own eyes. No one is listening to what God is really say to us through Jesus Christ. The commandments of God are disobeyed. People joke with God’s word! God says “Thou shalt not steal”. But people have perfected methods of stealing today. God says "Thou shalt not kill", but people kill everywhere today either in the name of God or in the name of politics or in the name of money. God says “Thou shalt not commit adultery”, but what do we have today? Sexual immorality is no longer regarded as sin. The say if it OK for you go ahead and do it! But as it is written, “What God has joined together, let no man put asunder”. This is more than biological pleasure. It is a spiritual matter! Fornication is breaking God’s commandment. Adultery is breaking God’s commandment.

The lost son was selfish – “Give me what belongs to me”, he demanded. Selfishness is the father of many sins. When you don’t care about others you are breaking God’s commandment – “Love your neighbour as yourself”. All the commandments of God are for our benefit. Yet people break these commandments and sin against God.

The Degradation (ruin, destruction) of Sinful Man

(Luke 15:13, 30; Rom.3:23; 6:23; Ezek.18:4)

This lost son embarked on a journey that ruined his life. He wasted all his money in sinful living. Just look around you today and you will see the decay and ruin of human life – broken homes, marital unfaithfulness, adultery, poverty, sickness and disease, wickedness, murder, abortion, homosexuality, suicide, drug/alcohol abuse and addiction, pornography, paedophilia. These are some the things that human beings do today. The Bible calls these the works of the flesh – the works of sinful flesh (Galatian 5:19-21; Mat.15:18-20). These actions show that men and women are lost in their sins. These sins bring destruction and ruin with them.

The Destitution (poverty, need, lack)Of Sinful Man 

(Luke 15:14-17; Eph.2:1-3)

When adultery comes into to a home, it will cause shame and pain, it will bring hatred and division. It will tear apart the family bond. It will divorce with it. When fornication comes into the life of a young man or young woman, it will ruin God’s plan for his or her life. It will destroy his/her innocence before God. He could have been used like Joseph in Egypt to save the life of many, or like Daniel in Babylon to preserve the worship of the one True God, he/she will lose all.  He or she will begin to struggle like this prodigal son. This is God’s pronouncement: “The soul that sinneth it shall die”. “The wages of sin is death”. If a sinner does not repent, then he or she shall surely perish (Rom.6:23; Ezek.18:4). Sin will always bring poverty and want. Sin will finally bring death with it. Both physical death and spiritual death are a result of sin. Thank God that this lost son in our story came to himself. They only way out of the destruction of sin is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Deliverance of the Repentant Man

(Luke 15:17-24; John 3:14-16, 18)

Repentance means to turn back from sin and turn to Jesus. This lost son remembered all the blessing he had in his father’s house. And again he remembered how he was now suffering for his sinfulness. Then he decided to go back to his father.

God is in the same way calling all men today to repent and return to him (Mat.4:17; Acts 17:30; Isa.1:16-18). He has promised forgive all their sin. He has given Jesus Christ to die on their behalf. Jesus Christ dies for all sinners. 

If you have repented, if you have not turned your life over to Jesus do it today because there will be no mercy for anyone who fails to receive Christ as Saviour.

Believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved.