Lesson for June 21, 2020
Father’s Day
Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
The Prodigal Son and the Loving Father
Luke 15:11-32, “And He said, “A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So, he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished.So, he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.’ So, he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly 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 fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate. Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him. But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’”
In the story, the younger son (the prodigal) made a legitimate request of his father. He requested a portion of his inheritance, which legitimately belonged to him, and his father gave it to him and also to his older brother. The younger son then gathered his belongings and left for a faraway country to spend his inheritance. Immediately, this young man began to waste his inheritance in “riotous” living. This part of the story would be analogous to the person who becomes a believer and fails to grow spiritually, showing no interest in God or His Word. Instead, he succumbs to the trends of his sin nature and spends his life out of fellowship with God. This believer has entered into the early stages of reversionism. When the prodigal son ran out of money from his inheritance and famine struck the land, he had to take a job feeding pigs. This, of course, was not what he had been accustomed to, either at home or while he still had money. As his slide into reversionism continued, the prodigal son stooped to desiring the food that was being fed to the pigs. What a picture of a believer who has hit rock bottom spiritually and can no longer be distinguished from an unbeliever.
At this point let’s remember that the prodigal son is still related by birth to his father, but all fellowship has been broken. It is important to realize that this young man, being a Jew, had stooped very, very low. The Mosaic Law forbade swine to be in the land and a good moral Jew would avoid any contact with them. We can see therefore how low this man had sunk, even to the point of desiring their food. However, according to the story he was not allowed to eat their food.
Staying out of fellowship with God for an extended period of time is a dangerous situation for the believer. Not only will he bring unhappiness and misery upon himself, he will also be severely disciplined by His Heavenly Father. (Hebrews 12:6) The prodigal son had sunk so low that even the pigs were more important than he was. The analogy is that often the believer, in a state of reversionism, is a worse person that an unbeliever. Because of his state of mind, the reversionistic believer can be irrational, miserable and just unpleasant.
Finally, the prodigal son came to his senses and realized that even his father’s servants had it better than he did at this point. He decided to return to his father and ask to be hired as a servant. This is analogous to the first stage of recovery from reversionism. His thought pattern is outlined in Luke 15:18-19. Before a believer can return to fellowship with God there must be a realization of the need. The second step is to rebound (acknowledge your sin to God). (I John 1:9) We read about the prodigal’s acknowledgement of his sin in Luke 15:21.
The final part of our story illustrates the reaction of some believers when they see how God forgives and restores. The older brother who had stayed with his father became jealous when he heard that his brother was greeted with a huge party instead of severe discipline. As believers, we should always rejoice when someone returns to fellowship with God and begins to execute the Christian Way of Life once again. There is no place in the Christian life for petty jealousy and a judgmental attitude. Forgiveness is a grace function of God. God treats us in grace by forgiving us the debt that we owe due to sin. God’s forgiveness is based on His character, not because of any effort or goodness on our part. Therefore, the believer is to have this same attitude of forgiveness towards others. (Philippians 2:1-4)
Notice that in our story that the prodigal son knew where to go for restoration to fellowship with his father. And like our Heavenly Father and any faithful father who is living his spiritual life, this father accepted him and restored him to family status. He put expensive robes on him and lavished him with gifts and a huge celebration. This is the perfect picture of a father who understands and forgives his children when they go astray. The following is what the Bible says about fathers who are living their spiritual lives and their responsibility before the Lord regarding their children.
Fathers should always hold their children accountable for their decisions and actions, but they must never cause them to become bitter, should never be judgmental and should never give up on them. Proverbs 13:24, “He who withholds his rod (a shepherd’s staff of guidance and protection) hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.” Colossians 3:21, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart.” Ephesians 6:4, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
Fathers should know enough doctrine to be able to teach their children. Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go,even when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 23:22, “Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy truth, and do not sell it, get wisdom and instruction and understanding. The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice and he who sires a wise son will be glad in him. Let your father and your mother be glad, and let her rejoice who gave birth to you.”
Fathers are to live their spiritual life aligning their life with the Word of God and following the example of Christ as a testimony before their children. II Corinthians 3:2-3, “You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” Psalms 78:1-4, “Listen, O my people, to my instruction; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.We will not conceal them from their children, but tell to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.”
Fathers must make God and His Word number one priority and spend time with their children. Fathers should honor their Heavenly Father and their own earthly parents as a testimony to their children.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.” Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.”
Fathers are to provide for their family and put them before their own personal pleasures. I Timothy 5:8, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
Fathers should love their children’s mother, which teaches his children, by example, how to love. Colossians 3:19, “Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered (harsh or bitter) against them.” Ephesians 5:25, 28, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her. So, husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.”
Fathers are to be compassionate and should always set a good example of impersonal love. Psalm 103:13, “Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.”
Fathers are to pray for their children. I Chronicles 29:19, “O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, our fathers, preserve this forever in the intentions of the heart of Your people, and direct their heart to You; and give to my son Solomon a perfect heart to keep Your commandments, Your testimonies and Your statutes, and to do them all, and to build the temple, for which I have made provision.”
Fathers should set an example of hard work and teach their children that it is honorable to work for a living and not to be dependent on an institution or someone else to provide for them as adults. II Thessalonians 3:10, “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.”
Fathers should teach their children to love and respect animals. Proverbs 27:23, Know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds.” Luke 14:5, And He said to them, “Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?”
Fathers aren’t perfect, but they should always let their children know how much they love them and want only the best for them. A father should have a good sense of humor and be able to laugh at himself.
Fathers should have self-respect and teach their children to respect themselves as well. As the head of the household and the spiritual leader of the family, a father has the job of partnering with his wife to prepare his children for adulthood and for living a life of honor that bring glory for God. This begins with making sure that your children hear a clear Gospel message and understand what Jesus did for them on the Cross and how to have eternal life by simple act of faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. Though you cannot force even a child to believe in Christ, it is nevertheless a Christian father’s responsibility to make sure his children are exposed to the absolute truth of God and His Word.