Good evening. Tonight, we come to our next Basis Bible Idea. So far, we have taken a look at how the Bible was developed, and then last week we took a look at the Trinity, and the 3 persons that it represented, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
And this week, we move to a question that some people ask as they go through life. Will God ever leave us?
If someone were to ask you that question, how would you answer them?
Well, in John 10:28 Jesus says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”
Have you ever had a friend that promised to be your friend forever? But then one day they weren’t your friend anymore? Do you think Jesus would ever do that? Some people may wonder if Jesus will ever leave them if they do something wrong. Jesus tells a story to help us learn how much God loves us and how He will never leave us.
Any idea what story we may take a look at this evening?
Well, tonight, we take a look at a very familiar passage, to help us answer the question, “Will God ever leave us?” If you have your Bibles with you, you can go ahead and turn with me to Luke 15:11. Tonight, we are going to take a look a the Parable of the Lost Son, or the Prodigal Son.
Who can give me a reader’s digest version of the Prodigal Son?
Well, let’s see how close you were. Luke 15:11-16 says, “1”
So, once there was a man who had 2 sons. And one day the younger son said to his father, “I’m tired of being at home, doing lots of work. I want to go away; so give me my share of the family fortune now.” And one of the amazing things from this passage is that, without a word, the father handed him his share of the fortune.
Why do you think the father gave his son the money?
Well, back then, parents gave their children an inheritance. However, the inheritance was not distributed until the parents were at the point of death or dead. The request was an unreasonable and offensive request. This surely caused the father great grief. He knew that his son was wrong. He knew that his son did not have the necessary wisdom to go out on his own. He knew that his son would squander the money. He also knew that he could not stop his son.
So, what did the son do, and what ended up happening to the son?
Well, with money in his bag, the son started off for the big city. He spent his money partying and doing whatever he wanted.
Now, the interesting thing is this, God often tries to lead us and keep us from harm. And more times than not, we are just like the young man. We want to do things our way, in our time frame instead of waiting for God’s perfect time and God’s perfect way.
So, let’s see what did happen to the son. Continuing on, Luke 15:17-20 goes on to say, “1”
Okay, finally, one morning he woke up to find that his money was all gone. He had spent all he had. Worse still, there was very little food available. He was in real need. So he finally found a job looking after pigs. He was so hungry that he would have been glad to eat the pig food himself.
Now, let me ask you, when you have done something wrong, what is your first reaction?
Well, when the young man realized what he had done, he knew he could go home. He had an idea. “Here I am starving when back at home even my father’s servants get plenty of food to eat. I will go back and tell my father how sorry I am. He won’t take me back as his son, but maybe he will let me work on the farm with the other servants.” And so he started off at once, painfully walking on bare feet and pulling his dirty clothes around his body.
Now, in the same way, God wants us to go to Him when we have sinned. It doesn’t matter what our sin is. If we repent, God will forgive us. We may feel ashamed and unworthy but we can always run to God when there is true repentance in our heart. God wants us to be in a right relationship with Him always.
Continuing on in our story, Luke 15:20 says, “1”
When he was still a long way from home, his father saw him and ran to meet him, full of
love and joy. He threw his arms around him and tears of joy fell from his cheeks.
The fact that the father saw him when he was a long way away from home illustrates the love of God. It hints to the fact that the father was waiting for the young man to return.
And then in Luke 15:22 it says, “1”
So, the son says, “I’m sorry father; I’m not fit to be your son.” But the father would not let him say another word. He turned to the servants and said, “Get my son the best robe and bring sandals for his feet. Put my ring on his finger. Then get ready, we’re going to have a party to celebrate his return!”
Now, what does that story tell us about God?
What else do we learn from this story?
Well, God lovingly waits for us to return to Him when our hearts belong to Him. We can always go to God. He wants a relationship with us that is real and intimate.
Jesus told this story to show that God loves everyone and wants them to come to Him. Just like the son told the father that he did wrong, we must tell God that we are sorry for the wrong things we have done.
Just like the father forgave the son and welcomed him home, God forgives us and welcomes us into His family.
Another lesson is that once you are part of God’s family, He will NEVER leave us or forget about us. The father in the story never gave up on the son. He loved him and cared for him even when the boy wanted his way.
Sometimes we want our way and run far from God. But God loves us and cares for us. He promises that when we are part of His family, He will always stay with us.
Now, let me ask you this, since God loves us and is willing to forgive us, can we do whatever we want?
Just because God is willing to take us back, it doesn’t mean that we can do whatever we want just because God will always forgive us. We should always want to do things God’s way and follow Him. If we do sin, He promises to forgive us and clean out our sin.
Now, before we close this evening, does anyone have anything that they would like to add?
Well, if there is nothing else, just keep in mind, just as the father in our story never gave up on his son, and was willing to welcome him back, so God is waiting for us to return to Him as well. And He will never give up on us or leave us.
Let’s Pray! |
