Turn with me, if you will, to Luke chapter 15. Luke chapter 15. It's been a while since I've had an opportunity to preach in the pulpit. Preachers ask me a couple of times, but the schedule just didn't work out. Some other things had come up, and you don't have a surprise for me. Alright, I was debating on, well I think I'll tell you a quick story just before I get into the message. The Lord gave us the privilege of going to Phoenix, Arizona. The day we came back it was 70 degrees in Phoenix and 20 degrees here in Cleveland. We had a great time. Our son met us up there and Brother Pete threatened to get a video that I showed him of our son. He drove up from California. I love playing disc golf, not regular golf, but disc golf, not Frisbee golf. It's different. So we went to this beautiful place called Fountain Hills, had a big old fountain in the middle of the water, goes up 300 feet high and had 18 holes. But the problem was they had a big old fence around part of it. and the fence was pretty high, and they had some kind of Chinese something or another, and it was over, but they hadn't torn everything down. So we wanted to play as many holes as we could, so about the 10th hole, we had to stand on top and throw it over the fence, and then we found out we had to walk all the way around, and then come all the way back, and then they did that. Then we had to throw the thing back over the fence, and the basket was really close to the fence, And so I throw a great shot, got it barely over, and so I'm walking over towards the basket, and it looked like I could get through, but there was a fence there. But there was that much room to get underneath the fence. And I said, I can do this. So I got down on my back and started getting under. I got halfway under, and it wasn't going to work, folks. And Gabriel saw me. He was going crazy. He had his camera. He said, Dad, you can do it. Dad, you can do it. Dad, you can do it. Here I am screaming. And if he hadn't have lifted up that fence a little bit, I'd have never. It's the funniest thing you've ever. And he threatened to show the thing to you, so I figured I might as well confess before they show. Then when I got through, this lady comes running up after me on the other side of the fence. I said, oh, I'm in trouble now. This must be security, police. She was in jogging clothes. I figured she was in dreaded clothes, mad at me, because I crawled underneath their fence. It was some kind of hazard. I said, you're mad at me, aren't you? She said, yeah, I sure am. And I says, oh boy, what is she gonna do, give me a ticket or something? And she said, yeah, I thought I could get under the fence here. So she was just jogging and thought she could get under the fence and she followed in my footsteps. So I said, well lady, you're smaller than I am, we can lift that fence up for you, I'm sure. But I wanna share with you a message tonight that the Lord's put on my heart. In Luke chapter 15, starting in verse 11, a very familiar passage. Starting in verse 11, and he said a certain man had two sons. the Lord speaking, and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that follow to me. And he divided unto him his living. Not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, and he took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in the land, and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into the fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husk that the swine did eat, and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's house have bread enough and to spare? and I perish with hunger. I will rise and go to my Father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thine hired servants, And he arose, and he came to his father, and 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. And his son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am not worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servant, Bring forth the best robe, put 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. For this my son was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found, and they began to make merry. Now his elder son was in the field, and as he came he drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing, and he called out of his servants and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come, and thy father has killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry and would not go in, therefore his father came out and entreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I any time thy commandment, and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I mightest make merry with my friends. And as soon as his son was come, which had devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto his son, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry and be glad, for this thy brother was dead, and is alive, and was lost, and is found. prodigal in the Bible, like the word rapture is not mentioned. We use the word prodigal. Webster's 1828 Dictionary says prodigal means extravagant expenditures. Expending money or other things without necessity, lavish, wasteful in their strength, wasteful in their health, and wasteful in their life. This story could be true because the Lord didn't call it a parable. And he also said a certain man had two sons, which can apply that it may be a true story. This message, as I was getting ready to prepare it, the devil tried to talk me out of preaching this message. Because everybody doesn't have a prodigal child, but then I got to thinking, perhaps a mom and dad's dealing with a prodigal child. Perhaps grandparents dealing with a prodigal child or grandchild. A bus captain could be dealing with a prodigal bus kid. Perhaps a Sunday school teacher's dealing with a prodigal Sunday school child. or a sibling who is dealing with a prodigal brother or sister, or a Christian who is dealing with a prodigal brother and sister in Christ, or perhaps a church dealing with a prodigal church member in a congregation. I want to share with you a message in a different way. I want to share with you this message. in dealing with a prodigal child or how to deal with a prodigal child. Let's pray. Father, thank you for this opportunity. Lord, I don't take it lightly standing in this pulpit. Lord, I pray that you'll help me. I'm just a messenger boy, that's all I am. And Lord, we want to learn from your word some principles on how we can deal properly with a prodigal child. Help us to divide the word of truth rightly and may you get the glory in Jesus' precious name. Amen. First principle I want to share with you is this. Sometimes We have to let a prodigal child go. Sometimes we have to let a prodigal child go. Look at Luke chapter 15 verses 11 and 12. And he said, a certain man had two sons, and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me thy portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. The prodigal father didn't go after the son. He just let his son go. And sometimes we have to let our children go for different reasons. Sometimes we have to let them go to keep from dividing the rest of the family. Mark 3.25, the principles found that if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. A prodigal child can sow discord and cause other siblings to rebel. We have to let a prodigal child go to keep peace and harmony in the home sometimes. Sometimes we have to let a prodigal child go for the sake of the family's testimony. Sometimes we have to let the prodigal child go to keep from losing other children. I think of bus routes. I used to work a bus route. Sometimes you had such a rebellious child, you had to let him go. Because if you didn't let him go, you're gonna lose some good kids. Same thing as in a Sunday school class. So sometimes we have to let them go to keep from dividing the rest of the family. Sometimes we have to let a prodigal child go to keep us doing the right thing. You leave that prodigal child in a home, and if you're not careful, our wayward children, our prodigal child can get us doing things that's not right to do. We make excuses sometimes for our wayward child. We stick up for them. We blame others for the child when it's their fault. Sometimes we have to let them go. And I hate to say this, but sometimes you have to make them go. You don't want to, but they won't go and you have to make them go. Sometimes a prodigal child can get us doing things they want us to do and not what the Lord wants us to do if we don't make them go. Do you understand that? If you leave a prodigal child in a home, before you know it, we can choose to obey the prodigal child and not obey the Lord. Joshua 24, 35, a familiar verse, and choose you this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And if you leave a prodigal child in a home, sometimes you'll start doing what they want you to do and not what he wants you to do. But you say it hurts to let them go or to make them go. Yeah, it does. But how do you think the prodigal father felt? Or how do you think the father felt of this prodigal child? How do you think he felt? When a prodigal child asked for his father's inheritance, you know what he was really saying? It was like asking him to die. Or I wish you were dead so I can get my money. That's a sad, sad commentary. And let me say this, if you have to let a prodigal child go or if a prodigal child leaves, it's not your decision for them to go. It's their decision. Even you have to make them go. You have rules in the home. You have standards in the home. And they won't live by those standards. And it's causing division. It's causing other kids to rebel. And they say, you don't want me here. Oh, I want you here. You don't want to be here. or you would obey the rules. And so don't let them tell you that you're kicking them out. No, it's their decision, not yours. We have a standard in our church, and we don't baptize people that are living together. And I have a Bible doctrines class, and sometimes I have to deal with that. And they say, you won't baptize us, and you won't make us members of your church. I says, oh yeah, we will. We want to. It's not our decision. It's yours. You get married or get right or separate and get right and we'll baptize you and we'll make you members. It's not our decision and that's what you have to do if you have a prodigal child. It's not, don't let them put the blame on you. It's their decision. The devil loves to play the blame game where you feel terrible about having to let a prodigal child to go. We must love our prodigal child. We need to believe, okay, I'm getting, I skipped a place here. When a family has rules in the home to live by and a child does not obey the rules, it's not the parent's decision for them to go. It's their decision that they will not obey the rules. Our perfectly heavenly father kicked Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden because they wouldn't obey the rules. Sometimes we have to let or make our prodigal child go. But the second thing I wanna see is this. We should never give up on a prodigal child. Never give up. Look at verse 20. This is when he's coming back, and here's what happened. And he arose and came to his father. And look at this next verse. 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. But when he was a great way off, his father saw him. Why? Because he was watching for him. He was looking for him. The father had not given up on his wayward child. We should never give up on a prodigal child. The father was looking for his son to return. We should always pray for a wayward and prodigal child. We need to believe that God can bring a prodigal child back home. You know, one of the saddest verses I think in the Bible is found in Matthew 13, 58. And he did not many mighty works because of their what? Unbelief. That's a sad story. God can do anything. He can bring that child back. We don't believe it, though, and we don't pray. For with God nothing shall be impossible. Luke 137. I teach this Bible Doctrines class, I've been teaching it 20 years, and I don't know how many times, many times, scores of times, I've seen single moms back in the class, and they said they got saved as a little kid coming on the buses. Got away from the Lord, but they came back. Some teenagers, same situation. Never give up on a prodigal child, for all things are possible with God. Sometimes we have to let a prodigal child go, or make a prodigal child go. We should never give up on a prodigal child. But the third thing I want to say is this. When dealing with a prodigal child, we must love them with a godly love. We must love them with a godly love. Look at verse 20. And he arose and he 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. His father loved his son. He didn't give up on him. He loved him. But let me say this. We must love a prodigal child with a godly love. You say, what do you mean? Well, we need to let them know that you love them. but you love the Lord more. I've told my kids and my wife this all the time. I love you, but I love him more. We need to let them know that you love them, but you don't love their lifestyle. Do you know what we have a tendency to do? We have a tendency as parents with prodigal children to love their lifestyle, but that's not a godly love. You're not supposed to love their lifestyle. To me, it's like salvation. Salvation and getting to heaven has nothing to do with good works. You have to separate them. You can't put them together. That's where you get problems. This is why you have most religions teaching Jesus plus something else gets you to heaven. You have to separate those two. We had to do that with a godly love. You love your sibling. You love your child. But you don't have to love what they do. In fact, here's what I find. I find children that have gone astray, that especially reared in a Christian home, they want your acceptance. They say, you don't love me if you don't love who I am, or you don't love me if you don't love who I do. That's not biblical, folks. You love them and not their lifestyle. We must love our children with a godly love. Let them know you love them, but you love the Lord more. Let them know that you love them, but you don't love their lifestyle. You need to let them know you love them, and they will always be your child. But don't expect me to love and accept your lifestyle or the way you're living. Let them know you love them. Some prodigal children, especially those living in a Christian home, want their parents' love, approval, by accepting their lifestyle. And they really don't believe you love them unless you love their lifestyle, if you accept them for what they're doing. And they just don't understand. But let me say this. Approving and accepting their ungodly lifestyle could send them to hell if they're not saved. Or it could send them to heaven early if they're a backslidden Christian. You say, why? Because if you say, I love you, son, no matter what you do, I love you. Well, I love you, I love you, no matter what you do. Yes, that's fine, but you don't love their lifestyle. You say you love their lifestyle, they may think God loves their lifestyle too, and God doesn't. He destroyed this entire world in Noah's day because he didn't love their lifestyle. Now he loved them. John 3.16 is still in the Bible. He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah after he got Lot and his family out of there, two daughters. Wife turned around and became a pillar of salt. He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. He loved them, but he didn't love their lifestyle. And if we start saying, it's okay, son, God loves you. Well, he does, but he doesn't love what they're doing. And I think we have to be careful when dealing with a prodigal child that we don't love their lifestyle. And we make it perfectly clear, God doesn't love their lifestyle either. Number four, before a prodigal child can return home, they must repent. Before a prodigal child can return home, they must repent. Luke 13, three, I tell you nay, but except you repent, you shall likewise perish. Second Peter 3, nine, from various verses, the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to what? Repentance. For a prodigal child to return home, there has to be repentance. Otherwise, you're back to where you started. Rebellion, doing what he wants to do, or doing what they want to do. There must be repentance if you're gonna have a prodigal child come back. The prodigal son repented by having a change of mind. Look at verses 13 through 17. 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, and when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in the land, and he began to be in want, and he went and journeyed himself to a citizen of a far country, and he sent him into the fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husk that the swine did eat, and no man gave unto him. But look at this next verse. 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. He came to himself. He had a change of mind, folks. He repented. That's what repentance is. It's a change. Number one, it's a change of mind. But there was another change that took place in his life. God changed his heart. He had a change of heart. The prodigal son repented because God changed his heart and his life. Second Corinthians 5, 17, Therefore, for any man being Christ, he is new creature, old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new. Look at verses 17 through 21. Let's see the changed life and a changed heart that he had. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough to spare, and I perish with hunger? I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, For I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thine hired servants.' And he arose and came to his father. But when his father was yet a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 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." He repented. He confessed his sin. Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight. He was willing to return as a servant, and on his father's terms, not his. So you see, when a prodigal child leaves and they want to come home, there has to be repentance. That's why church discipline, we haven't done it very often, and it's hard on a pastor to do that. He's the one that has to, the buck stops with him, and we have to have church discipline, whatever reason. There has to be repentance. No repentance, there's no change. When the lost repent and get saved, Well, he was willing to return as a servant on his father's term. To let a prodigal child return who hasn't repented is just asking for trouble. Number five, when a prodigal child returns and repents, we need to rejoice. Look at verses 22 through 24. 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. For this thy son was dead, and is alive. He was lost, and is found." And they began to make merry. When a lost sinner repents and gets saved, there needs to be rejoicing. When a backslidden Christian repents and gets right with God, We need to rejoice. Look at verse 10. Likewise, I say unto you, there's joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. We need to rejoice. When a prodigal child returns and repents, we need to rejoice. Number six, when a prodigal child returns and repents, we need to love and forgive them. But some things may have to change. You have to understand, a prodigal child goes away, he comes back, he's repented, we forgive him, but there still has to be some changes most of the time. Why? Because of the principle of reaping, sowing and reaping. They have to reap what they have sown, Luke 15, 31. And he said unto him, look at verse 31. And he said unto him, Thou art ever with me, and all that I have is Thine." He was talking to the elder son there. And he said, son, you're forever with me. We're going to talk about that in just a second. But he said, all that I have is Thine. The son lost his inheritance. He came back, he repented, but it still wasn't the same. A mother that has a child out of wedlock or has a child who's not married, that changes her life. A pastor that commits adultery and repents, gets right with God, it still changes his life. We have to reap what we've sown. A lot of people don't understand that. I have young converts coming to church, I mean, coming to a class, and they say, I don't understand, I got saved, but I still got all these problems. I said, because you're reaping what you've sown. You gotta mow down that bad grass, plant the good grass, and it takes time to grow. And so we have to reap what we sow. So even when we return and repent, there's still a reaping and sowing. The son no longer had his father's inheritance. He may not have had the same position that he had when he left. The repentant, prodigal child must prove themselves first. You know, there's a time when somebody repents, you just can't necessarily restore them back to where they were. You have to wait a while. They have to prove themselves. They must rebuild and earn the faith and trust in others. That happens with marital problems. Husband's unfaithful to wife, wife's unfaithful to husband and expected that everything would be fine. Well, it isn't always. You have to prove yourself. And it takes time to do that. Number seven, when a prodigal child returns, sometimes we may have to deal with other siblings or family members. Look at verses 25 through 32. Now the elder son was in the field and he came and drew nigh to the house. He heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come, and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore came his father out, and entreated him. And he answering, said unto his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandments. And yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry and be glad, for this thy brother was dead, and is alive, and was lost, and is found. You see, sometimes when a prodigal child comes home, sometimes the siblings have a hard time accepting it, even when they have a repentant heart. So that happens in the church sometimes. Other people just won't accept that, and it's not right, and we have to be careful, but you may have to deal with it. If the... Hang on one second, I got something here I want to... If the prodigal son is a picture of the publican and sinners, the elder brother is a picture of the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees. We have to be careful. If they've repented and they've came back, they've returned and repented, we need to forgive them. We need to love them. We need to do our best to restore them. I think in 1 Corinthians 5 is a perfect example of that. We don't have time to turn there. You can look at that later. Paul rebukes the Corinthian church for a fellow that was having an affair with his father's mother. He rebukes the church because the church knew about it and they were doing nothing about it. And basically, he tells them, hey, I'm going to pray that God kills the guy. And your glory is not good. And then at the end, he says, you need to treat him Well, I'll turn there. Hang on a second. I'd rather turn there in one second. 1 Corinthians 5 says, Therefore put away from him among you that wicked person. He's still a brother. He's still a brother and sister in Christ, whoever it is. But you can't treat him like that. And then what's great about it is in 2 Corinthians, there's a few verses that said they listened to Paul and he was restored. And so we have to never give up on a prodigal child. We must love them with a godly love. We must accept them back if they return and repent. And we need to rejoice. When the prodigal son returns, we need to love and forgive them. But some things may have to change. And when our prodigal child returns, we may have to deal with other family and other family members. It's not easy to do that. And sometimes, if we're not careful, we end up loving them more than we love the Lord by doing what they want us to do, not what the Lord wants us to do. I love the song, Rejoice, Rejoice. My son is coming home again. Rejoice, rejoice and tell it to the land. Rejoice, rejoice. My son is coming home again. Rejoice, rejoice. and kill the fatted calf.