Sermon Series: Jesus Is...

The Everlasting Father

Luke 15:11-32

PSBC 12/17/00

In a nutshell: The Everlasting Father is understood in the actions of the Prodigal's Father.

I. Introduction

A. Father illustration

Illustration: A father had a young son who was very ill. After the boy had undergone an exhaustive series of tests, the father was told the shocking news that his son 9 year old son had a terminal illness. The youngster had accepted Christ as his Savior, so the father knew that the boy would go to heaven when he died, but he wondered how he could tell his young son that he soon would die.

After a long time of praying, he went with a heavy heart through the hospital ward to the boy's bedside. First he read a passage of Scripture and had a time of prayer with his son. Then he gently told him that the doctors could promise him only a few more days to live. "Are you afraid to meet Jesus, my boy?" asked his father. Blinking away a few tears, the little fellow said bravely, "No, not if He's like you, Dad!"

What's your dad like? This morning we're going to answer that question. But not from the view of your earthly father, but from the view of your Everlasting Father.

You see, in Isaiah 9:6, it says...

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

TRANSITION: To help us understand the Everlasting Father, this morning, we're going to look at a familiar story that Jesus told about a Father, that is about as good a model as we could hope to find about the truth behind this third name Isaiah calls Jesus.

The story is called "The Prodigal Son." And I'd encourage you to turn in your Bibles to the place where that story is recorded... Luke 15.

B. A Recap of the story

Let me recap the beginning of the story. It starts out commonly enough. A man had two sons.

But as the story progresses, we find the oldest son was very obedient, and the youngest son was very rebellious. When the rebellious son was old enough, he asked his father for the portion of the inheritance that was rightfully his, and he promptly left home and squandered it all on partying and prostitutes. When a famine hit the land where he was living, he had no food, no money, and no friends. So he hired himself out as a farm hand whose main job was slopping hogs.

The pay is poor and the working conditions were terrible. One day he was so hungry and so despondent that he came to his senses, realizing that even the hired hands on his father's farm received better treatment than what he was experiencing on the hog farm. So he quit his job and started for home. He was broken, humbled and wanted to be received back by his father–but not as a son–this time, just as one of the farm hands.

It is at this point of the story that we start to get a glimpse of what the Everlasting Father really means. And as we go through this story, there will be four truths about the Everlasting Father that I want you to come away with this morning ...

II. The Prodigal's Father

Luke 15:20
20 So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him...

Let's stop there, because it's in this first phrase that we get the first truth about what is meant by the Everlasting Father.

A. He can't wait to have us back

ILLUSTRATION: David Redding in his book, Jesus Makes Me Laugh With Him, tells this story about Teddy, his big black Scottish shepherd dog.

"Teddy was my dog, and he would do anything for me. He waited for me to come home from school. He slept beside me and when I whistled he ran to me even if he was eating. At night no one would get within a half mile without Teddy's permission. During those long summers in the fields I would only see the family at night, but Teddy was with me all the time. And so when I went away to war, I did not know how to leave him. How do you explain to someone who loves you that you are leaving him and will not be chasing woodchucks with him tomorrow as always?

So, coming home that first time from the Navy was something I can scarcely describe. The last bus stop was fourteen miles from the farm. I got off there that night about eleven o'clock and walked the rest of the way home. It was two or three in the morning before I was within a half mile of the house. It was pitch dark, but I knew every step of the way.

Suddenly Teddy heard me and began his warning barking. Then I whistled only once. The barking stopped. There was a yelp of recognition, and I knew that a big black form was hurtling toward me in the darkness. Almost immediately he was there in my arms. To this day, that is the best way I can explain what I mean by coming home. What comes home to me now is the eloquence with which that unforgettable memory speaks to me of God. If my dog, without any explanation, would love me and take me back after all that time, would not my God?"

Friends, the first truth about the Everlasting Father is that He can't wait to have us back.

Let me tell you friend, no matter how far you strayed away from the faith, no matter what your past was like, God sees you and wants you back in His family. All you have to do is be willing to stay on the road that leads to Him. That is promised over and over in the Bible. Here's just one of those places...

Isa 1:19
19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land;

B. He Looks at Us with the Telescope of His Love

But when we are thinking of the fact that God wants us back even when we are far from Him, don't lose sight of another truth talked about at the end of that same phrase in 20.

"his father saw him".

D. L. Moody said, "The prodigal's father was looking through the telescope of his love."

That's a good way of putting the second truth about the Everlasting Father– He looks at us with the telescope of His love.

Illustration: When our daughter, Jori was in the fifth grade, I helped chaperon a field trip to some of the sights of Northern Arizona. One of the stops we made was to the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff. It was from this huge observatory and using this massive telescope, that in 1930, scientists discovered and named the farthest planet in our solar system, Pluto. It was exciting when they let each one of us look into the eyepiece of this huge telescope. Things that were not visible with the naked eye were easily seen with this powerful scientific instrument.

Friends, that is what it's like with the Everlasting Father's love. His love is so powerful that He sees what's not visible to others. In other words, He sees our deepest thoughts. He knows when we are truly longing for Him, and He knows when we are playing games with Him. He even sees our potential. The telescope of God's love is far more powerful than that telescope at Lowell Observatory. When we show the least bit of desire to know Him, He sees this in us and He will respond.

C. Compassionate Immediacy

Then, the next phrase in verse 20 tells us the third truth. It says, "he was filled with compassion and ran to his son"... I call this truth about the Everlasting Father, His compassionate immediacy. There are two things wrapped up in this truth. Let me explain. First, there is the Everlasting Father's compassion.

1. Compassion

ILLUSTRATION: There's a story going around the city of Chicago right now, that says on a certain day Jesus was walking along a dirt road when he came upon a man crying and He said, "My friend, what's wrong?" The man replied, "I'm blind; can you help me?" Jesus healed the man, restored his sight and He went on his way. Jesus continued on that same road and came upon another man sitting and crying. "Good friend, what's wrong?" He answered, "I'm lame and can't walk; can you help me?" Jesus healed the man and they both started walking down the road. As Jesus continued on He came upon a third man crying. Jesus said, "Good friend, what's wrong?" The man answered, "I'm a Chicago Bears football fan." And Jesus sat down and wept with him.

Well, the story may not be true, but the action of Jesus in the story is certainly consistent with His compassionate love as the Everlasting Father.

According to the dictionary, Compassion is a sympathetic love which always includes involvement.

When we say that our Everlasting Father has a compassionate love, that means that there is not a circumstance in your life that you go through alone, if you are a child of God. Because He loves you compassionately, it means He is right there by your side, not only feeling your pain, but wanting to shoulder the burden, if you let Him.

2. He ran to his son

The second part of the Compassionate Immediacy of the Everlasting Father is the immediate part. Verse 20 says, "he ran to his son."

ILLUSTRATION: About 11 years ago, on the afternoon of New Years eve, I was putting together a metal storage shed in my backyard. I was attaching the sides together of this 6'x 6' shed while standing on a ladder. Our cocker spaniel, Hudson, decided to play at this time, and ran around the pool in the backyard. In the process, he clipped the ladder I was on while going full speed. The ladder wobbled and I grabbed onto the unfinished shed wall and sliced the entire front of my thumb off. I yelled and Diane came running out of the house. When she saw what had happened, in a matter of seconds... she had run back in the house, got a clean towel for me to wrap the thumb in and began ushering me into the car. The nearest hospital was about four miles away. Diane made it to the emergency room in 5 minutes (that's because there was road construction) and in less than ten minutes after the accident had taken place, I was being cared for by a doctor. Diane's was fast, and her action was immediate.

But what she did is nothing compared to how Jesus reacts in His love toward us when we need Him. The prodigal's father ran to meet his son. Jesus, the Everlasting Father, runs to us, immediately, in our time of need. All we have to do is call upon His name, and ask for His help.

Not only does Jesus react more quickly than any human could ever react, He also does it with compassion–that is, lifting the load. That's why I call this third truth about the Everlasting Father, His compassionate immediacy!

D. Once He welcomed the Prodigal back...

Finally, the fourth truth about the Everlasting Father has five parts. These are all things that the Father did to or for his Prodigal Son once he welcomed him back. These are the same five things our Everlasting Father does to or for us, even after we've disobeyed or strayed from Him.

1. He kissed him.

At the end of verse 20, it says, "...and kissed him." Notice, he didn't wait until the boy's clothes had been changed from the hog-smelling rags he had on. He also didn't wait until the hog waste was washed off his son's feet and hands. In just the state he was in, the father threw his arms around the boy and drew him close to his heart, and gave him a kiss ...which was the sign of complete reconciliation. This is right in line with what Paul wrote in Romans...

Rom 5:10
10 For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

When we talk about being reconciled by the Everlasting Father, we are basically saying that Jesus provides a way for unholy people to be holy.

ILLUSTRATION: I hate reconciling my checkbook. In my younger days, seldom did my records jive with the bank's. They were always charging fees that I would forget to record, or charging checks to my account that I forgot to record, etc. etc. More than once I changed banks because we were just too far apart in what my checkbook said I had and what the bank said I had. Plus the fact that I just hate to sit down and go through all those checks and charges and enter them in on the form on the back of the bank statement. I just don't like it.

But several years ago, we purchased a computer program called Quicken. Now, each month Diane or I simply point and click on the check numbers that have cleared on our statement, enter the bank fee amount, and press a button. In less than 2 seconds it reconciles our account. It takes everything that I am due and every check I have written, and every charge I must pay and makes sure that it is all credited and applied to my account properly.

Well, the reconciliation of the Everlasting Father makes sure that everything necessary for our account to be exactly what it needs to be in order to spend eternity with the Holy God, is there. We don't have to do one thing more.

2. Covered with a robe

A second thing the Everlasting Father does to us or for us, is in verse 22...

Luke 15:22
22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him.

When we have a relationship with this Everlasting Father, just like the prodigal son did with his father, we too are given a robe. In our case, it is the robe of righteousness. What this means is that, just like a robe covers our bodies, the righteousness that Jesus earned by living a sinless life here on earth covers our lives. This is what allows us in heaven to spend eternity with a holy God. We are holy because Jesus' holiness encases us so that our sins and imperfections are seen by God, no more.

3. A Ring

Another thing the Everlasting Father does to or for us is also talked about in verse 22. Something very special is given...

Luke 15:22
Put a ring on his finger...

I'm not sure if you realize it, but a ring is always a symbol of being or having been completed.

Illustration: One of the meanings of wearing a wedding ring is that it indicates completeness. It is a sign of two individuals becoming one flesh. It is a sign that the process of searching for and finding a mate, is now over.

Well, friends, we receive a figurative and spiritual ring from the Everlasting Father, when we enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ where He is the forgiver of our sin and the leader of our life. That relationship completes the process necessary for a sinful human being to be reconciled with the Holy God. With our sins forgiven, and our lives demonstrating gratitude for that forgiveness, we can rest from searching for acceptance and meaning and joy in our lives. Those things are given by God, to each one of His children, as a by-product of our relationship with the Everlasting Father.

4. Shoes

Here's a fourth thing the Everlasting Father does to or for us, when we come or come back to Him. The last part of verse 22 says, "...put sandals on his feet."

ILLUSTRATION: My feet were so damaged from participating in the sport of Power lifting and the heel spurs so bad that there were some mornings when I would get out of bed and fall to the floor because of the pain. The only thing that is making them better is stretching exercises and wearing special shoes. Having the right shoes are very important.

Picture in your minds eye, this prodigal son hobbling on the road to meet his father. His feet are bleeding with every step. The shoes on his feet are so tattered and torn that they hardly are able to be laced. But imagine the boy after being accepted back by his dad. He now has new shoes on his feet. Well padded, expensive shoes that cradle his feet and give his aching arches and heels support.

When we remain or enter in a relationship with the Everlasting Father, He supports us. By that I mean He gives us support during our daily routines; He supports us during the difficult times we go through because of our bad decisions or unfortunate circumstances that happen to us; and He supports us when we fail. In fact, did you know that the support of the Everlasting Father can take our failures and turn them into triumphs.

ILLUSTRATION: Chuck Colson, was known as Nixon's hatchet man during the Watergate period of our nation's history. After he accepted Jesus as his Savior, he became the founder of Prison Fellowship, and in my estimation, one of the most brilliant Christian thinkers and writers of the past 50 years. He writes this in his book, Loving God... (front of bulletin)

"The real legacy of my life was my biggest failure--that I was an ex-convict. My greatest humiliation--being sent to prison--was the beginning of God's greatest use of my life; He chose the one experience in which I could not glory for His glory."

5. Killed the fatted Calf

Look at the last thing the Father did for the prodigal son...

Luke 15:23-24
23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate.
24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

This, shows us the depth of the love of the Everlasting Father. Every time someone repents and comes back to God, there are no "I told you so's." There are no, "Well, it's about time." There are no condemning remarks and no condemning actions, whatsoever! Instead, there is rejoicing. Listen to what Jesus said just before He told this story...

Luke 15:10
10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

III. Conclusion

The Everlasting Father's love for people is incredible! George Matheson is a person who discovered this love.

ILLUSTRATION: George Matheson was studying to become a Pastor. He met a wonderful young woman and fell madly in love with her. She agreed to marry him. But shortly before they were to be married, George received news from his doctor that a childhood eye disease was getting rapidly worse and within a year he would be totally blind. When he told his fiancé, she became emotionally unglued, and called off the wedding.

George was devastated. He couldn't believe how conditional his fiancés' love was. He was crushed, hurt, lonely and angry. But then, his thoughts turned from his fiancés' conditional love to the Everlasting Father's unconditional love. And he felt inspired and encouraged!

He sat down at his desk, and in about 15 minutes time wrote the words to our closing hymn this morning--"O Love That Will Not Let Me Go".

As we close this morning, and sing two of the verses of this hymn, please focus on the words. Bask in the fact that the baby, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas is not only a Wonder of a Counselor, and A Mighty God–but He is also the Everlasting Father.
sing verses 1 and 4 of this hymn. Then close in prayer and invitation.