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3.12.17

TURNING POINT

Luke 15:11-20

The text today is about a man that had two sons that were living in sin. The only difference between the two sons is that one of the sons sinned out of the house while the other one sinned in the house. They both were sinners that did not express the love of God from their understanding of life and living. Both of the sons revealed in the story that each of them needed a TURNINGPOINT in his understanding.

In v.28 it was the older son that refused to go into the house to joined the celebration of the turning point of the younger son. He was filled with self-pride and preeminence. He bragged about how he had never sinned against his father (vv.29,30). Like many good Church people, the older son claimed his own personal perfection. But, like a good father, the man takes the initiative and goes outside to bring his older son inside to the celebration. The father was able to convince his older son to experience a turning point in his understanding.

However, our focus in the text today is more specifically on the younger son. The younger son represents most of the people in the Church. Most people in the Church have had to experience a crossroad or watershed moment to come to know God’s love personally and a better understanding of life. The facts of the younger son tell it all:

  1. He was overanxious to leave home to try his own wings. v.12
  2. He took all of his portion of the family’s inheritance with him as he left. v.13
  3. He let others outside of his family make him to lose what his father so liberally gave him. v.14
  4. The younger son had to hit rock-bottom before the lights of understanding came on. vv.15, 16
  1. Bobby Womack sings a song that is still true today that includes the words, “Nobody wants you when you are down and out.”
  1. The younger son came to his turning point. v.17
  1. When he came to himself; v.17a
  1. While yet in the hog pin he experienced Divine REVELATION.
  2. He realized that he was his problem. He woke up!
  3. With the aid of the Holy Spirit he had a personal encounter with himself.
  1. …he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare… (more than enough); v.17b
  1. He experienced another level of Divine MOTIVATION.
  2. He encouraged himself.
  1. …and I perish with hunger! v.17c
  1. He experienced a real moment of personal EVELATION.
  1. THE FATHER OF GRACE ALWAYS STANDS READY TO RECEIVE CHILDREN OF GOD HOME! v.20