LUKE 15:11 Then 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 falls [to] [me].' So he divided to
them [his] livelihood.
13 "And not many days after, the younger son gathered all
together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal
living.
14 "But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he
began to be in want.
15 "Then 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 gladly have filled his
stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him [anything].
17 "But when he came to himself, he said, `How many of my father's hired servants
have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 `I will arise and go to
my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you,
19 "and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired
servants." '
20 "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still 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 to him, `Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight,
and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
22 "But the father said to his servants,
`Bring out the best robe and put [it] on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on
[his] feet.
23 `And bring the fatted calf here 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.
25 "Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew
near to the house, he heard music and dancing.
26 "So he called one of the servants
and asked what these things meant.
27 "And he said to him, `Your brother has come, and because he has received him
safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'
28 "But he was angry and would
not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.
29 "So he answered
and said to [his] father, `Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never
transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young
goat, that I might make merry with my friends.
30 `But as soon as this son of yours
came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'
31 "And he said to him, `Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.
32
`It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is
alive again, and was lost and is found.' "
Bible Life Commentary:
Jesus told this story as a parable. The real message is that the father represents God and the sons represent believers or sons of God. Both sons had all of the comforts provided by the Father. The younger son became tired of the discipline and was looking for fun and pleasure. He asked for his portion of the goods. The Father divided to both sons their inheritance.
The younger son wasted the money on his pleasure and became desperate. He decided to return home. Now you may think this is a story of a fellow who is a sinner who is going to get saved. No! The younger son was living at home with the Father at the beginning of the story. He is a true son. He was already saved from the beginning of the parable but he has sinned. The son decides to confesses his sin, repent and return home to his Father.
Upon seeing His younger son returning, the Father runs to the gate and slams it shut. He tells the son that his elder brother is still angry and unforgiving. The Father tells the son he is not welcome to return until the elder son accepts him back and forgives him.
OOPS! NO! That is not the message that Jesus gave. That is the message of the world. That is the message that the Pharisees would have given. That is the message that seems "fair" in the eyes of man.
Instead, the Father ran to welcome the younger son back home again. The son began to confess and repent before the Father, but the Father didn't even wait for him to finish. He hugged and kissed his son with complete forgiveness.
"But the father said to his servants,
`Bring out the best robe and put [it] on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on
[his] feet.
`And bring the fatted calf here and kill [it], and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they
began to be merry." LUKE 15:22-24
The younger son was restored to a place of honor with the Father because he confessed and repented of his sin. He was clothed with the robe of righteousness and wore the Father's ring to signify his return to his original standing.
Now the elder son is a different story. Listen to him complain. He has lived with all of the benefits of the Father, yet he does not appreciate them. He is proud, angry, jealous and unforgiving. He does not understand his Father's grace. He refused to claim his inheritance. He is still a son of the Father, but he refused to receive the spiritual blessings. He wants to earn his way by his good works and his self righteousness. He lies because he has not been the son he claims to be. He cannot see his own sin and the Father is not having a party for him.
The elder son was trying to gain favor in his Father's eyes by his own might and power. How does the song go? Oh, yes! "It's not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit says Lord."
The Pharisees did not understand this parable. They wanted the younger son to be punished. They wanted him to be barred from his Father's house. They would not accept his confession and repentance as sufficient to restore the son. They wanted a blood repentance just as they wanted to shed Jesus' blood. They believed that the elder son should be favored because he was like them. He looked good on the outside, but on the inside he was vile. They did not understand because they did not accept the mercy and grace of God.
What about you? Do you believe Jesus Christ took upon
Himself the sins of the whole world and resurrected from the grave? You can be
"born again" and receive the Holy Spirit only by putting your faith in Christ.
God sees your heart and hears your prayer. Your sins are forgiven when you believe in faith. No works! No doing! No one else! No judge! God judges the heart.
If you need help in understanding, select "A Bible Summary" and study it carefully.
Many Christians are not living close to God. They are like the elder son. They have a life full of denial, bitterness and
unforgiveness. They deny their sin just like the elder son. Now they are trusting in their good works to maintain their relationship with the Father. If you feel like the younger brother, seek out those you have sinned against and confess your sins. The Bible says, "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed" (JAMES 5:16). If you feel like the elder brother, don't hide your sin and unforgiveness saying all is OK while you claim to be righteous. Your family, friends and associates know your sins. When did you last confess to them? The younger son sinned against his Father, confessed to his Father and was restored. The elder son was stiff necked, denied his sin, claimed to be righteous, and did not receive the joyful blessings of the Father. He missed the party. Oh yes, he received his inheritance, but he did not have the relationship with the Father. God is faithful to forgive your sins and restore you to full fellowship with Him. You can also restore your relationship with others only by confessing your sin to them and receiving their forgiveness. They may remain unforgiving like the elder brother, but you have done all that you can do. The unforgiveness is their sin, not yours.
The Pharisees were very mad at Jesus because the message destroyed their self-righteous systems of works. Jesus gave His followers a wonderful message of mercy, grace, love and forgiveness. They were very happy because they admitted in their hearts they were sinners. God our Father has many spiritual blessings and they belong to you. Become like the younger son. Confess your sins, repent, ask Jesus Christ to forgive you, ask to receive the Holy Spirit, and claim your eternal salvation today.
EPHESIANS 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, lest anyone should boast.
MATTHEW 18:21-22 Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother
sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"
Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times
seven.
LUKE 17:3-4 "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. "And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."
MARK 11:25-26 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. "But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."
COLOSSIANS 3:12-13 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
GALATIANS 6:1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
Bible Life Commentary:
The message appears to be clear, but try living it. The Pharisees were teaching that two or three times were all that you had to forgive. But they really didn't believe that. They were simply trying to establish a point they could use as the excuse for not forgiving someone. Do you also have excuses for not forgiving another? Do you say, "Their repentance was not sincere?" Perhaps you don't want to forgive. Perhaps you prefer to find an excuse for your bitterness to justify yourself. Jesus made it very clear. "If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him" (LUKE 17:3-4).
Try to find a loophole in that. It doesn't say to judge his repentance and reject it at will. Seven times in one day leaves no excuse for unforgiveness. How about tomorrow? Seven times seventy is four hundred ninety. Jesus made the point very clear. He took away the excuse the Pharisees were using to not forgive. We have no excuse for not forgiving those who confess their sin against us and repent. When a brother repents he has been set free from the sin. If you don't forgive him, the sin becomes yours.
On the other hand, many people say we must forgive others for their wrong even though they have neither expressed any admission of wrong nor made any repentance. Friend, that is not the message in the Bible. God will not forgive you without your confession, repentance and faith that Jesus was your sacrifice for your sin. Don't think you can be more holy than God by forgiving an unrepentant person. Without repentance there will be no forgiveness. Every unbelieving and unrepentant person will be judged by God and thrown into the Lake of Fire. The proper attitude that we should have toward the unrepentant is to turn them over to God, stomp the dust of our feet and go on serving God. We should not dwell with bitterness and resentment for that would be our sin.
God sees your heart and hears your prayer. Your sins are forgiven when you believe in faith. No works! No doing! No one else! No judge! God judges the heart.
If you need help in understanding, select "A Bible Summary" and study it carefully.
MATTHEW 18:23 "Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts
with his servants.
24 "And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten
thousand talents.
25 "But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife
and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.
26 "The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, `Master, have patience with me,
and I will pay you all.'
27 "Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and
forgave him the debt.
28 "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a
hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took [him] by the throat, saying, `Pay me
what you owe!'
29 "So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, `Have patience with
me, and I will pay you all.'
30 "And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.
31 "So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and
came and told their master all that had been done.
32 "Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, `You wicked servant! I forgave
you all that debt because you begged me.
33 `Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on
you?'
34 "And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all
that was due to him.
35 "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not
forgive his brother his trespasses."
Bible Life Commentary:
Jesus was using this parable to teach the Christian principle of forgiveness. "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king." MATTHEW 18:23. In this parable the king is God and we are the servants. The first servant owed an enormous sum of money equal to twelve million dollars, which he could never repay. In the same likeness, we have sin which can never be covered by our own efforts. "The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, `Master, have patience with me,
and I will pay you all.' Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and
forgave him the debt." MATTHEW 18:26-27. God will also forgive us when we fall down before Him to confess our debt and ask for forgiveness. God will forgive us because Jesus has paid the infinite price of His life in our place. He took upon Himself our debt, our sin.
The first servant then went to his fellow servant who owed him only seventeen dollars, a very small amount in comparison. But the first servant would not forgive his fellow servant who begged for mercy, and he threw him into jail until the debt was paid. God called the first servant "wicked" and delivered him to the torturers.
This parable is a frightening principle for us if we do not forgive others while Jesus has forgiven us every sin. Don't carry your sins.
Believe that Jesus Christ has taken away your sins.
God sees your heart and hears your prayer. Your sins are forgiven when you believe in faith. No works! No doing! No one else! No judge! God judges the heart.
If you need help in understanding, select "A Bible Summary" and study it carefully.
LUKE 15:1 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.
2 And
the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats
with them."
3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying:
4 "What man of you, having
a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the
wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?
5 "And when he has
found [it], he lays [it] on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 "And when he comes home, he calls
together [his] friends and neighbors, saying to them, `Rejoice with me, for I have found
my sheep which was lost!
7 "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who
repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
LUKE 15:8 " Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a
lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds [it]?
9 "And when she has
found [it], she calls [her] friends and neighbors together, saying, `Rejoice with me, for I
have found the piece which I lost!'
10 "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the
presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
Bible Life Commentary:
Many Bible scholars think that the parables of the lost sheep
and the lost coin are about a "lost" person who comes to believe in God and
Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, they miss the great message of the story, which is our eternal security in the Lord and His great faithfulness to us.
The shepherd in this parable is the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ. The one hundred sheep are His followers. They are all followers, even the one who becomes "lost." The lost sheep was not a wild ram without a shepherd who was "saved" to join the flock. Jesus was not describing a "lost" person who has not accepted God.
Jesus said, "What man of you, having
a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the
wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?" LUKE 15:4. These men were shepherds who knew if they lost a sheep this week and didn't make an effort to find it, lost another next week, and another, in a year's time they would have lost more than half of their flock. In the same manner, many churches do not multiply and grow, but may even dwindle away. Their shepherd is not interested in seeking after the lost sheep.
The story of the lost coin is the same. The woman began with all of the coins. She did not find a lost coin on the street. They were all hers from the beginning.
Just as the shepherd knew that someday each and every sheep would go astray, Jesus knows that each and every one of us will someday go astray. But we can be secure in knowing when that day occurs, He will go out to us and bring us home again. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, will not cast us aside and close the gate. We can trust in His faithfulness to find and forgive us. This is a message of our eternal salvation. He holds on to us. We do not hold on to Him. This is the wonderful message many Christians are missing. We are forever forgiven. Have you strayed? When that day comes, listen for His voice calling you to come home again. Answer back and He will find you. He will have mercy and grace upon you. He will not punish you. He does not beat His sheep. Call out to Him, rejoice for He hears you, and be carried on the Savior's shoulders, for you are home again.
God sees your heart and hears your prayer. Your sins are forgiven when you believe in faith. No works! No doing! No one else! No judge! God judges the heart.
If you need help in understanding, select "A Bible Summary" and study it carefully.
Now, back to the shepherds. What does God say about our shepherds, the leaders, pastors and teachers in the Church. The message is very clear.
EZEKIEL 34:1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2 "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, `Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
3 "You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, [but] you do not feed the flock.
4 "The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them.
5 "So they were scattered because [there] [was] no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered.
6 "My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching [for] [them]."
7 `Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:
8 "[as] I live," says the Lord God, "surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the field, because [there] [was] no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock"--
9 `therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the Lord!
10 `Thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I [am] against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them."
11 `For thus says the Lord God: "Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.
12 "As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.
13 "And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country.
14 "I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.
15 "I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down," says the Lord God.
16 "I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment."
Bible Life Commentary:
The present Christian Church is very much like Israel. The pastors and leaders are shepherds who feed themselves from the hard work of the flock. They preach Old Testament tithing which does not apply to the New Testament Church in this Dispensation of Grace. They do not go after the weak and the sick to help and to heal them. Instead, they discard the weak and the sick while giving favor to the strong, the talented and the rich. Are you a shepherd? Do you have others who consider you as their pastor or teacher? Do you protect, help and heal the weak and the sick within your flock? If not, repent today. God's message is very clear.
JAMES 3:1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter
judgment.
Perhaps you are not a teacher or Pastor. Perhaps you know very little about the Bible. However, if you know that you are a sinner, you are not far from the Kingdom of God. You can go to Heaven and have eternal life with
God by believing that Jesus Christ took upon Himself the sins of the whole world
and was resurrected from the grave to give eternal life to all who believe.
God sees your heart and hears your prayer. You will have eternal life with God when by faith you believe on Jesus Christ for salvation. No works! No doing! No one else! No judge! God judges the heart.
If you need help in understanding, select "A Bible Summary" and study it carefully.
Copyright 1997 - 2016 by Kent R. Rieske and Bible Life Ministries. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to distribute printed copies of "A Study In Forgiveness" without revision if done on a no-charge basis to glorify God and bring the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to all.
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