Lost Son(s):

Context:

• Jesus talked about finding lost sheep.
• Jesus talked about finding lost coins.
• Now it’s time to talk about relatives.

Luke 15:11-16 “...And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything...”

Did the son know what was best for his future?

• When people want what people want, they never can be free.
• When people get what people want, their foolishness they see.

Reckless living (ESV). Loose living (NASB). Foolish living (HCSB). Wild living (NIV). Riotous living (KJV). At what age does a person cease to be reckless?

• Five different translations describe inappropriate behavior and choices.
• Age can sometimes lead to maturity, but it’s not automatic.
• Maturation is a process that takes time.

How did pursuing pleasure work out for the prodigal?

• Proverbs 13:11 “...Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it...”
• Proverbs 20:21 “...An inheritance gained hastily in the beginning will not be blessed in the end...”
• Longing for pig food is not a pleasurable outcome.

Luke 15:17-20 “...But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants...”’

What motivated his return?

• He still wanted what he wanted.
• He was still looking for a way to meet his basic needs.

Luke 15:20-21 “...And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son...’

What was the father’s initial response to his son’s return?

• He was watching for him.
• He felt compassion, not condemnation.
• He embraced him.

How does God respond to a reckless person coming home?

• He watches for them.
• He feels compassion, not condemnation.
• He embraces them.

Luke 15:22-24 “...But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate...”

What did the father do next?

• He cleaned up the son and started a celebration.

What does God do?

•  Luke 15:7 “...Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance...”

Luke 15:25-30 “...Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!...’

Why did the older son get angry?

• He didn’t have his father’s perspective.
• He looked at life from a selfish viewpoint.
• He, too, wanted what he wanted.

Luke 15:31-32 “...And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’...”

What did the older son miss?

• He missed out on the celebration.
• He missed out on being glad.
• Selfishness prevents healthy joy.

Did both sons have problems?

Don’t we all?

Finding the Lost:

Context:

• Jesus was attracting tax collectors and sinners.
• The Pharisees and scribes grumbled about this connection.
• Why did the Pharisees have trouble with Jesus receiving “sinners”?
• They considered themselves to be above these people.
• They valued position and self righteousness more than reconciliation.
• They didn’t understand the love of God.

Luke 15:4-7 “...What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance...”

Why is there rejoicing in heaven when the lost are found?

• 2 Peter 3:9 “...The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance...”

Why should God’s people not be resistant to establishing relationships with “sinners”?

• There would be no relationships since all have sinned and fallen short.

• 2 Corinthians 5:19 “...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation...”

What is the danger when God’s people establish relationships with “sinners”?

• 1 Corinthians 15:33 “...Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals...”

Luke 15:8-10 “...Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents...”

How much would ‘ten drachmas’ be worth today?

• Some commentators say a drachma was worth about fifteen cents, so ten would be worth about a dollar and a half.
• Most commentators say that these ten coins were worth about ten days wages.

Why would the woman seek diligently for the lost coin?

• The coin was highly valued by the woman.
• She didn’t have much, but valued highly what she had.

Why is there joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents?

• People are highly valued in the Kingdom of God.

How does God light a lamp to find sinners?

• People in darkness have a difficult time finding their way.

• Psalm 119:105 “...Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path...”

• Isaiah 55:11 “...so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it...”

The Cost of Discipleship:

Luke 14:26-27 “...If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple...”

How can you reconcile hating your father and mother with the fifth commandment?

• Exodus 20:12 “...Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you...”
• Ephesians 6:2-3 “...Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land...”
• Colossians 3:20 “...Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord...”
• Matthew 10:37-38 “...Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me...”

• The Matthew verse translates as loving more, not as hate.
• To love father, mother, wife, children, or even self more than Jesus, is to not love Jesus properly.

What can’t happen when Jesus isn’t loved correctly - the most?

• A person can’t be a disciple of Jesus.

Is it possible to think you’re a disciple when you’re not?

• What does it mean to “...take his cross and follow me...”? 
• The cross was an instrument of death that prisoners were forced to carry.

Does following Jesus require enduring whatever is burdensome, or trying, or considered as disgraceful?

Does following Christ require an instrument of death? [death to self, to flesh]

Did Jesus carry a cross to accomplish the will of the Father?

How can family misinterpret a person’s love for Jesus?

• A person who follows Jesus can be accused of abandoning family - hating them.

Luke 14:28-30 “...For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish...”

Why is it important to count the cost of building a tower?

• A tower is built up into the air for all to see.
• If completed, all will see and many will admire it.
• If not completed, all will see, and most will consider the builder a failure.

Why is it important to count the cost of following Jesus?

• Following Jesus creates changes that all will see.
• If completed, all will see and many will admire them.
• If not completed, all will see, and most will consider the person a failure.

Luke 14:31-32 “...Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace...”

Why is it important to deliberate before going to war?

• It is obviously unwise to go to war if there is little chance of victory.

Why is it important to deliberate before following Jesus?

• There are consequences to discipleship that people must be willing to face.
• Discipleship involves spiritual warfare, which requires discipline and determination.

Luke 14:33 “...So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple...”

What does it mean to “...renounce all...”

• All means all, and that’s all all means.
• We must be willing to leave everything, to endure anything, and to persevere in our walk with Jesus. 
• If we are not willing, we “...cannot be (His) disciple...”

Who will attend the Celebration:

Matthew, Chapter 21:

• Following the triumphant entry.
• Jesus cleanses the temple, calling it a house of prayer, not a den of robbers.
• He curses the fig tree and it withers at once.
• The chief priest and elders question His authority.
• He tells of two sons who are asked to go and work in the vineyard. One says he won’t, but then does. One says he will, but then doesn’t
• He also tells the parable of tenants who are unfaithful in caring for their masters vineyard, even to the point of killing His son.

What is Jesus describing in Matthew, Chapter 21?

• Matthew 21:43 “...Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits...”
• There is a right and a wrong way to live.
• There are expectations that people live up to, or don’t.

Matthew 22:2-6 “...The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them...”

Luke 14:16-20 “...But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come...’

Who is the king in the kingdom of heaven?

• Father God.

What has the king prepared?

• An abundant feast to celebrate His Son.

Who is invited to the celebration?

• Many.

Do all who are invited attend?

• Many do not.

Why do people miss out on the celebration?

• They consider other things to be more important - their things.

What do you consider to be the most important thing in your life?

• Revelation 19:6-8 “...Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure” - for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints...”

Do your actions line up with your confessions?

Matthew 22:7-10 “...The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests...”

Luke 14:21-24 “...So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet...’”

Will there be people at the celebration?

• The kings house will be filled.

Many use this scripture to describe the Jews rejection of the gospel, leading to the blessings being offered to the Gentiles.

Will there be Jews at the celebration?

• Those who accept the invitation can come in.

Will all Gentiles be at the celebration?

• Those that don’t accept the invitation will not come in.

Why would someone not accept the invitation?

• The want what they want, not what the king wants.

Matthew 22:11-14 “...But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen...”

Is accepting the invitation all that is necessary to come in?

• The celebration is only for those wearing a wedding garment.

What is the wedding garment?

• Isaiah 61:10 “...I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels...”

• Revelation 19:7-8 “...Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints...”

What is not the wedding garment?

• Self righteousness, which is really contempt for God’s provision through the blood of Jesus Christ.

How would you explain “...many are called, but few are chosen...”?

• The invitation is to many - many are called.
• Some are more interested in their own plans.
• Some are more interested in their own form of righteousness.
• The celebration is for those who come dressed in the proper garment - few are chosen.