The Prodigal Son

Luke 15 vs 10 "Likewise , I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Read : Luke 15vs 12-22

In Luke 15vs12-22 is the story of the prodigal son. It is very popular in children's Sunday school classes. The adults are too big for such story we want to study about how Jesus turned water to wine or how Elisha called fire to roast his enemies or how Solomon gave a thousand burnt offerings and God blessed him to an extent whereby gold became like sands in Jerusalem.

They are all very good stories but once in a while we need to remind ourselves of this story in Luke 15 vs 12-22. There is more to this story than a boy who took his share of father's wealth and squandered it .I pray that the Holy Spirit will speak to each an every reader in Jesus name.

What motivated this boy to approach his father in the first place ? It was freedom . He wanted the freedom to live life in his own terms. The freedom to do things that his father disapproves of. The freedom to go against his father's will . The freedom to dress , talk ,behave and act in a way his father hates . The young man knew that at home , there were do's and do not's. At home there was a standard , there was protocol , there was a way to do things . The young man knew there was someone who he had to answer to and He didn't want that. There were lifestyles he wanted , there were friends he wanted to keep , there were places he wanted to visit ,there were things he wanted to do that he knew would bring shame to his father. He knew the only way to get the freedom is by leaving home for a far country where his father will not see him . Is that not what the devil offers to Christians today ? freedom to disobey God? do things God hates , dress ,talk,behave and act in a way God hates? live lifestyles God abhors ?

Another thing that motivated this boy was fun. The wayward lifestyles , alcohol,the fame,sex and all. He wanted to be like the people of the world . When you look at circular musical videos what is the theme - fun. Half - naked women , nice cars ,tattoos ,parties ,swimming pools ,display of wealth ,alcohol and all . It is a shame that today gospel videos have now headed in that direction too. The devil sold the promise of freedom and fun to this boy and he bought it. Just like this young boy , many born again christian are been sold the sold the same promise daily. We keep hearing the same story , enjoy your life today because you do not know what tomorrow hold. Party now for we know not what happens tomorrow is what they say.

The boy bought the promise and approached his father. Although the father allowed him to leave , he left against his father's wish .The boy knew his departure did not please his father but he left regardless. The old man would have loved to keep him and nurture him but the boy preferred to leave.

What the young man did not know was that leaving home meant leaving the presence of his father. Psalm 16 vs 11 says in the presence of God is fullness of joy. The absence of Joy is sadness. The young man did not know that moving out of the house means moving out of joy . The boy was so impatient about the freedom and fun ahead he failed to consider the implications of his action. When we do things against the wish of God for our life we are walking out of the presence of God unknowingly and the results is always in sadness and sorrow.

He did not consider that moving out of the house meant that he was disconnecting himself from His source. John 3 vs 27 says A man receives nothing except it be giving by God. There is an African adage which says “ a river that forget its source will dry up”. We are alive because of God,all we have is giving by Him. If we disconnect our self from Him by disobeying Him or doing things against His wish we will dry up.

It did not occur to this boy that moving out the house meant he was moving out of the reach of help. His father is only able to help him or send help to him while at home. The Psalmist said in Psalm 121 vs 1-2 , I will look up to the hill from whence my help comes from,my help comes from the Lord who made the heaven and earth. Help comes from nowhere except God. When it comes to offering help , man is limited in what type of help they can offer. Most of them just love to sit and say sorry anyway .Doing things that does not please God is moving out of the reach of God's help.

Also at home , he was under the protection of his father. Their was a protective shield over him at home. No body could rob him of anything, his life was secure and he could sleep with his eyes closed. Because according to Psalm 127 vs 1, God Is the only true guard. Displeasing his father and leaving home meant leaving the protective shield of his father and exposing himself to danger . Engaging in things that do not please God is exposing our self to danger.

The boy moved  far to a foreign country. To him it was the best decision but he forgot that the farther to home he was ,the harder he will need to shout for help before anyone could hear him and rescue him. One thing he forgot was the pain he caused his father. The old man after doing everything possible to raise him , keep him and feed him. He did not consider all that at all . He threw all the efforts of the father in a bin. Do we not today after knowing what Jesus went through to get us saved ignore Him? Do we even care about how He feels ? Do we not  forget to thank Him for the salvation of our souls ? Do we witness about Him to friends and family to ensure that His death is on the cross was not in vain . Might I humbly ask you Sir /Ma ,what are you doing to ensure that His death on the cross is not in vain . Is it by fornicating when you know that He hates it ?or not even serving Him the way we should ?

Because the young man left home , the old man was sad. He was sad  because he could no longer shower him with love again ,he could no longer guide him or advise him, he could no longer carry him in his palm again , he could no longer defend him , he could no longer meet his needs. The old man was really sad just like Jesus is sad today. He looks down on earth with tears In his eyes because the people He died for , He could no longer shower them with His love, He could no longer guide them , carry them, defend them or meet their needs because they have rejected him and moved away from him. The prodigal son rejected his father by moving away from the house.

When he got to his destination he had fun and was free. Life was so sweet and he was enjoying every bit of his time. Because he was rich ,he had many friends which made it better. With time he spent all he had and a famine arose. Things got from bad to worse and he got a job feeding pigs and all. As his situation began to deteriorate he suddenly began to see that he was not really free,he saw  that the freedom and fun was all an illusion. He came back to his senses and went back home and he was accepted.

Just like the prodigal son, you are either in Jesus or outside Jesus. We either doing what He says or not . We either give Him our lives and let Him be the master and our father or be free. The devil used the promise of freedom and fun to lure the prodigal son out of his father's house . The devil knew he could not touch this boy under the protective wings of his father so he lured him out of the house. The boy left home and he punished him severely until the boy got into his sense and ran back home.

There is no protection outside Jesus , there is no peace or happiness outside Jesus . The devil has nothing to offer except hell. Many are been lured to hell daily with the promise of freedom and fun. You can have many girlfriends as you want , you can have many boyfriends as you want , drink and smoke and party. Have fun is his message. He uses this circular musical videos to paint a picture of fun. Look at the celebrities in the videos , if they are having so much fun how come they are suffering from depressions,drugs abuse ,cocaine addictions and all. They may look so happy but they are not free, they are slaves to drugs and depression tablets.

When you are outside Jesus you are disconnected from your source and in no time you will begin to fill empty. Is that not what causes addictions and substance abuse ? trying to fill the emptiness with work, drugs, hobbies. None of this things can fill you except Jesus. Colossians 2 vs 10 says in Him we are made complete. A life without Jesus will lead to frustration because such life is not complete. When you are out of Jesus , you move out of the reach of help because no one can help you except Him. Out of Jesus means out of His protective wings. Living outside Jesus means living in a place where He can not shower you with His love,where He can not guide you , where He can not defend you , where when you cry He can not hear because you are far from me.

The only way is to come back home, the prodigal son came back home and was restored. The problem will not be solved until you come back home. Are you like the prodigal son who left Jesus ? Do you need love and affection , do you need to be accepted , Jesus is the way , the truth and life-John 14 vs 6. Come and get your life back, come back get your peace back, your family back. The fun we see is a way to lure people to hell.