The Prodigal Son - He Came To Himself
Luke 15:11-32
INTRODUCTION: We have seen that the story of the Prodigal Son is one of Jesus' most famous parables. As R. C. Trench says, "It is the pearl and crown of all the parables of Scripture." It is a metaphor designed to illuminate the fact that God gladly receives repentant sinners. It does not tell us everything there is to know about the Gospel. For example, it does not help us understand the atonement or the ministry of the Holy Spirit but it does teach us of the danger of allowing ourselves to live in the excess of sin. It does show us that sin leaves us in desperate, unsatisfied state of deep spiritual poverty and death. And it teaches here that:
THESIS: We must come to a point where we see our sinful rebellion for what it is in reality. SIN IS THE WAY TO DEATH
TEXT:
Luke
Remember, he thought that he would achieve fulfillment through total freedom. And he
felt fine, no guilt, no pains of conscience, as long as the money held
out. I think that this is one of the
main reasons that Jesus said Matthew
But one morning he woke up while he was tending the filthy pigs, literally starving and it dawned on him that he was stinking worse than the swine, and he was dying.
The text says, "He came to himself" WHAT DOES THIS PHRASE MEAN?
FIRST, Sin is a fantasy - a pipe dream - He wasn't in the promised land of independence, and freedom. His own lusts had so captured him that he could not think straight. He had set out for Shangri-la and found out for himself he had been more suited for Happy Acres
The world constantly is reinforcing the vain illusion that wine, women and song is the way to happiness and fulfillment! The reality is it is the way to HELL. The reality is that the far country from the father will break your heart into a million pieces, IT IS A LIE FROM THE HOARDS OF SATAN! The good life was back in the father's house, living in the family of God, under his dominion and in his good grace.
THIS IS MORAL INSANTITY! HE HAD BEEN MAD! HE HAD BEEN ETHICALLY PSYCHOTIC but NO ONE COULD HAVE TOLD HIM THIS AT HOME!
SECONDLY, "He came to his self" means, rebellion had brought him to utter corruption and a filthy heart
His sin began with a heart attitude toward his family, and if it had come to completion would have killed him. He smelled as bad as the pigs he was tending! He was almost willing to start eating like them in his needy state.
James 1:14-15 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. [15] Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
HERE IS AN EXTREME EXAMPLE OF THE RAVAGES OF SIN....
Rob Pilatus, whose career as half of the pop-music duo Milli Vanilli crashed into disgrace and drug abuse after it was revealed that the group lip-synched its songs, died at age 32, in a hotel room in Frankfurt, Germany, after overdosing on alcohol, antidepressants, and cocaine. "The only disgrace is how Rob died-all alone, internally destroyed from the rapid rise then sudden fall," said show-biz partner Fabrice Morvan. "Where were the ones that pushed us to the top who made the millions
Life is a pretense outside of the reality of Jesus
Christ.... We can act like we are big shots, but in reality we are needy
children who need to be back home. Romans
THIRDLY, "He came to him self" means he remembers that anything that was really ever good had come from his relationship with his father... 'How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!"
NOW HE IS ABLE TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER! HE COULD SORT IT ALL CORRECTLY! AT LAST HE COULD know what's what, know the score,
His possessions, his money, his clothes, his food, his drink, even his very body, the passions of which he had unleashed. He had gotten them all from him.
The same is true for us. We owe everything to God first and yet we often act like we don't really need Him!
He was free when he was himself, at home, in the domain of the father. We should know that the lowest servant of God is much better off than the greatest devil in hell.
Psalm 84:10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
APPLICATION:
What is repentance? The Greek word means to think again...to see things differently and then to take appropriate action...
WHAT DID HE AT LAST SEE????
EVERYONE knows they are a sinner, but few are willing to humble themselves and turn back to God. THEY DO NOT FEEL THE ABSOLUTE NECESSITY OF BEGGING FOR FORGIVENESS!
MANY ARE UNWILLING TO SEE THAT THEY ARE DYING AND THAT THERE IS NOTHING THAT ANYONE, INCLUDING YOURSELF CAN DO ABOUT IT...."no one was giving him anything!"
II. Westminister Confession 15:2, " By it (repentance), a sinner, out of the sight and sense not only of the danger, but also of the filthiness and odiousness of his sins, as contrary to the holy nature, and righteous law of God; and upon the apprehension of his mercy in Christ to such as are penitent, so grieves for, and hates his sins, as to turn from them all unto God,[3] purposing and endeavoring to walk with him in all the ways of his commandments.[4]
HE SAW AT LAST
Danger - Exposure or
vulnerability to harm or risk, The world is the devil's death trap for many, a
demonic ambush, are you aware that you may be endangered?, Hazarding, a
dangerous course by leaving behind the Lord Jesus is moral insanity! MANY ARE ON THE WAY TO HELL BY THIS ROAD --
Matthew
He had been unhearing, unafraid,
with nerves of steel
as he began, but NOW, AS HE SAW REALITY - HE RECOGNIZED THAT HE
WAS DYING
In the HOAX OF THE DEVIL - IN A SPIRITUAL DELUDED PSYCHOSIS HE HAD been so sure of himself, so confident, fearless, dauntless
DO YOU SEE IT??? ARE YOU BLIND??? THERE IS A HELL! THERE IS A JUDGMENT! TAKE CARE!!! SIN HAS AWESOME CONSEQUENCE IN THIS LIFE AND UNIMAGINABLE LOSS IN THE NEXT LIFE!
We must come to a point where we see our sinful rebellion for what it is in reality.
Sin is the way to DEATH
HE SAW AT LAST
Filthiness and odiousness of his own SIN
Covered or smeared with filth; disgustingly
dirty. stinking,
with stench pollution, defilement corruption of his own WICKED CHOICES,
ACTIONS, AND THOUGHTS
WE ARE PICTURED IN OUR FALLEN STATE...HERE -
EVERYONE IS CORRUPTED BY SIN...YET WE NEED NOT COURT SIN AND LIVE IN SIN
FINALLY HE PERCEIVED his immodesty, shamelessness, his sin was disgraceful and at last he
could see it.
It was
odious. As he sat in the pig sty, he
truly saw himself and he did not like it.
He experienced intense
displeasure.
THE MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSION HAS
DONE A MAJOR DISSERVICE BY TELLING US THAT GUILT IS USUALLY A SICKNESS TO BE
CURRED BY "THERAPY."
THE REPENTANT SINNER HAS
LOST HIS SELF RESPECT - HIS SENSE OF DIGNITY- HIS SENSE OF SELF WORTH- HIS
SENSE OF SELF DEFENSE -HE HAS NO PRIDE - LOST SENSE OF HONOR IN HIMSELF!
Adultry, fornication, drugs, alcohol, as well as other more respectable sins such as self righteousness, boasting, all our pleasure seeking, are materialistic focus on life, are all superiority games. THEY are DISGRACEFUL when seen in the light of reality!
Ezekiel 36:31-32 Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and
you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. [32] I want you to know that I am not doing
this for your sake, declares the Sovereign LORD. Be ashamed and disgraced for
your conduct, O house of
HE SAW AT LAST
The only place to be........The only place to be....The ONLY place to be free and truly alive, was in his father's house!
The only place for you, if you will see things right, if you are not
morally and spiritually insane is in a wholehearted relationship to the
merciful heavenly Father through Jesus Christ!
Have you seen it at last? Are you still so deluded in your mind to think that the world, the sinful flesh, and the devil are your friends and that they can give you abundant life here and eternal life forever?
We must come to a point where we see our sinful rebellion for what it is in reality.
Sin is the way to DEATH
Christ is the way to the father... John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
That He should leave His place on high,
And come for sinful man to die,
You count it strange ?-so do not I,
Since I have known my Saviour.
Nay, had there been in all this wide
Wide world no other soul beside
But only mine, then He had died
That He might be its Saviour;
Then had He left His Father's throne,
The joy untold, the love unknown,
And for that soul had given His own,
That He might be its Saviour!
And oh! that He fulfilled may see
The travail of His soul in me,
And with His work contented be,
As I am with my Saviour!
Yea, living, dying, let me bring
My strength, my solace from this spring,
That He who lives to be my King,
Once died to be my Saviour!
(Poem found in B.B. Warfield's "The Prodigal Son")
This is my comfort, is it yours? My soul TARNISHED - BLEMISHED - DEFILED - - TANTIED - STAINED BY SIN - HAS BEEN FORGIVEN CLEANSED BY MY PERSONAL SAVIOR - JESUS CHRIST