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Luke 15:11-32 UNDERSTANDING THE FATHER HEART OF GOD
Pastor Dan Southern

Someone asked me the other day, “How can we really know that God is of the male gender instead of female”? The Bible says He is a Father to us who believe.
It is not enough to ask, “Do you believe in God?” What is more important is “What kind of God do you believe in?” 


Jesus told a story in this chapter from which we can come to understand what the Father image of God looks like. Who is He? What is He concerned about? Hopefully, from this story we will get a better understanding of the heart of God as Father.

 

In this text, a farmer has 100 sheep and one gets lost. Jesus shows how the farmer leaves the 99 and goes on a search and rescue mission for the one that is lost.  Further in the text are two other stories, a widow loses one of her 10 coins and searches intently until she finds it. These coins represented her life savings!
In the third story, a son is lost and eventually returns home.

There are many things that could be said about these 3 parables but we see one common thread in all three - whenever the lost is found, there is great rejoicing! In Verse 6, the farmer calls his buddies together and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.” In verse 9, the widow says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.” And when the lost son returns home, the father throws a big party.

Jesus is making the point that when the lost are found, heaven throws a big celebration! Whenever a lost person (lost person refers to those who do not know Christ as a personal savior of their sins) repents, spontaneous joy breaks out in heaven.

Why do we want to spend time with the lost (those who do not know Christ)? Why preach the Gospel? Why share our testimony? Because that’s what the FATHER is concerned about. That’s where the heart of God heart is.

Our Father has a HEART FOR THE LOST. He wants individuals to know Him and those who have rejected Him to return Him.

It is LONGING HEART – in the last story, we see the father waiting for his son’s return. Luke 15:20  says, "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.”

This is a great moment. His father saw him and was moved with compassion. Night after night he waited for his return. It is a LOVING HEART – filled with compassion for him. It is a LONGSUFFERING (Patience) HEART – threw his arms around him and kissed him. No reprimand, no judgment.

This is a “Grace Encounter” – because the father had already forgiven him the father restores him back as his son by giving him the robe, the ring and sandals. This young son was prepared to be a slave for the father, but it was not necessary because of the boy’s repentance. He was restored.  This is the same encounter we have today – when we come to God, we realized He has prepared everything we need. When we confess our sins and repent, God gives us the right to become His children (John 1:12). Jesus paid the price; we don’t have to become slave or do something to repay for our wrongs. In fact, we can’t. Only Jesus can.

Acts 2:21 says, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Don’t let the past or present failures keep you from coming to God. He has a heart like a father and wants you to be a part of His family.

SADLY the older son does not understand the HEART OF THE FATHER. The older son was working in the field when the younger son returned and does not come home until after the party had started. One of the servants tells him that his brother has come home and his father is very happy about it. He was angry and refused to go into the house. The father comes out to urge him to join the celebration.

In this story, this is the 2nd time the father comes out – first was to receive his younger son, how he comes out to urge the older son…. who was filled with self-righteousness.


Look at the father in this story. First, he goes out to meet the rebellious returning son, and then he goes out to meet the angry son. Here we see a picture of the heart of God. God the Father loves everyone - the self-righteous, the self-centered, as well as the downright rebellious and defiant. When this father comes to his oldest son, he does not scold or rebuke him harshly, but rather pleads with him. The tense of this word in the original language indicates that the father invited his son again and again to come in to the party.

This reveals that the older son is actually more lost than the other was. The younger son was far from home, but his heart was back at home, thinking about home and his father. The older son was right at home, but his heart was not there. He was far from understanding the HEART OF THE FATHER.

Jesus ends the story with this boy standing outside the house. We do not know what happened next. Jesus does not tell us what became of these two sons. He just leaves the ending hanging. I think He does so because He wants His listeners to see themselves in the story.  Where are you today? Are you the younger son who needs to turn around and come back to God? Are you already home and need to come into the party?

The Father has enough grace for all. He’s looking for prodigals and He’s looking for the proud as well. You see, God the Father loves every one of us. Shouldn’t you want to know this God?