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Jeff Fry
  - Joined on 07-31-2006
- Lichfield, UK
- Posts 216
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5 - Exploring Faith: What Kind of Person is Fit for the Kingdom of God?
5 - What Kind of Person is Fit for the Kingdom of God?
by Jeff Fry NIV Luke 15:11-32 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. 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. 17 "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men 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 men.' 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. 21 "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate. 25 "Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' 28 "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!' 31 "'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'"
Thesis: God welcomes the penitent sinner into his kingdom.
I. Intro
A. In our series on "Exploring Faith" we have looked at the following questions:
1. "What should we do?" (Luke 3)
2. "Who is this man"? (Matthew 8:23-27)
3. "How do I enter the kingdom of heaven?" (John 3:1-15)
4. "What can keep me from entering the kingdom of God?" (Luke 8:4-15)
B. This week we look at the question: what kind of person is fit for the kingdom of God?
II. God welcomes the penitent sinner into his kingdom
A. State
1. Luke chapter 15 is a chapter consisting of 3 parables on the same theme - God's attitude toward the lost sinner.
a) It is preceeded by a very important introduction in verses 1-2 which say, "Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." (Luke 15:1-2).
b) Pharisees, who followed many religious laws and rituals, believed it was unclean to eat with sinners
c) Jesus' law was love and he believed it was loving to eat with sinners.
d) So in this context Jesus tells 3 parables along the theme of lost sinners who repent.
e) Note that each of these parables ends in rejoicing over the lost sinner who repents.
2. Looking at the last parable, the Prodigal Son:
a) Questions
(1) who are the main characters?
(2) what does the younger son ask his father for?
(3) what does the younger son do with it?
(4) why does the younger son return to the father?
(5) how does the father react to his younger son's return?
(6) who does the father represent? the son?
b) what was the prodigal son like?
(1) far away from the father (God) - verse 13 says that he "set off for a distant country".
(2) selfish - he took all that the father had given him and spent it all on himself without another thought of the father.
(a) this describes us. we are constantly persuaded by the media to(i) seek opportunities for personal gain, importance, self-immortalization, value-addedness, (ii) we are taught to approach everything as a consumer - "what can I get out of it?" and not "what can I give to it?". We even approach church this way.(iii) We are encouraged to "have it our way".
(b) friends are friends in so far as they make a relationship profitable.
(c) the church or community is good to belong to as long as it is profitable to me to do so.
(d) In this way we are all this lost son.
(3) wasteful - spent all the money given to him until he had nothing left (v. 13)
(a) We are one of the most wasteful societies . consider a report on the BBC in May of this year citing that:(i) 1.3 million unopened yogurt pots thrown away each day.(ii) 5 1/2 thousand whole , unopened chickens per day thrown out(iii) 440,000 unused ready meals each day thrown in bin
(4) lustful - lived wildly (v. 13) meaning that he indulged himself with prostitutes (v. 30)
(a) Internet pornography - In May 2006 the Independent ran an article entitled "Sex.com We are a nation addicted to porn and nearly 11 million of us got our fix on the net last year"
(b) the subtitle was even worse: "New figures reveal the extent to which Britain has become hooked. And experts say it is doing great damage to relationships between women and men."
3. We are the Prodigal Son!
4. But there is hope yet. Let's see what happens when the prodigal son realizes what is happening.
a) Life gets so bad that he begins to wonder if it wouldn't be better to go back to his father as a hired hand
b) he admits he has done wrong
c) he admits he needs help
5. the Father's love for the lost son
a) The father forgave the son his abuses
(1) The father gave him everything he needed and more but the son took it and left
(2) The son never gave anything back
(3) the son cut himself off from the father
b) The Father was waiting & longing for him to come back
(1) in v. 20 "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him"
c) The father had compassion on him (in v. 20)
(1) ran to meet his son,threw his arms around him, kissed him
(2) All this before the son confessed any of his wrongs
d) The son confesses his wrongs (v.21)
(1) admits his wrong
(2) turns away from his sin
(3) turns to God
(4) the one biblical word for this is "repentance"
e) The father was forgiving!
(1) put the "best robe" on him, put a ring on his finger, and sandals on his feet
(a) only owners of a house wore sandals, never the servants
(2) All this signified that the father was accepting him back as a son, not a hired servant
f) The Father celebrates
(1) gives him the best robe
(2) puts a ring on his finger - sign of reconciliation and acceptance
(3) sandals on his feet
(4) feast and celebration
B. Illustrate
1. Repentance always puts us in the Father's loving arms of forgiveness.
2. 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"
C. Apply
1. God's love can wash our past record of wrongs away
a) We've all been far away from God at times
b) we've all done wrong things that we regret and wish we could reverse because they've caused pain, ruined relationships, not least of all our relationship with God
c) Yet, God stands watching and waiting for our return despite His knowledge of our past wrongs whatever they are
d) He's saying to you, to me: "Come home, come home!"
e) When we say sorry to God for those past wrongs, He stands with open arms to receive us back into the family forever. This is described by the word "repentance". It means
(1) to say sorry for your wrongs
(2) turn away from the wrongs
(3) turn to God deciding that you want to live with Him from now on.
2. This Church should be a picture of God to peope
a) One visible mark of our church should be unconditional love (grace)
(1) like God we stand with arms open to welcome all people who come to our church regardless of background, past history etc - just like God does.
(2) anyone can attend our church as long as you are not here to hinder the purposes of God. That is our only requirement.
III. Conclusion
A. So, who is fit for the kingdom of God? Anyone who comes to God with a penitent heart ready to say "sorry" to Him and to be reconciled to Him.
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