What Does Repentance Look Like? (Luke 15:18-20)

Luke 15 contains three parables, and the themes are repentance and joy. The third parable about the prodigal son does something different than the previous two. Instead of using the words repent and joy, we get to see repentance and joy demonstrated by the father and son. The son is never said to repent, but we get an answer to the question, "What does repentance look like?" by examining his actions. This allows us to draw out wonderful lessons about to apply to our lives. https://youtu.be/4h1Guo_f6Ro The prodigal son is never said to repent, but we get an answer to the question, "What does repentance look like?" by examining his actions. Table of ContentsFamily Worship GuideSermon NotesGenuine repentance (Lesson One) seeks to return to the Father.Genuine repentance (Lesson Two) takes responsibilityGenuine repentance (Lesson Three) uses the word, “sin.”.Genuine repentance (Lesson Four) knows the sin is against God.Genuine repentance (Lesson Five) accepts the consequences of sin.Genuine repentance (Lesson Six) produces a change in direction.Genuine repentance (Lesson Seven) gives hope. Family Worship Guide Directions: Read the verses and then answer the questions: Day 1: Luke 15:18, 2 Samuel 12:13 cf. 1 Samuel 13:11-12, 15:15-16—Why was the son finally willing to return to his father? What application does this have for us? What are some mistakes we make with our confessions that the son avoided? Day 2: Genesis 39:8-9, Psalm 51:3-4, Luke 15:19—What did the son do in his confession that was worth imitating? How is the world removing the word sin from our vernacular? Why is all sin against God even when it looks like we are sinning against someone else? Day 3: 15:15-16 cf. Luke 15:17-19—What does it mean that we can be forgiven but still have consequences? Can you provide some examples? In what ways did the son show that he was willing to accept the consequences of his sin? In what ways does repentance give hope? Sermon Notes The title of this morning’s sermon is, “What Does Repentance Look Like?” On Sunday mornings we’re working our way through Luke’s gospel verse by verse and we find ourselves at Luke 15:18. Please stand with me for the reading of God’s Word. We will start at verse 11 for context. Luke 15:11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. You may be seated. Let’s pray. Look at verse 18… Luke 15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. Notice the words, “I will set out and go back to my father.” And this brings us to lesson one… Genuine repentance (Lesson One) seeks to return to the Father. It seems like the son tried going just about every other place he could. He was even willing to hire himself out to a Gentile and feed his pigs. But, finally, he reached the point that he was willing to go back to his father. Considering the father in the account is a picture or type of our Heavenly Father, this is a perfect example of what should happen in our lives… We are like the son, and we are tempted to look for other solutions before turning to God. We try everything else; it goes terribly, and finally we reach the point that we say the same beautiful words the son said at this low point in his life: I will arise and go to my Father. And this is how repentance begins: with a desire to return to the Lord. Interestingly, the son didn’t think of his village or his home, but of his father. He did end up returning to his village and his home, but he thought about his father. I see a parallel for us… Our focus should be on returning to the Lord. That will cause us to come back to our church and our church family, but our focus should be on the Lord. Lesson two… Genuine repentance (Lesson Two) takes responsibility Notice the words I have. He took responsibility for what he did. There is no justifying, vacillating, minimizing, or rationalizing. He didn’t shift blame He didn’t blame his brother for mistreating him while they grew up together He didn’t blame his father for being too strict and never letting him have any fun He didn’t make excuses: He didn’t talk about how he never really meant to waste the family’s wealth, but there was a terrible famine that took everything from him. He didn’t talk about being a weak man and having a sin nature that was passed to him from Adam. Also notice his confession is only a few words. It is surprisingly short for how rebellious he was, but we can tell that it is more than enough because it is set down as an example for us. Confessions don’t need to be long and drawn out to take responsibility. The other prominent confession in Scripture, perhaps the most well-known, is David following his sins of murder and adultery. Nathan confronted David and listen to this… 2 Samuel 12:13a David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” That’s it! Considering what David did, we might wish his confession was longer. But in response… 2 Samuel 12:13b Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. David’s confession brought forgiveness despite its brevity. Now in contrast to the prodigal son’s short confession and David’s short confession are Saul’s confessions…which are long and drawn out. When Saul offered the sacrifice he shouldn’t have offered… 1 Samuel 13:11b Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, 12 I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I FORCED MYSELF (I didn’t really want to do it. I had to!), and offered the burnt offering.” When Saul was confronted after failing to wipe out all the Amalekites… 1 Samuel 15:15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.” 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night.” It’s like Samuel couldn’t even listen to Saul go on any longer. Sometimes long confessions – and I’m using the word confessions loosely – are nothing more than excuses. The next lesson… Genuine repentance (Lesson Three) uses the word, “sin.”. Let me get you to think about something for a moment… Our world has been removing the word sin from our language, and there are three ways this is happening… First, the world makes everything relative. When people do something wrong, they can provide reasons it was acceptable and justifiable. Second, the world simply uses an alternative word that doesn’t sound as bad. For example: There are certain things you can abort. You can abort a program if you’re using a computer. In movies heroes talk about aborting the mission. But if you abort a baby, it is not an abortion, it is murder. But we say abortion because it sounds better. An affair is an event or situation. For example, you could say, “It was a troubling affair.” If you go through a trial you could say, “It was a difficult affair.” But if a married person has a relationship with someone that is not their spouse, it is adultery. But we call it an affair because it sounds better than adultery. We want to say, “He stretched the truth,” or “He exaggerated a little bit,” or “He left out some of the details.” We don’t want to say, “lie.” When people of the same sex have relationships with each other we want to say they are gay or queer or some acronym that has lots of letters in it to cover the different titles. But the words we will never hear are homosexual or sodomite, because those words sound like sin. The third way the world has been removing sin from our language is by saying certain sins are diseases: Drunkenness is a sin that has ruined countless lives and relationships, but our world says it is a disease. Pedophilia is a perverse sin, but the world is saying it a disease. I could go on, but my point is this… With the world doing its best to prevent anything from being called a sin, it is going to be even easier for us to avoid calling something sin. But to the prodigal son’s credit, he didn’t say, “I made a mistake…or a gaffe…or a blunder.” He said, “I have sinned.” J. Edwin Orr tells the story of a woman who stood up in church to make a confession, but said… “Please pray for me. I need to love people more.” The pastor said, “That’s not a confession, Sister. Anyone could have said it.” Then she said, “I should have said my tongue has caused a lot of trouble in this church.” Then the pastor said, “Now you’re talking.”