THE FAMILY OF THE PRODIGAL SON

Between Mercy and Forgiveness

Very good morning beloved church of JAEN

Happy 26th Anniversary
It has been 26 years fulfilling the Mission that the Lord left us.

Receive a special greeting from my wife and my two children Hur and Stephanie, and also from the
family in the Faith of the church in Chiclayo.

Also receive the greeting from the CDR Norte, especially from our president Jorge Millones.

God bless you richly and abundantly!

This morning we are going to open OUR BIBLE ... (NOTE - Our) bibles, ... sorry no cell phones ...
forgive the boldness ... if we have come. To the house of the Lord ... we must come prepared with
our bibles.

Please look for Lc. 15:11-32

11
He also said: A man had two sons;12and the younger of them said to his father: Father, give me
the part of the goods that belongs to me; and he distributed the goods.13Not many days
Then, gathering everything together, the youngest son went far away to a distant province; and there he wasted
his assets living wastedly.14And when he had wasted it all, a great famine arose.
in that province, and began to lack it.15And she went and approached one of the citizens of
that land, which he sent to his estate to care for pigs. And he wished to fill his 16
the belly of the carobs that the pigs ate, but no one would give him. And coming to 17
his senses, he said:
How many hired servants in my father's house have an abundance of bread, and I here perish with hunger.
hunger!18I will rise and go to my father, and I will say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against
20
you.19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.
rising up, he came to his father. And when he was still far away, his father saw him and was moved to
mercy, and he ran, and threw himself upon his neck, and kissed him.21And the son said to him: Father, I have sinned
against heaven and against you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.22But the father said to his
servants: Bring out the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet
pies.23And bring the fat calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry;24because this is my son
He was dead, and has come back to life; he was lost, and is found. And they began to rejoice.

25
And his eldest son was in the field; and when he came, and drew near to the house, he heard the music and
the dances;26and calling one of the servants, he asked what that was.27He said to him: You
brother has come; and your father has killed the fat calf, because he has received him well and
healthy.28Then he became angry and did not want to enter. Therefore, his father went out and begged him to
entry.29But he answered and said to his father: Behold, I have served you for so many years, not having you
30
never disobeyed, and you have never given me even a young goat to enjoy with my friends. But
when this son of yours came, who has squandered your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him
fat calf.31He then said to him: Son, you are always with me, and all my things are
yours.32But it was necessary to celebrate and rejoice, for this your brother was dead, and has
revived; it had been lost, and is found.

LET'S PRAY PLEASE

This is one of the most well-known biblical stories for many people.
And I say history because it can be the history of our life, of our family, or of the family of
some acquaintance.

We all recognize this story as the parable of the prodigal son... Right?

This is the story of a son who inherits his father's wealth, spends it all, and then returns with a
forgiving father.

But: It is a great mistake of many ... who think it is the story of 'a son' ...
This is not just the story of a son...
This is the story of a family... where there is a younger brother, an older brother and a
father, who has worked hard for his family, has assets, personal servants, crops,
animals ....

The parable of the prodigal son is the story of love and mercy that the Bible
register only in Luke 15:11-32
Here we see a member of the family (it can be more than just a child) ... drinking
bad decisions.
We see a father full of love and mercy.
and we also see another son who had everything but had nothing.

Many times we refer to the prodigal son as the one who leaves... but he is also the son who stays.
with a bitter heart.

The sixth psalm defines a prodigal as:

One who has turned his back on God, who has turned his back on family.
Someone who may have gone far from home or may be sleeping in the
same bed with us.
One that is in a state of unconsciousness, of low valuation
It is someone who has lost the notion of how much what they have is worth.
The prodigal is not only the one who leaves, BUT ALSO THE ONE WHO STAYS WITH
A bitter heart, resentful that does not enjoy the blessing that
has.

When Jesus told the parable of the prodigal son, he was surrounded by tax collectors.
and sinners who gathered to listen to him.

Luke 15:1-2: All the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him,2and the Pharisees and
The scribes murmured, saying: This man receives sinners and eats with them.
The publicans were the tax collectors; Jews who were at
service of the Roman Empire. (Matthew)
People saw tax collectors as traitors who extorted their own.
brothers.
The sinners were the people with a morally scandalous life,
men and women of bad reputation in society.
These people were not well regarded by the religious of the time and, therefore,
they were excluded from their environment.

However, these people were whom Jesus preached to Luke 5:32 I have not
He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
This is what the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law did not like.
Vr.22and the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying: This one receives sinners, and
He eats with them.

They were outraged and questioned Jesus.

Jesus responds to the Pharisees and religious leaders with three parables.
Then he referred to them this parable, saying: ...he told them 3 parables

1.- The parable of the lost coin is mentioned….

The parable of the lost coin(DRACMA)... CAN symbolize all the people of
world that are lost ...
These people in the world... do not realize that they are lost, without God and without hope.
Notene sensitivity ... just like the currency notene sensitivity, notene awareness ...
the little coin is lost but doesn't realize that it is lost ...
In addition to this, he does not know how to return to his owner because he does not have that knowledge.
neither willing nor can return on its own to its owner
THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE TODAY WHO ARE LOST AND WITHOUT HOPE ...
THE FAMILIES ARE DIVIDED
YOUR LIVES ARE DESTROYED BY VICES, BY INFIDELITY
They are like the lost coin, that must have 'faithful Christians' who go in search.
of those coins.

THE BIBLE SAYS: Rom 10:13-1513for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be
salvo.14How, then, will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how will they believe in him who ...
Who has not heard? And how will they hear without someone to preach to them?15And how will they preach if not
Were they sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who announce peace,
of those who announce good news!

The lost sheep symbolizes other types of people.

It is interesting that when a sheep gets lost... if it realizes it is lost...
But he doesn't know how to get back home....
Many Christians have gradually turned away from the Lord, and before they realize it, they have already
tremendously far away, and they don't know how to return.
The weight of shame, the weight of sin and its consequences, clouds him from returning home.
It is necessary that "someone" not just the pastor of the church, seeks her and brings her back to the fold.

This story of the prodigal son could help us understand our condition with the Heavenly Father.

The first thing he says is ... 'A man had 2 sons'

 This suggests to us that it is a family ... although it does not mention the wife at any time, this
It was a family from that place.
We could assume or imagine things about the mother of the two children... but we are not going to.
to enter into those assumptions this morning.
What the scripture says is that a man had two sons.
And the younger one said to him: FATHER, GIVE ME THE PART OF THE PROPERTY THAT BELONGS TO ME ...

NEWS: let's think about this

Is this child asking for something that is theirs? ... Nooooo!!!!

Those goods that he claims ... DO NOT BELONG TO HIM AT ALL ... WHY? ... BECAUSE THE FATHER
HE WAS ALIVE....
THE CLAIMS SOMETHING THAT IS NOT THEIRS… AS IF IT WERE THEIRS!!!

Nowadays there are a lot of people like that...

...THEY SAY ...I DON'T NEED GOD ...I DON'T WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT GOD
I DO WHAT I WANT WITH MY LIFE ...
I see with my eyes what I want
I go with my feet wherever I want
I AM THE ONE WHO DECIDES ABOUT MY LIFE ... I DO NOT NEED GOD ...

THAT IS WHAT THE YOUNGER SON WAS TELLING HIS FATHER WHEN HE SAID 'GIVE ME THE
WHAT IS DUE TO ME

I DON'T NEED YOU ... I WANT YOU TO BE DEAD ALREADY!!!

This youngest son has that attitude... He thinks he owns something that does not belong to him.

MANY PEOPLE THINK THAT ... THEY CAN DO WHAT THEY WANT WITH THEIR LIFE
It's true that you can go wherever you want on your feet.
Do with your body what you want
Look with your eyes at what you want...
BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN LIFE IS YOURS... LIFE DOES NOT BELONG TO YOU

LIFE BELONGS TO GOD AND IS IN GOD'S HANDS .... AND IF HE WANTS IT IN THIS
AT THE SAME MOMENT IT TAKES IT AWAY FROM YOU....

BUT GOD DOESN'T DO THAT ... BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU DEEPLY .... 'With eternal love I have loved you.'
loved; therefore, I prolonged my mercy for you.” Jer. 31:3b

God gives you life so that you may enjoy it under His guidance and not in your carnal appetites.

This son takes possession of something that does not belong to him and wants to live away from the father to whom it belongs.
everything…..

Something we find in this parable is that God loves you.

you ... even when you break your heart
The youngest son says to the father: 'Give me the share of the property that belongs to me.'
corresponds
This is one of the toughest moments for a parent.
It is a moment when the younger son no longer wants to be under the authority of his
home
It is a moment when the child wants to live his life without answering to anyone.
Your request was insolent, disrespectful, and painful.

... as we have often had attitudes towards God, and we have

brought sadness to the heart of God.

But despite our insolence, God does not repay us in the same way.

In those days, a father could grant the inheritance before or after his
death, but it was generally done afterwards.
The youngest son asked for a special exception, motivated by his clumsiness and greed.
This father knew that his son had made a silly and greedy request, but still
thus he allowed and granted his request.

There come times when our children make their own decisions... and we do not.
We can prevent them from it ... just like this younger son

The moment arrives when they say: Well, I grew up, I'm already big, I want to take my
My own decisions, I am already 18 years old, ...why do I have to account to my dad?

In Jewish culture
This son had the right to one third of the inheritance, but when his father died,
The other two thirds were for the firstborn,
However, this son did not want to wait.
This son says to his father: Give me the share of the estate that belongs to me ...
It corresponds to him??? IT DIDN'T YET CORRESPOND TO HIM, because the father still
I was alive.
That is to say, this son had a disrespectful attitude, he is humiliating his father, he
he/she is saying 'I wish you were already dead'
This son did not care about his father's feelings.
In other words, his request was: 'Father, I don't care about you, I don't mind if you are'
alive or dead, what matters to me are the things that you can give me and Y
I WANT YOU TO GIVE THEM TO ME NOW

Many times we do this with our FATHER God.

We don't care about your affection, we don't care about your effort, we don't care about what HE feels.
For us... the ONLY THING THAT MATTERS IS THAT IT GIVES US WHAT
WE WANT.

We are like the prodigal, seeking the benefits of the father.

And when the 'father' gives us.. we distance ourselves and forget about the father...
VERSE 13 OF Luke 15:13Not many
13 days later, gathering everything, the youngest son,
it was a remote, secluded province;

Notice the attitude of this son ... he went far away, where no one would tell him anything, where no one would stop him
live life" where I wouldn't owe anyone explanations... A TOTAL ATTITUDE OF REBELLION.

Careful!!! You who are a son ... don't go out of your house through the back door, but through the front door.
PRINCIPAL.

Don't leave in REBELLION, ... leave with your parents' blessing!!!

If you make your decision to leave, remember this: YOU ARE BUILDING YOUR FUTURE, not your
parents, YOU WILL REAP THE RESULTS OF THE DECISIONS YOU HAVE MADE.

THE SECOND PART SAYS VR. 1313Not many days later, gathering it all, the youngest son,
he went far away to a remote province; and there he squandered his possessions living
utterly.

THIS SHOWS that this son did not know how much the sacrifice of earning money is worth, he does not know
all the effort that comes with having assets ...BUT SINCE IT COST HIM NOTHING
WASTE

CHILDREN ... be careful with what your parents are giving you... appreciate it,
Make the most of it, because they give it to you with a lot of sacrifice.
If they are paying for your studies, STUDY!!!
If they are BUYING you something, TAKE CARE OF IT!!!
If they are giving you a plate of food, BE GRATEFUL!!!

VR. 1414And when everything had been wasted, a great famine came upon that province, and
started to miss it.

Now this son, who made his decisions, no longer sees them very well ... he started to lack!!!
The time of consequences has come...
The time of rejection by "close" friends due to money has come.
It started to be lacking

It is in that state that they ONLY VALUE what they had.

It is necessary for them to experience cold and hunger... said Gandhi... so that they appreciate what they have.

WHEN WE ARE IN NEED WE LOOK TO THE SKY ... WE TURN BACK TO IT ...
Adversity, the difficult moment, the ruin... made him come to his senses;
VR. 1717And coming to himself, he said: How many hired servants of my father have abundance
of bread, and here I perish of hunger!18I will arise and go to my father, and I will say: Father, I have ...
sin against heaven and against you.

Adversity, the difficult moment, ruin... made him come to his senses;

Look brother. Many times the tragedies in our lives are not tragedies...

They are not tragedies but a blessing, ... because that condition of being unfortunate helped her to
to lead him to repentance.

If we do not seek God in the midst of tragedy... we will continue in tragedy.

The psalmist said…Psalm 40:2

2
And he made me come out of the pit of despair, from the murky mud;
He set my feet upon a rock, and steadied my steps.

The journey of repentance is not easy.

He was far from home.

He was physically and emotionally weakened.
But what you must remember is: 'YOU HAVE A HOME and you must return home.'
The son resolved He said: How many laborers are there in my father's house?
abundance of bread, and here I perish of hunger!
The memory of a good home had a lot to do with the return of the prodigal son,
and the memory of a good home – father, mother, siblings who love you – can very well
to convince other prodigal sons to come back home.
The memory of a good church where love and peace reign also helps to
wayward brother to return to his spiritual home.

15:18-19 I will rise and go to my father, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I am not worthy to be called your son.

This is what true repentance consists of.

This son... He didn't spend time thinking about how to excuse himself and justify his wrongdoing,
He didn't come back justifying himself: 'but others sin too, and some more than I do.'
He made the only WISE decision: to accept his fault and confess to the father,

The Bible says: To the contrite and humble heart, You will not despise, O God. Ps.
51:17

APPLICATION AND CALL

I don't know what your condition is this morning ...

Upon seeing the family of the prodigal...
or perhaps you are a child who left home
Either you are a husband or wife who left home.
or you are a believer who left this family, the family of FAITH
This morning THE HEAVENLY FATHER ...is watching, he is watching you, to see if
you in your heart reflect and say... I will rise and go to my FATHER
AND THIS MORNING YOU GET UP FROM YOUR SEAT AND RUN TO THE FEET
FATHER IN FRONT OF THIS ALTAR
THE FATHER IS PRESENT THIS MORNING WITH OPEN ARMS
TO WELCOME YOU.