“And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 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 that 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 his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks 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 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.

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. 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.

Now his elder son was in the field: and as 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 intreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: 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 again; and was lost, and is found.” (Luke 15:11-32)

The most common presentation of this parable is in the context of a sinner being converted. I do not challenge that understanding. Many a soul has been brought to the Savior from gospel sermons setting forth the way of salvation.

However, I do believe there is a message here for professing Christians, for those believers who rebel against established authority and who find themselves in the far country away from fellowship with the Father. It is rather obvious that Christians are capable of great acts of transgression. We could wish that we were perfected at the moment of our profession of faith. Experience confirms what the Word of God asserts: “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?”

So it was that Noah got drunk. Abraham lied, and so did his son, Isaac. David committed adultery. Moses committed a murder. Solomon married foreign wives who turned his heart from God. Thomas doubted the resurrection of Jesus. Peter cursed. James and John were angry men.

And the list goes on and on. Is it surprising to us to read about an audacious request.

“Father,” said a young man one day. “I have been thinking. Time is short. Life is full of many pleasures. Give me the share of goods that falleth to me.”

There is something more going on in the heart of the young man than a mere desire to have more money. I would submit that he is deliberately trying to sever his family relationship because he is tired of being dependent upon his father.

He does not lack in anything. He has food, shelter, and clothing. He has the comforts of a nice house and still he is dissatisfied. Despite having so much, the seed thought of sin enters his soul that there is a part of life he is missing out on. He must experience his self-centeredness to the fullest. But above all he must not be dependent upon his father. So he goes to his father and requested money or his inheritance.

The audacious request borders on being humorous if it were not so tragic. To be independent of his father he must first be dependent upon his father for a good start in the world. Well, no one ever said sin was rational. Sin is very irrational.

After hearing the bold demand, the father, very wisely and without argument, gave the young man and his elder brother the proper share of their inheritance. The father did not resist. He did not reason. He did not argue, he only released what the son requested.

A few days later, everyone in the household awakened to a new and different situation. The rich man’s son had gathered all together and left home. The servants began to discuss the sad departure for it was obvious that the Father was grieved. One day passed, then two, then many more days went by. The servants began to nudge each other in whispers as they worked, “There he goes again. Poor man. He keeps looking down the road. Maybe the boy has not gone too far.”

The word comes. The son has gone into a far country. He will not be home soon. Still the servants see the father going to the same place each evening with a longing look of love for his son. “That is the way he went. That is the way he will come home. I will watch,” said the father.

How the father’s heart grew heavy. It was not hard to imagine the reality of his son’s living condition. It is almost predictable, for there is no new sins under the sun. The victims change, but the lies of the world, the flesh, and the devil remain the same. At first, the son lived in a state of euphoria. There is a certain amount of pleasure in sin. He had money. He had independence. No one was there to hold him accountable for his attitude and actions, and so he wasted his substance with riotous living.

There were immoral women to gratify his sensual nature. There was plenty of wine to dull the sensitivity of a conscience. There were numerous people to make him laugh in meaningless mirth.

But it was not long before the sinful dissipation of wealth came to a halt. The father’s money ran out. The reward of the father’s labors came to an end.

The young man tried to find work to feed his now hungry body for there was a famine in the land. All the rich man’s son could find was a job feeding pigs. Gone were the loose women. Gone was the good wine. No longer was there a song to sing, nor food to eat. Those who might have shared refused to help him.

What a sorrowful state sin had brought to this once proud, ambitious, self-centered son. There he sat by the pigs, closer to them in morals and manners than he cares to admit until finally, one day, he had a flash of illumination. “My father,” he cried. “Yes, my father! Why even the servants of my father’s house have bread enough and to spare, and I will perish with hunger. I will arise and go to my father, and 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.’”

In those words there is the realization of his true status. “I am a sinner,” said the son. “I am unworthy.”

Today in thousands of pulpits across the land this Biblical assessment of the true status of the soul of man is replaced with a new gospel of self-esteem. More and more Christian leaders are beginning to argue that the primary goal of the gospel is to meet, “every person’s deepest need – his hunger for self-esteem, self-worth, and personal dignity.”

No! No!

The church of Jesus Christ has declared for two thousand years now that man’s true hunger is not for self-esteem, but for God. It is God’s glory and not man’s dignity and self-worth that is at stake.

“To be nothing before God and men,” wrote Andrew Murray. “To wait on God alone; to delight in, to imitate, to learn of Christ, the meek and lowly One, this is the very key to the School of Christ, the only key to the true knowledge of Scripture.”

For a person to be able to admit, “I have sinned,” for a person to realize, “I am unworthy” is to begin to walk on the road to spiritual and moral recovery. With a new understanding of himself, and with a fixed resolution to return to his father, the young man began the long journey home.

But it was not as far as he might have thought because while he was still a great way off, his father saw him. His father saw him in his humbled condition, and knew immediately that sin had numbed his son of his dignity, and his glory, and all his inheritance. But there was still the impression of the family countenance. And the father had compassion, and rightly so, for the son had come home fundamentally, and forever changed.

The change was manifested in his speech. The first words that the Father heard were the son saying, “I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.”

The change was manifested in the young man’s attitude. No loner did he want to be independent of his father. He was very much contented to be a servant. Where they slept, he would sleep. What they ate, he would eat. The work they did, he would do. Just to be under the care and protection of his father was enough.

Is it not true that many a professing Christian has taken leave of the heavenly Father?

How many countless souls could stand and testify to wasted years of wandering away from the prayers of godly parents and people, the faithfulness to gospel services, the abandonment of the Sunday School hours for no good reason. Wasted years. Wandering years far from the Father’s house.

How many others have a secret longing to be independent of God, not accountable to faithful shepherds, and even harboring bitter thoughts, untrue thoughts about others?

Here then is the sad situation. The people of God are found eating the food of pigs. This happens when there is found in God’s people acts of: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations (jealousies), wrath, strife, seditions (divisions), heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, reveling.

Is it possible for professing people of God to commit such sins, to leave and go to a far country? Yes. But it is not possible for the people of God to stay in the far country. They must come home. They will come home fundamentally and forever changed. If they do not, they shall perish forever in their sins.

When do such people come home? When they come to themselves. When the divine light of illumination flashes in the soul and they see themselves afresh in need of a Father’s mercy and grace. When do such people come home? When they are sick of sin, wounded by the effects of sin, and willing to confess with integrity, “I am a sinner. I am unworthy.”

Such people will find that the Father has much compassion. Even before they speak the Father is rushing to meet them and kiss them in mercy and grace. The Father longs to hug His own to His heart.

When do such people come home? When they are willing to be dependent and content within the Father’s house.

You will notice that the son had a much longer speech ready to offer to the father, but he was not allowed to say it. The father was ready and able to restore to the son all the privileges of sonship.

There was a robe to replace his rags. There was a ring to place on his finger. There was a feast to enjoy.

In like manner, the child of God finds spiritual blessings: The robe of righteousness replaces the garments of sin and shame. The ring speaks of prayerful transactions. And, there is the fellowship at the communion feast.

The father of the son in the parable viewed his child as one who was dead and became alive. One who was lost only to be found. I could wish that we as a church could share this message of grace not only with lost sinners but with those professing saints who have left the Father’s house to go to the far country.

Some of us know of husbands or wives, a son or daughter, a brother or sister, a mother or father, a friend or relative. Once they were in the Father’s house enjoying the songs of praise, the joy of service, and the fellowship of a divine relationship.

And then an evil seed was sown in the mind. It was the seed of discontent. It bore the fruit of rebellion. Now the soul is wasting the spiritual riches in a far country.

The doctrine of divine assurance of salvation has been replaced by lack of confidence, and rightly so, for no one has a right to enjoy the doctrine of security while slanderously living in sin without repentance.

The glory of the church is tarnished by memories of a hurt relationship.

To all people in a far country the solution is simple. Come home. Confess the sin and experience to the loving compassion of a heavenly Father. Be willing to be God’s servant as well as His son. Oswald J. Smith writes God “will never be satisfied with you until like a slave, a willing slave, you place yourself entirely at His disposal. Then He can use you for His glory.”

Speaking of the readiness of the Lord to forgive His own, C. H. Spurgeon says, “You may look, and study, and weigh, but Jesus is a greater Savior than you think Him to be when your thoughts are at the greatest. My Lord is more ready to pardon than you to sin, more able to forgive than you to transgress. My Master is more willing to supply your wants than you are to confess them. Never tolerate low thoughts of my Lord Jesus.”

Here are words of hope and encouragement for all who have come to themselves and want to find their way back to the family of God fundamentally and forever changed.