Never Too Late

Luke 15:11-31 (The Prodigal Son)

(the following is a website with this passage of scripture)

www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2015:11-31&version=31


As Jesus was teaching, he told the story of a father and his two sons. The younger son approached his father and demanded that he receive all of his inheritance. So the father did what he asked, dividing his estate between the two sons. When the younger son had gathered his possessions and wealth, he went into a far off country to squander everything he had in wild living.

After he had wasted everything he had, a severe famine came. He found himself out of money and out of friends; he found himself in need of a job so he could have enough money to stay alive. So he found the best job he could find at the time: feeding pigs. He was so poor that it says he longed to eat the pods that the pigs were eating. He had reached the point of desperation, willing to work with swine and would have gladly eaten with the swine if someone would have given him some pods to eat.

But then he came to his senses and said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!...” And so he left to go become a hired servant of his father that he too might have food to spare.

So here’s the point… If you know Jesus, or even if you don’t, and have run off to waste everything in wild living, you can come back. It doesn’t matter how low you’ve gone; it doesn’t matter what depths of sin you’ve found yourself in. The prodigal son demanded his inheritance while he was still young, and squandered every last bit of it. What happened to him when he returned to his father?

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” God just doesn’t wait for his children to come back; He watches. When He sees his children turning back to Him, he doesn’t prepare the “I told you so” lecture. He is filled with compassion at the returning of his lost sons. He runs out before they’ve even made it home just to throw His arms around them and kiss them because He loves us.

And we don’t have to worry about fixing ourselves to make ourselves worthy. The son admitted to his father “I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the Father said, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.” Only the Father can cover the mess we get ourselves in, and if we’d only return to Him He would do just that. All the dirt and grime that we’re covered in, He’ll not only cover us. He’ll put the best robe on us that he can find. But He’s the only one who can do it. If we could cover ourselves, we’d have no need to return to Him.

And don’t worry about fixing your reputation either. I’m sure the prodigal son had built up quite a lofty and unappealing reputation as a party animal, and as a rebel. But the son returned to His Father as a has-been, and he was soon covered not just with a robe, but a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

Remember, this son had demanded his inheritance from his father. To the younger son, his father’s only worth was the inheritance he would receive. Then the son wastes every last penny of it on worthless living… Could you imagine what that would feel like to be that father? That’s an unthinkable level of disrespect… that your son would want you only for the money you’d leave him when you die, and then every single bit of that is wasted. None of it was invested. There is literally nothing left of the inheritance you built up for your son because the son had no respect for you.

Even then, the Father’s response was “bring out the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” No matter how lost you find yourself, or how dead in sin you find yourself… whether you’ve ever been in a relationship with Jesus Christ or not… it is never too late. Is that surprising to us? It is never too late! As long as there is still life and breath in us, it is never too late to seek after the Father. The prodigal son had nothing left, only energy enough to find his way back home to beg for the chance to become a servant. Instead, he was robed and invited to a party in celebration of his return. It wasn’t too late for him.

Even a man on his last breath isn’t so lost as to be unable to find salvation. The thief on the cross was told by Jesus, “today you will be with me in paradise” because the thief believed in Jesus. The thief was being put to death for being a thieving murderer, and yet Jesus had forgiveness for even him. The thief’s death on the cross was nothing less than justice for his crimes, and he found himself on the doorstep of heaven.

It doesn’t matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done. None of that matters to Jesus. The only thing that matters is this… Will you come? Will you let Jesus see you coming from afar off and run out to meet you? Will you let Him cover you with His blood for your sins? That’s why He died, so that our sins may be forgiven. Will you let that robe of his blood cover everything you’ve ever done? If you repent and turn to Jesus, if you confess that He is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead, you will have eternal life.

Don’t let anything keep you from coming to Jesus; don’t be afraid. There are not words of condemnation. Jesus died so that we may be forgiven of our trespasses, and his response to our confession of our sins is “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.”

But Jesus will not force his robe on you. He waits and watches, and when the lost come He will come out to meet you. No matter what you’ve done, he’ll come out to meet you. No matter what you’ve said, he’ll come out to meet you and put those things in the past.

Come to Jesus.