MESSAGE FOR US TODAY JULY 2 then drew near to Him all the Publicans and sinners for to hear Him. And the Pharisees and Scribes murmured, saying, This Man receives sinners, and eats with them (Lk. 15:1–2). The point of the three Parables in this Chapter, “The Parable of the Lost Sheep,” “The Parable of the Lost Coin,” and “The Parable of the Prodigal Son,” is God’s joy over repenting sinners. They unveil the sentiments of His Heart and not those of the repentant sinner, as is usually taught. He did not sit still in Heaven pitying sinners, just as the shepherd, the woman, and the father did not idly bewail the lost sheep, the lost silver, and the lost son. The word “found” (15:24) reveals the Divine activities in secret in the conscience and heart of the prodigal. Christ left the starry crown of Heaven for the thorny crown of Earth in the activity of the love that seeks the lost till it is found. The shepherd rejoiced, the woman rejoiced, and the father rejoiced. Such is the joy of God when sinners come to Jesus. This Grace is a Grace that seeks and a Grace that receives. The first two Parables describe the former; the third Parable, the latter. Grace convicts the conscience, but attracts the heart. The measure of that Grace is the measure of the love that begets it. The son’s reception and position were decided by the energy of that love, and not by the measure of the son’s repentance. The father’s position decided that of the son. All was measured by the sentiments, not of the prodigal’s heart, but of the father’s heart. The stupidity, the insensibility, and the depravity of the sinner are expressed in the three Parables. If the doubling of the dream to Pharaoh (Gen. 41:32) assured its certitude, how much more does the trebling of this Parable make certain the attitude of God’s heart to lost man! (The information on the three Parables was derived from George Williams.) POSTED BY PASTOR GIL
Posted on: Tue, 02 Jul 2013 13:46:49 +0000
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