Prodigal Son Sermon | The Repentance and Salvation of the Prodigal Son

1. Selfishness — “Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.”

1) He “ascended” to self. “Loftiness,” “Haughtiness,” “High Mindedness.”

2) Selfishness shows only self-love–pride.

a. Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

b. Romans 12:3 “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

3) Selfishness demands things for self–covetousness.

a. Luke 12:15 “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”

b. Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

4) Selfishness does not wait–impatience.

a. Luke 21:19 “In your patience possess ye your souls.”

b. James 1:4 “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”

2. Sojourn — “And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country”

1) He “ascended” into his own country.

2) He gathered.

a. He took what was his own and tried to go it alone without his father.

b. Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

c. Phil. 3:9 “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”

3) He journeyed.

a. He had to leave what he had with his father to make this journey.

b. Those who make the decision of sin separate themselves from God. Isa. 59:2.

c. Psalm 73:27 says, “For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.”

4) He arrived.

a. He arrived to the place of his own desire. Psalm 10:4 says, “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.”

b. This was not the place of his father’s desire. Ezek.33:11 “As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”

3. Satisfaction — “and there wasted his substance with riotous living.”

1) He “ascended” to his own self satisfaction.

2) The satisfaction of substance.

a. Luke 18:14 “And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.”

b. 1 Timothy 6:9 “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.”

3) The satisfaction of self pleasure.

a. 2 Thess. 2:12 “That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

b. In denouncing the rich, James says, “Ye have lived delicately on the earth, and taken your pleasure; ye have nourished your hearts in a day of slaughter.”

4) The satisfaction of feigned friends. Proverbs 1:10-16 ” My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.”

1. Squandered — ” And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.”

1) He descended to spiritual poverty through squandering his substance.

2) Proverbs 21:17 “He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man…”

3) 1 Tim. 6:10 “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

4) Psalm 106:15 “And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.”

2. Slaved — “And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.”

1) We see the descent of the prodigal into slavery.

2) When we descend into the depths of sin, we become sins slaves as well.

3) John 8:34 “Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.”

4) Romans 6:16 “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

5) 2 Peter 2:19 “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.”

3. Starved — “And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.”

1) He descended into starvation.

2) He had cut himself off from nourishment through his wastefulness.

a. Psalm 73:18-19 “Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.”

b. Revelation 18:8 “Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.”

3) He had cut himself off from true life through his service to sin.

a. Romans 6:20-21 “For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.”

b. Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death…”

c. James 1:14-15 “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

4) No other man gave him what he really needed the most because no man could give it to him. He took it away from himself.

a. Jeremiah 2:13 “For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”

b. He had cut himself off from his own father: Jonah 2:8 “They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.”

1. Saw — “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! I will arise 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 thy hired servants.”

1) He rescinded his selfishness and pride.

2) He came to himself — he saw the light!

3) John 9:39 “And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.”

4) John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

5) Ephesians 5:14 “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.”

2. Sorrowed and sought — “And he arose, and 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. 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.”

1) He rescinded his situation.

2) He left the pigpen that he was in and returned to a place where he would be right with his father.

3) He sorrowed — 2 Corinthians 7:9-10 “Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”

4) He sought

a. To get out of the situation he was in.

b. To get on the road to his true home.

c. To get back to a right relationship with his father.

d. Such is the case for all who truly repent!

e. Acts 26:20 — Paul says that he “‘shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.”

f. Acts 3:19 — The apostles preached, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;”

3. Was Saved — “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 my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.”

1) He rescinded his sin and was brought back into the house of the father.

2) He was clothed in fine clothing and brought back to enjoy the blessings of the father’s house.

3) We today, when we come in faith, can be robed in Christ.

a. Isaiah 61:10 states, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”

b. Romans 13:14 “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”

c. Revelation 7:14 says, “And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”