Our Father’s Love

The following is a Word of Encouragement given by John Woolf on Sunday, July 3rd.

In Luke 15:8-32 we’re told of TWO prodigal (wayward) sons.  And while Jesus’ main focus was the elder, we can draw so much from the younger as well – in fact, most Christians tend to follow his story far more closely as it resonates with their (our) experience.

This younger son told his dad he wished he was dead so he could have his share of the inheritance and go off on his own.  His father did this willingly (although he could have had his son punished severely for this – see Matt. 15:4).  So, this young man goes off and blows it all – big time!  He loses everything and ends up feeding pigs (which is a no-no for good, obedient Hebrew people – Is. 65:1-4; Matt. 7:6).  So, he comes to his senses and decides to try and go home.  He’ll beg for forgiveness and hopefully his father will at least allow him to work on the family farm.  He even works up a whole speech about having sinned in Heaven’s and his Father’s sight and how he’s no longer worthy to be called a son.  Then, he heads off home tail firmly tucked between his legs.

Unbeknownst to him, his dad has been looking for him just waiting for the day his boy might come home.  How do we know – because he sees him coming from a long way off.  If he hadn’t been looking, he wouldn’t have seen him.  And not only does he see him, but he runs to him.  Now, for a man to run, he had to hike up his garments which almost dragged the ground.  This would expose his legs which was great shame for a Hebrew man (and certainly a landowner in good community standing).  But he didn’t care about this open shame (see all of Isaiah 53).  His heart yearned for his son.

Now when he gets to the boy, he immediately scolds him for his insolence…no, wait – he doesn’t, does he?  No, he hugs him and kisses him repeatedly.  You can imagine the tears of joy streaming down the father’s face.  The boy probably thought his dad had mistaken him for someone else.  So, the boy begins his speech but only gets through part of it.  He never even gets to ask to be a hired man.

Now the dad says, “You sure have sinned you little twerp!”  No, wait – he doesn’t, does he?  In fact, his response is quite peculiar.  He doesn’t even acknowledge the boy’s sins. He turns to his “SLAVES” and tells them, “Quickly bring out the BEST robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand (a sign of adoption into the family in that culture) and sandals on his feet…let’s PARTY!!!

You see, the dad had already forgiven the son long before he saw him down that long road.  The boy had access to his father he didn’t even know he had – and son-ship was never an issue.  We lose sight of the fact that when Jesus died on that cross and said “It is finished!”  He left NO PART unfinished.  If you are in Christ, you are already forgiven of your past, present, and future sins.  When we confess our sins to God, we are (as the Greek states) AGREEING with God that we have done wrong.  That’s what it means to confess – to agree with.  We don’t need to continually go and beg God to forgive us for the sins we commit, because He has already forgiven them.  All we need to do when we sin is to agree with God we’ve done wrong and repent, which is just to turn from your sin to God.  To think that the Lord of Sabaoth ‘forgot’ to atone for one or more of your sins when His Son died for them is an insult to Him.  In John 19:30 when Jesus yelled out, “Tetelestai” or “It is finished!” He was using a legal term that was placed at the bottom of a contract to state that a piece of land or an article of some sort was “PAID IN FULL.”  He knew He had done everything necessary to secure our forgiveness, freedom, and that warm welcome back home where a party is just waiting to happen.

So what do we do?  Walk in the cleanness you have as His children!  Don’t go back to the former sinful way of life you had (see Jer. 42:15b-16) – He has done every single thing to make us blameless and holy.  All we have to do is believe Him and live each day as His royal children should live.  He is not only waiting to receive you back from your pig pen, but He is looking for you at all times and is waiting to RUN to you…in love.

Isaiah 43:25 states: I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will NOT remember your sins.”