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Reflections of the Father
Evangelist Dr. Bob Sanders
June 1, 2007
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Having honored our mothers in the
month of May, we now honor our fathers in the month of June.
Reflecting on the different references to fathers in the Word of
God, my heart was directed to Luke 15. In an effort reveal the
true nature and divine character of His Father, Jesus tells the
story of a father and two sons. While it is the picture of the
Heavenly Father, the story reveals certain traits that should be
found in the lives of all those that bare the title of father.
The Father’s Heartache – vs. 12-13
It is a blessing to be given the
privilege of being a father; the joy of holding your very own
flesh in your arms. How it stirs a father’s heart to see a
child’s first steps and hear them say the word daddy. There is
the happiness of watching that child develop and accomplish
various goals on the way to maturity. It would be nice if that
was the only side of the coin to parenting. With the happiness
comes the heartache. There was a day when it appeared that the
son thought more of the fathers’ possessions that he did
the father’s person, “And the younger of them said to
his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that
falleth to me” (Luke 15:12). With no consideration for the
father’s feelings, the son demanded a portion of the temporal
wealth of this world. How many times have we as God’s children
been guilty of the same sin?
There was a day when the far
country meant more than that the father’s companionship.
The son no longer cherished those days of fellowship with the
father. The father had become too antiquated in his thinking and
too rigid in his morality. The son could have far more fun
pursuing the pleasure of sin for a season. Possessing this type
of mentality, the son gathered the father’s wealth and struck up
a love affair with the world. These are the times when it is no
longer fun to be a parent.
The Father’s House – vs. 17
The natural downward spiral took
its toll upon the boy’s finances as well as his feelings. Broke,
shunned, and ashamed, the prodigal found himself a servant to
the far country. While the world had drain him of almost
everything he had, it could not take the memory of home. One of
the strongest forces God would use to bring about the son’s
return was the son’s remembrance of the father’s house. The
uncertainty of the present was over shadowed by the supply
in the father’s house, “have bread enough and to spare, and I
perish with hunger!”(vs.17). The father had always
faithfully provided for those of his household. The pains of
hunger and the depletion of goods was a condition associated
with the far country and not the father’s house.
Contemplating the past days at
the father’s house, there was not only the remembrance of
supply, but there was the rest of security. With the
dawning of every new day there was uncertainty associated with
it. Where would he sleep tonight? Would there be sufficient food
to sustain his life? These were questions he never asked himself
while he was abiding in the father’s house.
The Father’s Hospitality – vs. 17
If there was one thing that had
become abundantly clear it was the distinct contrast between the
hospitality the far country and that of the father’s house.
While the son was unsure of how the father would welcome a son,
he was assured of how the father would welcome a servant. If
there was a word to describe the hospitality of the father’s
house, it would be equality. In the father’s house, worth was
placed upon the person, not their possession of substance
or their position in society. This was certainly not true
in the far country! When the prodigal had arrived with an
abundance of wealth, there were friends on every hand. His name
was at the top of the guest list for every social event. All of
that soon changed! The prodigal found that friends in the far
country were proportional to finances. The degree of welcome was
determined by the distribution of wealth. The penniless prodigal
found the far country void of compassion, comfort, or
companionship; nothing like the hospitality of the father’s
house.
The Father’s Honor – vs. 18
Having made the decision to
return home, the son acknowledged within his heart that he had
tarnished the father’s name; “no more worthy to be called thy
son” (vs.19). The father was respected in his private life
as well as his public life. He had the admiration of the lowly
as well as the lofty. The father was a man of honor because of
the pattern he accepted. When the prodigal said, “I
have sinned against heaven” it reveals a scriptural standard
in the home. The only way the prodigal could have known that he
had sinned against God is the scriptures! The Word of God was
the final authority in the father’s house.
The father was a man of honor
because of the practices he adopted, “I have sinned .
. . before thee.” The Word of God was not only a standard
for the family; it was the standard for the father. He did more
than execute judgment on the offender; he was an example of
righteousness. The father had not only gained the respect of the
world about him, but he was revered by the wayward in the hog
pen.
The Father’s Hope – vs. 20
While the prodigal had tarnished
the father’s honor, he had not destroyed the father’s hope.
Until the lifeless body of the prodigal is cast at his feet, the
father will nurture the tender plant of hope. It is not just the
return, but the restoration that the father pants after. Hope
can be seen in the father’s focus, “But when he was
yet a great way off, his father saw him” (vs.20). Every day
the father would look toward the far country and say within his
heart, “This will be the day my son returns.” Hope can be seen
in the father feast, “bring hither the fatted calf”
(vs.23). Daily that calf was fed with the hope that the son
would return. Hope can be seen in the father’s furnishings.
Waiting on the son was a robe, a ring, and a pair of shoes. Hope
said, “It’s not if the son returns, but when the son returns!”
The Father’s Heart – vs. 20-24
It was not until his return that
the prodigal was able to comprehend the character of the
father’s heart. While he had expected to experience
punishment, he was given pardon, “For this my son
was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And
they began to be merry” (vs.24). The father offered total
and complete forgiveness. While it was not the way of the elder
brother, it was way of the father.
Pondering his return the son
envisioned a season of parole, but was met with a
shower of plenty. “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: And bring hither the fatted
calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:” Luke 15:22-23
The corruptness of his own heart had carried him to the far
country, but the compassion of the father’s heart had conducted
him back to home.
The Lord Jesus places before us
some “Reflections of the Father.” Unlike the distorted
view of the Pharisee, Jesus reveals a Heavenly Father that longs
for the return of those that have broken His heart. For all that
will come with a broken and contrite heart, there is total
forgiveness and a full pardon. It is this kind of father that
all men should strive to be like.
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