Luke 15:1-2

2. Luke 15:1-2 1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

3. Review of Act 1 of the Drama Luke 15:11-1311 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 “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.

4. The Two Sinful Approaches to Life

5. The Two Sinful Approaches to Life

6. The Pendulum Effect Self Discovery Moral Conformity

7. The Pendulum Effect Jesus’ message is that BOTH of these views are wrong!!! Self Discovery Moral Conformity

8. The Pendulum Effect • “There are two ways to be your own Savior and Lord. One is by breaking all the moral laws and setting your own course, and one is by keeping all the moral laws and being very, very good.” • -Tim Keller in The Prodigal God Self Discovery Moral Conformity

9. Act 2 - The Lost Younger Son Luke 15:13 “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. • What do we know about the country & what happened there? • “distant” • Luke 15:14-1614 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

10. Act 2 - The Lost Younger Son Luke 15:13 “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. • What do we know about the country & what happened there? • “distant” • Luke 15:14-1614 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. A place of famine & hardship

11. Act 2 - The Lost Younger Son Luke 15:13 “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. • What do we know about the country & what happened there? • “distant” • Luke 15:14-1614 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. Gentile country

12. Act 2 - The Lost Younger Son Luke 15:13 “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. • What do we know about the country & what happened there? • “distant” • Luke 15:14-1614 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. He enslaved himself to a Gentile

13. Act 2 - The Lost Younger Son Luke 15:13 “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. • What do we know about the country & what happened there? • “distant” • Luke 15:14-1614 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. The Gentile likely did not want him & tried to get rid of him

14. Act 2 - The Lost Younger Son Luke 15:13 “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. • What do we know about the country & what happened there? • “distant” • Luke 15:14-1614 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. He became a beggar

15. Act 2 - The Lost Younger Son Luke 15:13 “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. • What do we know about the country & what happened there? • “distant” • Luke 15:14-1614 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. He was degraded & distorted…even wanting to become less than human

16. Conclusions & Applications • When we pursue a self-guided path toward happiness & life, we end up hurting ourselves & others.

17. Conclusions & Applications • “The world says: ‘Yes, I love you if you are good-looking, intelligent, and wealthy. I love you if you have a good education, a good job, and good connections. I love you if you produce much, sell much, and buy much.’ There are endless ‘ifs’ hidden in the world’s love. These ‘ifs’ enslave me, since it is impossible to respond adequately to all of them. The world’s love is and always will be conditional.” • -Henri Nouwen in The Return of the Prodigal Son • When we pursue a self-guided path toward happiness & life, we end up hurting ourselves & others.

18. Conclusions & Applications • When we pursue a self-guided path toward happiness & life, we end up hurting ourselves & others. • When we pursue a self-guided path toward happiness & life, we end up degraded & even sub-human.

19. Romans 1:21-28 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them overin the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.  26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 

20. Romans 1:21-28 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.

21. Act 2 - The Lost Younger Son • What kept him from returning home? • He faced certain judgment & ostracism • “First century Jewish custom dictated that if a Jewish boy lost the family inheritance among the Gentiles and dared to return home, the community would break a large pot in front of him and cry out ‘so-in-so is cut off from his people.’ This ceremony was called the Kezazah (literally ‘the cutting off’). After it was performed, the community would have nothing to do with the wayward person.” -Kenneth E. Bailey in The Cross and the Prodigal

22. Act 2 - The Lost Younger Son • How did he work up the courage to return home? • Desperate want overcame his shame and fear • He exhausted all other options he could think of • It was now or never…

23. Conclusions & Applications • This is why many people come to Christ via difficulty & hardship • We will not return home until we are convinced we can’t hack it on our own • We won’t truly repent unless the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of pursuing change.

24. Act 2 - The Lost Younger Son • What did change look like for the younger son? • Luke 15:17-1917 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’  • Is this true repentance??? • Regret over consequences • Words without substance

25. Act 2 - The Lost Younger Son • What did change look like for the younger son? • Luke 15:17-1917 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’  • Is this true repentance??? • Regret over consequences • Words without substance Assumed his only hope was to repay his debt on his own

26. Act 2 - The Lost Younger Son • What did change look like for the younger son? • Luke 15:17-1917 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’  • Is this true repentance??? • Regret over consequences • Words without substance Planning to live away from the house with the other servants

27. Act 2 - The Lost Younger Son • What did change look like for the younger son? • Luke 15:17-1917 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’  • Is this true repentance??? • Regret over consequences • Words without substance Taking on a servant-master status with his father

28. Act 2 - The Lost Younger Son • What did change look like for the younger son? • Luke 15:17-1917 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’  • Is this true repentance??? • Regret over consequences • Words without substance No clue about the true depth of his sin

29. Act 2 - The Lost Younger Son • What did change look like for the younger son? • Luke 15:17-1917 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’  • Is this true repentance??? • Regret over consequences • Words without substance Not going “home” but strategizing to become a dutiful servant

30. Conclusions & Applications • We often operate as if we are trying to repay our debts • We struggle to embrace our sonship in Christ • “Sonship versus servanthood was a basic issue between Jesus and his Pharisee audience. It is a basic issue today between Christianity and Islam. Are we God’s servants and he a law-giving Master? Or are we his beloved children and he a compassionate Father?” -Kenneth E. Bailey in The Cross & The Prodigal • We need constant growth in understanding and experiencing the depth of our sin

31. Act 2 - The Lost Younger Son • What could possibly change this mess? Luke 15:2020 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.