Repent and Believe – The Father’s Response

Read: Luke 15:22-32 The son in this parable basically tells his father that he wishes he was dead and he would like to receive his inheritance so he can leave.  After realizing that doing things his way wasn’t nearly as glamorous as he thought (it never is), he returns to the father to ask for forgiveness and to beg for mercy.  This is a picture of repenting which means you change your mind or stop thinking one way to begin thinking a new way.   And do you remember what his dad said to him? “But the Father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him.'” Whoa, whoa, why so quick? Shouldn’t we let him grovel here a little bit? No. Quick! I want this restored as quick as possible. Now that he’s recognized he’s a sinner, let’s get on with this thing. He said to his servants, “Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger.” Ring on his finger? That’s like you’re reestablishing him to sonship. Absolutely I am. But look at what he’s done. Yeah. But he’s back. But doesn’t he owe you? No. And put sandals on his feet, because he’s not a servant. “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again.” For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely How is he alive? All he did was come back and say, “I’m a sinner” and beg for mercy. I know. He’s alive. “He was lost and is found.” So they began to celebrate. The moral of the story: The sooner you and I embrace our sinfulness, the sooner you and I are candidates for God’s grace. The sooner you and I embrace our sinfulness, the sooner we have an opportunity to meet our Savior. The sooner we see our misdeeds as sin, the closer we are to knowing what it feels like to be forgiven. Years later, the apostle Paul said it this way in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We all fall short of the standard of God. We all fall short of the righteousness of God. You would expect the next verse to say: And, boy, is God mad. God is going to make you pay; he is going to come after you. There are lightning bolts in your future. But here’s what Paul says: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely … .” This is huge. As long as I’m making mistakes, I can make up for them. When it becomes sin, I know there’s a debt I owe. I know there’s restoration that needs to be made. I know that there’s some sacrifice I need to make. I know there’s something I have got to do. And Paul says: Here’s the great news—all have sinned, and all are made right with God freely.]]>