Joy of the Father

Luke 15:11-24

11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to[a] one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’[b] 22 But the father said to his servants,[c] ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

Introduction

Good morning! This is missionary Sang Park. Today I would like to thank the session members and all saints of this church for giving me an opportunity to deliver the messages. During the past 3 and a half years, the world has been struggling a lot due to Covid 19 Pandemic. In the meantime, even in Cambodia, which is well known as a killing field, when the covid 19 was severe, all country was locked out so that people could not go around freely, but now, even with the covid 19, we tend to live insensibly. However, God's missionary work is still continuing in Cambodia.

First, our main ministry is DTS Seminary ministry. Due to covid-19 after March 2020, all churches and schools in Cambodia have been closed for almost a year. Over the past 5 years, 500 out of 2800 churches have closed in Cambodia and  there are now 2300 churches. Cambodia is a country where Buddhism is the state religion. Of course, the Christian population is less than 1.5%.

After the covid-19 pandemic, new changes are taking place in missionary work. Since 2020, we have established DTS Seminary and are running the seminary by teaching ThM (Master of Theology) and MDiv (Master of Divinity) courses for Myanmar and Cambodia students via zoom online. Currently, around 20 students including professors from Myanmar Bible College and Korean missionaries, are enrolled and studying in the ThM course. And, in the MDiV course, Myanmar students who graduated from Bible College, Cambodian students, and Korean missionaries are enrolled and studying by online. When Myanmar's military coup occurred on February 1, 2021, the internet was all blocked, but nevertheless, 3 students studying the Master of Ministry course went into Myanmar and planted churches, participating in lectures. Please pray that our seminary will equip church leaders in Southeast Asia so that they can expand the kingdom of God.

Second, during this spring semester, my wife and I went to Mae la Camp, one of the refugee camps in Myanmar. Most of the students studying in our seminary are Karen people who have been expelled from the persecution of the Myanmar tribe and are living in nine UN-controlled refugee camps on the Thai border.For a week from March 16th to 22nd, we received permission from the United Nations to visit the refugee camp with me, my wife, and a Korean missionary who is a student of our school. There are a few universities where our students teach in Mae la camp, a refugee camp. There is a Bible college called KKBBSC and a general university called SALC. 

I also visited a seminary called HLTS located outside the refugee camp in Mae Sot. There are 250 students at SALC University, and we have been asked to sponsor because they need $1000 a month for food. At KKBBSC Bible College, where about 500 students participate, our school student, who was elected as the president of the school this time, confesses. He said, ‘We are enough to live for a month on the $10 per person provided by the United Nations. Physically, it seems very difficult, but spiritually, we are more blessed than anyone else.’ Those who are separated from the rest of the world and hope for the kingdom of God, and live by faith are more blessed than the people of any other country. Even though they live in a harsh environment, please pray for them to live a victorious life with true hope in Christ and faith.

Third, one of the main ministries we do is the continuing education ministry for local pastors. In the meantime, we have been conducting extended education for pastors in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Sikkim, India, but the ministry has been suspended due to corona. In April of last year and for a week in December, 30 local ministers gathered to conduct extended education for pastors. It has been. Among the ministers who minister in Cambodia or Southeast Asia, more than 95% of them are ministers who have not received theological training. Of course, lodging and transportation expenses will be provided for students who come to the pastoral extension education, so please pray that they will be able to afford the pastoral extension education that continues to build local ministers.

Fourth ministry is the piano ministry. Missionary Lee Kwang-eun is teaching the piano to local church workers. Among the students, Chinese students, Filipino students, and Cambodian students are learning the piano. Please pray for church leaders who have never learned the music to learn the piano so that they can serve the church well. The evangelization rate in Cambodia is still less than 1.5%. Our purpose of mission is to make disciples of all nations. Please pray for the church leaders to be well trained in seminaries and to establish the right churches to evangelize Cambodia, Myanmar, Southeast Asia, and the whole world as soon as possible. In today’s text, there is a person who lived without knowing the meaning of life and then changed. He is the second son of a family. This is the well-known parable of the prodigal son. This parable is also called the parable of the lost son. There are three characters in this parable. They are the father, the eldest son, and the second son. Here, the father is God, the firstborn is Jews or people full of self-righteousness, and the second son is tax collectors and sinners or Gentiles. This parable shows God's love for sinners through the heart of a father waiting for his lost son. Here are three life experiences of the prodigal son.

(1) First, second son left his father and went to a far country.

In verse 11, the background of this parable comes out. A wealthy farmer had two sons. The two sons have been working on the farm with their father. However, the second son's heart was excited and he tried to escape from his father's interference. He wanted to be free from the interference of his parents and go to another country and live as he pleases. 

One day, the second son came to his father and said, 'Father, give me the share of the property that is coming to me'. The second son asked for an inheritance that will return to him, and the firstborn is supposed to occupy 2/3.In any rate, he wants to receive from his father the inheritance that will return to him from his father and avoid his parents' eyes, and do as he pleases. But ‘false liberty flows into licentiousness and becomes an occasion for crime’. Reluctantly, the father ‘divided his property between them’ The second son had been given his property for only a few days, and he had put it in order and left for a distant country. He left for a far country to live freely and independently to the fullest without interference from his father.

The second son's thought was, 'Now that I have the money, let me go as I please'. This is the human condition. He disobeyed his Father's loving will and run away the true freedom that comes from it and entered the bondage of sin. In the first actions of this second son, we can see the natural features of a human being. Leaving the father's house and going far away refers to the appearance of a human being who hates God's interference and leaves. Isaiah 53:6 describes the human condition. ‘We all like sheep have gone astray; we have turned-every one- to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all’ What is the sin? Leaving God is the root of sin. In Luke 15, there are three parables. It is all a parable finding what is lost. The sheep were lost through foolishness, and the coin through carelessness. But the parable of the prodigal son, who wanted to go his own way, disobeyed his father and grieved his father's heart. It seems to be free to escape the eyes of God, but to leave God is to enter into slavery to sin and find no true freedom. In John 8:34, Jesus said, 'everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin'. Sin promises freedom, but in reality is enslavement. Sin promises success, but begets failure. Sin promises life, but the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). It is sin for man to depart from God. The true freedom of human beings is freedom in God, and freedom away from God is self-indulgence.

What did the second son do when he went to a distant country? In one word, he blew away all his fortune in debauchery. Here, debauchery refers to the path to destruction that is opposite to salvation. Second son thought that once he left his father, he would enjoy freedom and live as he pleased, but it did not turn out the way he expected. When he squandered his fortune and became a poor man with nothing, his friends also left him. In addition, prices skyrocketed and finding a job was as difficult as picking stars in the sky. To make matters worse, a famine came. He was forced to hire a swineherd job that he hadn't even done for his father. He took the lowest job ever experienced by man. A person who has left God seems to be able to gain everything, but he loses everything and ends up in a state of futility and despair, eventually leading to ruin. This means that the wage of sin is death.

(2) The second son came to his senses in the midst of this hard situation.

In verse 17, “But when he came to himself ‘. This means “to come to his senses.” In Hebrew, it means “to repent.” Repentance is returning to God, and returning to God is returning to one's true self. That he came back to his senses means he wasn't really himself before. When man repents and discovers himself, he cannot help being humble. What is life apart from God? There may be a difference in degree, but it is not living a sane life like this prodigal son.

However, this misfortune led the second son to the path of repentance. The second son left his father to find himself, but he lost himself. When he leaves God, he falls into slavery to sin. So, the most unfortunate thing for human beings is to leave God without knowing God. This second son craved human contact and fellowship, but he showed no interest in him. This human indifference and famine made him think of his father's house. Then, how did this second son come to repent?

First, he admitted that he was a sinner. One of the tragedies of sin is that it blinds us to our true condition. So he thinks he is happy when in reality he is unhappy, he thinks he is free while in reality he is in slavery to sin. So why not people do drugs? So, the first step for human beings to be converted is to realize what state they are actually in. This is what the second son showed up. When he was about to die of starvation, he said, 'How many of my father's workers have plenty of food, I'm starving to death here’. Now he realized what condition he was in.

He who feels himself hungry may return to God, and he who does not know his own need does not seek God. This is the disease of today's modern man. He feels his thirst, but he doesn't know where to find it. So he tries to find it in substance, he tries to find it in power, he tries to find it in entertainment. But living water is not where we can see it. Jesus said, ‘whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life’ (John 4:14). We will not be thirsty when we drink the living water that Jesus Christ gives. Joy overflows only when you drink the grace that Jesus Christ gives.

The second son, after realizing his situations, confessed that a good service in his father's house was better than freedom in a far country. It is God's goodness that causes us to repent, not our own misfortunes. If the second son had thought only of himself, of his own hunger, of his homesickness and solitude for his homeland, he would have been frustrated. But because of his painful circumstances, he came to know his father in a new way. This realization gave him hope.

The second step in conversion is to confess your sins. The second son, having discovered his true self, now confesses his sins. In verse 18, ‘I will arise and go to my father and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.’ ” The second did not criticize others as Adam and Eve did. He confessed his sins. To repent of one's sins is to realize and confess one's sins. The tax collector prays to God. ‘God, have mercy on me, for I am a sinner’ (Luke 18:13). 

Repentance is realizing one's true situation and confessing that all of this is because of one's sins.

However, repentance is not just a thought. Had he stopped thinking, he would have only felt retrospect or remorse.  But true repentance is an expression of the will as well as the mind and emotions. After confessing in verse 18, he thought “I will arise and go to my father.’ ” The second actually said in verse 20, “He rose and came to his father.” He wasn't indulging in self-pity. He made up his mind to leave the far country of sin. And he made up his mind to return to his father. ‘Then he got up and went back to his father.’ This second son repented to God as well, but he also repented to man. Because when he sins against people, he also sins against God.

He knew that he had violated the commandments of God, and that in doing so he had wronged his father and grieved him. So he did not dare to call his father his father and called him lord of the servants.  Pride leads to sin and leads away from God, but the sign of repentance is humility. The measure of how close someone is to God is how humble they are. He realizes that he is a sinner, and the saints who are saved by God's grace cannot help but be humble. 'And he rose and cmae to his father' (20) . This is repentance. No matter how right your thoughts may be, you cannot be saved with your thoughts alone. He cannot be saved by confession alone. We must turn from sin and turn to God. The second son did. He actually left sin and returned to his Father.

(3) Then what did his father do to him? 

This is his father's story.What did the father do when he recognized his second son returning from afar? Look at verse 20. ‘While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.’ This means that the father did not stop waiting for his son to return from a far country. So I immediately ran to him, hugged him by the neck, and welcomed him with a hearty kiss. The second son said to his father, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. So I am no longer worthy to be called your son." But the father stopped his second son before he was finished, forgave him and ordered the feast to begin. In this parable, the father shows the attitude of Heavenly Father toward repentant sinners. 

The father did not hold the returning son accountable for his dissolute behavior. And he was not even committed to his future actions. The father told the servants to ‘put on his best clothes, put a ring on his hand, and his shoes on his feet. Dressed in the best clothes is the main character of the banquet. The son thought of asking his father to hire him as a servant, but the father let his son know that he was a free man by putting a ring on his finger that recognized his son's rights and wearing shoes. Slaves at that time did not wear shoes. And when the older son was getting married, he took the calf he had set for slaughter and slaughtered it. This shows how joyful the father is for his son who has returned. Why was the father so happy about his returning son? 

This is explained in Section 24. 'For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found' and they rejoiced. 'Why did the father give a feast of joy? It is because the lost son is found. Because the dead son is alive. This is God's love and heart toward sinners. He accepts sinners who have repented and returned without even remembering their sins. This is God's pleasing will. Hymn #305, ‘amazing grace how sweet the sound! That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; was blind but now I see.’ 

It is God’s joy for the lost to return. This is the reason why we must preach the gospel. 

Among the confessions of faith we believe in, there is the Heidelberg Catechism.

This is the first question and answer. 

1. Q. What is your only comfort in life and death?

A. That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from all the power of the devil.  He also preserves me in such a way that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, all things must work together for my salvation. Therefore, by his Holy Spirit he also assures me of eternal life and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for him. This is the heart and joy of our Father God.

Conclusion 

Where are you going now? Faith is a direction of our life. Have you ever left God Father and gone to a far country? Leaving God is the way of sin. There is no true freedom there. It will be restored when you return to your father. True freedom is when you are in the arms of God. There is a true joy in Jesus. No matter how many sins you have committed, once you return, your sins will not be remembered and you will be accepted as son of God. 

God is now waiting for us. Knowing God is life, and going to God is joy. 

I hope you will meet the Lord today and be overflowing with the joy that the Lord gives you. 

And I hope and pray that this town will be filled with the true joy of our Lord by preaching the gospel of grace.