ASSEMBLIES OF GOD ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR DECEMBER 31, 2023.

Lesson Bible Text:

Luke 15:11-32

Lesson Central Truth:

God’s heart is to see lost people lovingly reconciled to Him.

Jesus saves all who are willing to follow Him in faith, but this bothered those who criticised His openness to associate with sinners (Luke 15:2). To illustrate God’s joy over all who turn to Him, and to confront leaders with their own wrong ideas about who God loves, Jesus told three parables. The first two dealt with a lost sheep and a lost coin (verses 3-10). The third, most often called parable of the prodigal Son is the most detailed.

It uses a broken family to reflect an individual’s broken relationship with God, as well as God’s deep desire for restoration to take place. This parable is about a son who asked his father for his share of the estate, left home, and wasted his inheritance. But perhaps the most amazing character in this story is the forgiving father. Jesus was teaching that one can always turn back to God in repentance and receive forgiveness, regardless of their degree of sinfulness. We are to Reflect on the story of the prodigal son and rejoice in the love of our heavenly Father.

A. Squandered Wealth – Luke 15:11-13

B. Physical And Spiritual Poverty – Luke 15:14-16.

A. A Harsh Realisation – Luke 15:17-19

B. A Welcome Father – Luke 15:20-24.

A. Refusing To Celebrate – Luke 15:25-30

B. The Father’s Great Love – Luke 15:31-32

Luke 15:11-16

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The parable of the prodigal Son begins as a wealthy man–who had land and servants–was approached by the younger of his sons. Inheritances were normally given only when the father died. He asks for his inheritance–an unusual, yet legal request. Note that the fall of the prodigal son began the moment he claimed his rights; when he separated his interests from the interests of his family–and not simply when he began to live separately and recklessly, far from home.

When his father granted his request by giving his own portion to him, he travelled to a far country and he squandered his wealth with riotous living– this refers to a life totally given over to sinfulness and wickedness. This shows that when the prodigal son left home, he also left behind all his moral restraints. He lived in such a way as to gratify every whim and desire of the flesh. Did he enjoy himself? Oh yes! However, the enjoyment just lasted for a moment.

As we can see, the prodigal son made a couple of bad decisions. First, he decided to try and meet his own needs instead of depending on his father. He thought that if he had enough money, he could live exactly as he wished to live. But the Bible tells us that we should trust in the Lord (Father) with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).

The prodigal son spent everything he had. Then a severe famine spread over the country he travelled to, and he was left without a thing. In his destitute moment, no one was able to give him anything. His life degraded to the point he joined the citizen of that country into the fields to feed swine. By feeding the swine (pigs). He became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him.

Sadly, the younger son had gone from eating at his father’s table to wishing he could dine on the disgusting food of pigs, all because of his reckless, sinful choices. This is a pure degradatiom of wasteful living ie from eating with kings to now start eating with pigs.

This is what a sin can cause in the life of any man. Sin strips a man of all that is good and valuable. As believers, we should beware of temporary pleasures of sin. What you think is the right road may lead to death (Proverbs 14:12; GNT).

Luke 15:17-24

The turning point of the Prodigal Son’s life takes place when he “came to his senses.” He realised his father’s kindness and generosity, even toward his hired workers. “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee.”

This is a repented heart prayer and desire of a changed prodigal son. Realising that his actions did not reflect the values of his father, the son would also confess his unworthiness to bear his father’s name.

Further, he would not expect to return to his previous status as son, but would take his place among his father’s hired servants. In all this, the actions of the prodigal revealed that he trusted his father to receive him–at least as a hired labourer. The prodigal son’s desire when he came back to His senses was to ho back to his father with total humility and repentance.

Eventually the day came when the father saw his son on the road while he was still a long way off. He felt compassion and ran to meet him. Instead of greeting him with disapproval and shame, He repeatedly embraced and kissed his son despite his filthy condition.

The young man barely managed to get out his confession of sin and of unworthiness to be called his son before his father called the servants to bring out the best robe, a ring, and sandals to clothe him. Then he told them to kill the fattened calf and prepare a feast to celebrate his son’s return.

Through this story, Jesus was using an earthly father to depict the readiness of the heavenly Father to forgive those who come to Him in humble repentance, no matter how far they have strayed from Him in the past. He was showing the scribes and Pharisees God’s attitude toward repentant sinners, and conveying to the tax collectors and sinners that His Father was willing to forgive and welcome them if they do confess and return to Him. The love of God is so great to save us whenever we realizes our faults and return sincerely to Him. As a loving Father, He is always there waiting for our return.

Luke 15:25-32

The older son did not realise that his brother had returned because he was working in the field. On his return from the field, he heard the sound of music and dancing coming from their house.

Not knowing what was going on in the family, this may infer that the older son had distanced himself from the family to some degree. The older brother asked a servant what was taking place, and the servant told him that his younger brother had returned and his father was celebrating. The older brother was angry and would not go in to the celebration, so his father came out to plead with him.

Notice how this father loves both of his sons–he loves the older son so much that his joy cannot be full until he joins the celebration, and when he will not join the celebration his father comes and gently pleads with him. Thank God that their father was still alive to receive prodigal son and welcomed him back. If not, he would have had no chance with his elder brother who couldn’t even tolerate the fact that his father could be so forgiving to throw a welcome party for a wayward, rebellious, run-away brother. As believers, we must note that God’s joy cannot be complete until all of His children share that joy, and God pleads for us to rejoice with Him at the conversion of sinners.

The older son told his father that he had been with him for many years and never transgressed one of his father’s commandments. Such an arrogant claim seems impossible, especially with the older son’s attitude.

He claims that he should receive special recognition because he is better than his brother. When they look at the sinful world, so many Christians claim to be better than the world. “There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, Yet is not washed from its filthiness” (Proverbs 30:12). The older son tells his father that he never gave him a young goat, let alone a fatted calf, to have a party.

The older son is basically saying, “Look, father, you love my brother more than me. I have worked and worked for you, but you show me no appreciation. But, when this little brother of mine shows up, you celebrate.” Many Christians act like this elder brother–they believe that they have a right to tell God whom he should and should not forgive. They believe that if one has committed certain sins that he should not be forgiven. They believe that if one does not come from a certain socio-economic background, he should not be forgiven. They believe that if one has a certain ethnic background, he should not be forgiven.

When the younger son returned, the father did all that was needed to celebrate his well-being and repentance. For the older son, the father did all that was needed both to assure him of their relationship and to emphasise the need to celebrate the wayward brother’s return. The father told the elder son, “You are always with me, and all that I have is yours.” Since the Prodigal had wasted his inheritance, all that the father had left belonged to this son. Are you like the Pharisees today, the older son? Are you not able to join the Father’s party? Are you dealing with bitterness, and betrayal?

The Father loves you as well. Join the party, let’s celebrate. God is graciously stretching out his arms waiting for us to come for the embrace. May you come and be embraced in the loving arms of God. If we have truly been faithful, God will be faithful to bless us for all that we do for Him. So we learn much about God’s love to us in this parable–when we are walking in sin, when we come to God in repentance and when we are faithful as well. God loves us with an amazing love!

No matter how far we stay away from God or how much we misuse His gift, He always gets delighted when we return back to Him, His selfless love always waits for us to return back home where He will embrace and welcome us with His open arms.

Father, we ask for your grace to work through us to draw non-Christians to You, and prodigals back to You in Jesus Name. Amen!

Remain blessed as you join us in our Sunday school both online and at any Assemblies Of God Church close to you as we study together under the Feet of the Master.

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Shalom!