Luke 15:11-24 And he said, A certain man had two sons: (12) And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. (13) And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. (14) And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. (15) And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. (16) And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. (17) And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! (18) I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, (19) And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.(20) And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. (21) And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. (22) But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: (23) And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: (24) For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
In our final installment of our study of the Prodigal Son, we want to focus on verse 24. So many people want to pretend that sin...any sin, all sin, is a “victimless crime”. As long as I do not hurt anybody else..who cares? As long as the participants of the sin are consulting adults, who really gets hurt?
The participants. That’s Jesus’ point!
In telling this parable, Jesus gives insight to the danger of sin and the cost to those that participate in it. The prodigal son left his home in pursuit of shaking his father’s restrictions and living the high life with what the Bible calls “riotous living”. The Bible does not specify the sins that were committed, but I think it is easy to let our imaginations paint that mental picture. Generally the cost of sin comes in two forms.
1. Sin Will Cause Suffering in this Life.
As we saw in the first lesson in this series, I am sure, at times, the prodigal son had “fun” from a worldly vantage point. The question is, why didn’t the story end with him living happily ever after in that far away country? Because sin ultimately let him down. The money ran out and the “new friends” that shared those “good times” were as fleeting as the money. That riotous living led him to a desperate existence. He began to be in want. Sin will cause everyone to be in want. Sin CANNOT sustain happiness.
2. Sin Will Cause Us to be Lost and Dying
In the conclusion of this parable, Jesus summarized the events by describing the son as he was and as he is now. He was lost when living in sin and then he became found when he repented and came home. He was dead and was made alive.
LOST: We are “lost” because we are separated from God’s love, mercy, forgiveness and grace.
Isaiah 59:1-2 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: (2) But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Like a child separated from their parents at a large mall, they drift away because they are distracted and their curiosity takes their focus off of their parents. Before long, they realize that they are separated and now whatever lead them away seems insignificant. Sin may attract our attention and draw us away from God, but soon we will realize we are just plain lost.
DEAD:
James 1:14-16 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. (15) Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. (16) Do not err, my beloved brethren.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The only natural outcome for sin is spiritual death. If the story ended there it would be a real disaster. But it does not. Romans 6:23 tells us that there is a way out of spiritual death. That is the gift of God. That includes what the prodigal son did. He came to himself and came back home.
Sin may seem fun for a while, but in the end it will let you down.
Reflecting His SON,
Dennis Hogan
Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ
1804 Sam Stewart Dr.
Radcliff, KY 40160
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