30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 15 11-32 To seek and the save the lost - The prodigal son 03 Man’s rebellion
📖 Luke 15:11-32
14Feb2020 - *Man’s rebellion* - _Luke 15:11-32_ - Bible reading: _Job 21:14-15_
_Luke 15:11-12 Then He said: "A certain man had two sons. (12) And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood._
We must keep in mind that the Lord is giving these three parables in Luke 15 to the Pharisees and teachers of the law, who thought that they had no need for repentance. Friends, there is just one way to come into a relationship with God. All of us, whoever we may be, have to enter through that door of repentance from our ‘self’ and by surrendering to the lordship of Christ, over us. We have to come to the place of total dependence and trust in Jesus. If we don’t, we cannot enter into eternal life.
The younger son asked his father for his share of the inheritance. This request of the younger son is frightening because the inheritance is usually divided at the death of the parent. By asking for his share of the inheritance, the younger son was letting his father know that he has considered his father as dead. He was telling his father, “I do not care whether you are alive or not. As far as I’m concerned, you are dead. Therefore, give me my share.”
We can imagine the father’s heart. How sad and heartbroken he would have been at his son’s request but the father gave both of them, their portions.
This is the condition of man and man’s relationship with God. God is our creator. _Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."_ He gave us the capacity to grow more and more into His character and thereby execute His purposes over all of creation. Whereas, we have rejected God and we can imagine the pain and sorrow that we are causing God.
_Job 21:14-15 Yet they say to God, 'Depart from us, For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways. (15) Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?'_
Sin, at its very core, is rebelling against our creator. To tell God that we do not need Him and that we can be independent of Him. _Psalm 10:4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts._ Pharaoh, king of Egypt typifies man’s sin. _Exodus 5:2 And Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go."_
God, who loves us, could have also rejected us but He came seeking for us. _Isaiah 53:6 All we 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._
Jesus came into our world and took on flesh but yet lived without sin. He was in the flesh but He submitted to His Father’s will. _John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me._ There was no sin in Jesus and so He could be the only one to take away our sin. _I John 3:5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin._
*Thought to ponder*
```God has opened a way for us, through Jesus, to return back to the original relationship with the Father, where we are to live in a surrendered, submitted, relationship with Him, totally depending on His grace.```