Our Forgiving Heavenly Father

Luke 15:11-24

The parable of the prodigal son could rightly be called the parable of the forgiving father. Clearly the message of this story is of love, grace, and forgiveness from start to finish. We immediately recognize the image of God as a loving Father. Such a depiction of God is not a new concept introduced by our Lord Jesus.

GOD IS COMMONLY PORTRAYED AS FORGIVING

It is a message presented often in the Old Testament Scriptures:

Psalm 130:3-4, If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? [4] But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

Psalm 130:7, Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.

Daniel 9:9, To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;

David, the Psalmist wrote with strong convictions, “there is forgiveness with thee” referring to God. He personally knew something about the fantastic mercies and forgiveness of God. On another occasion the Psalmist quipped, “…with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.” The merciful nature of God gave him reason to hope in the Lord! Daniel wrote an entire chapter which is essentially a prayer of confession—an appeal to God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness. Though the nation of Israel had rebelled against the Lord, Daniel knew “mercies and forgivenesses” belong to God. These are but a sample of the many references to God as forgiving and merciful. This quality of God is celebrated often throughout the Psalms and the entire Old Testament. Dr. Stanley, a popular Bible teacher observed,  

Moses knew the gracious love of God when God told him that His “Presence” would go with him and He would give him rest, even after the children of Israel had turned from God by making a golden calf as an idol to worship. (See Ex. 33:14–23.) 

Nehemiah prayed to the God of heaven with the full expectation that God would hear his confession on behalf of the children of Israel, forgive their sin, and restore His people to Jerusalem. (See Neh. 1:11.)

The psalmist spoke repeatedly of a forgiving God. (See Pss. 51; 130.)
The prophet Daniel saw forgiveness and mercy as being God's very nature. (See Dan. 9:9.)

One of the most vital truths you can ever learn about God is that He loves you unconditionally, infinitely, and tenderly. His love never changes. It is His nature. God's love and God's desire to forgive are inseparable.

If there is any doubt regarding God’s gracious love and propensity to forgive, then please consider thoughtfully John’s words in 1 John 4:9, saying, “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” Forgiveness is most consistent with our heavenly Father’s loving, merciful, and gracious nature!

THE PARABLE OF THE FORGIVING FATHER HIGHLIGHTS GOD’S WILLINGNESS TO FORGIVE

The parable of the forgiving father is found in Luke 15:11–24. Quit commonly this parable is entitled “The Prodigal Son.” The focus is on the experience of the son who left home and wasted his life and money in sin. However, another look focused on the behavior of the father in the story is most revealing of the loving and forgiving nature of our heavenly Father. Earlier in that same chapter are two other teachings by Jesus about rejoicing over restored relationship after a period of separation (being lost and then being found). These parables allow us a precious glimpse into the great heart of God to see how willing He is to forgive when we turn to Him. They tell us that God rejoices to restore broken relationships and is ready to forgive! 

Consider them separately:

One Is the Story of a Man Who Has One Hundred Sheep and Loses One of Them. He searches for the one lost sheep until he finds it. When he returns home with the lost sheep draped over his shoulders, he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!” (Vs 6). We cannot help but note that such restoration (finding the lost sheep) presents an occasion to rejoice in. This is the heart and attitude of God towards us sinners in salvation and his feelings about finding the lost. Likewise forgiveness leading to salvation or restoration is a matter to delight in and rejoice in as God invites us to do so. There is no need to fear turning to our heavenly Father when we have sinned against Him.

The Second Story Is about a Woman Who Has Ten Silver Coins. She loses one of them and searches diligently until she finds it. When she has recovered her precious coin, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I had lost!” (Vs 9).

In both cases, Jesus concludes His parables by saying, “. . . Likewise joy shall be in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth.” (See Luke 15:4–10.)

Beloved, God is highly motivated to forgive when we repent seeking His forgiveness. Listen to me carefully, God is not a part of the problem when we sin and fail to live up to His expectations. No, He is the solution! He seeks to restore us unto fellowship with Himself when we have strayed in some area. These parables celebrate this truth and empress with this reality. Yes, we feel deep and incredible shame when we have sinned against the Lord. Our natural instinct is to hide from God, pretend it did not happen, blame someone else for it, or redefine what is sinful and what is permissible! None of these strategies will effectively address the problem of GUILT in the soul. In these stories, God shows in profound clarity that He is the solution to guilt and moral failure!

Jesus Then Tells a Third Story.  This is the Prodigal Son or the Forgiven Father Parable! As you read this parable in its entirety, I encourage you to think on the prevalence of the Father (Luke 15:11–24).

Notice that the son finally came to himself remembering the Father’s abundance, generosity, and gracious nature. He never doubted for a second that the father would receive him if he returned home.  

Notice also that the father met the son with open arms showing incredible compassion and love. As Christians, our identity can be with this son. He sinned even though he was part of the family. Christians sometimes sin even though we are part of God's family. Clearly the Father deals with His children in ways that can be likened unto compassionate loving reception and forgiveness. This is the New Testament’s portrayal of the wonderful merciful heart of God from the very lips of the Lord Jesus!

There is nothing in the boy’s actions to warrant, earn, or motivate God's forgiveness except the fact that he return to the father. But that is true for all of us. There is no performance, task, or good work that we can do to earn our salvation. Nothing in us is commendable to God. The motivation for forgiving this errant son lies totally within the father, just as the motivation for forgiving sinners lies totally within God.

If we, as born-again believers, have sinned and turned from God, there is no good deed that we can do to win ourselves back into God's good graces. We cannot substitute church attendance or involvement, witnessing, sacrifices, committee work, self-imposed punishments, or any form of service or deed for confession of our sins, a request for God's forgiveness, and repentance—a change of our mind and heart leading to a change in behavior.

GOD’S FORGIVENESS IS POWERFULLY EVIDENT IN THE PARABLE (VS 17-24)

Notice all the ways in this story in which the father responds to what his son has done as you reread the account. All of these gifts to his son are indications the father sees his son as a son, a fully restored member of his family.

The father celebrates the fact that his son has returned home. This should sound a bit familiar! The shepherd who lost a sheep and the woman who lost a valuable coin celebrated their reunions! Listen to the father saying, “. . . Let us eat and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found . . .” (Luke 15:23–24). The father rejoiced in his returning son, and so it is with us believers when we have failed the Lord in some particular. Our God is a forgiving Lord, and He will forgive and restore us. Beloved, God is willing to forgive when we come to Him. Yes, we are the ones who turn from His commandments. We are the ones who are so inclined to hide, minimize, deny, or shift the blame from ourselves as sin management tactics. Beloved resist this tendency and turn to God. We are the ones who walk away from His presence; now it is time to return.

I believe it was Dr. Stanley who said, “The question is not, Will God forgive me, a Christian, when I sin? The question is, Will I receive God's forgiveness for my sin?” What about you and me? Will we drudge on in our guilt and shame or will we return to the Father’s House? Beloved, it is time to come home.