1. Our Father God, A Portrait Luke 15:11-32

2. 11. He also said: “A man had two sons. 12. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.’ So he distributed the assets to them. 13. Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living. 14. After he had spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he had nothing.

3. 15. Then he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16. He longed to eat his fill from the carob pods the pigs were eating, but no one would give him any. 17. When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger! 18. I’ll get up, go to my father, and say to him,

4. ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. 19. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired hands.’ 20. So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him.

5. 21.The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22. “But the father told his slaves, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23. Then bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let’s celebrate with a feast, 24. because this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’

6. So they began to celebrate. 25. “Now his older son was in the field; as he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26. So he summoned one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27. ‘Your brother is here,’ he told him, ‘and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 28.“Then he became angry and didn’t want to go in.

7. So his father came out and pleaded with him. 29. But he replied to his father, ‘Look, I have been slaving many years for you, and I have never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’ 31. “ ‘Son,’he said to him, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.

8. 32. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”

10. We have trouble realizing what we have Vs.12 “The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.’ So he distributed the assets to them.” Trench: When serving God no longer seems to bring freedom, and man promises himself something better elsewhere, he shall discover, by the saddest proofs, that… To depart from God is not to throw off a yoke, but to exchange a light yoke for a heavy one, and… To depart from God is to exchange one gracious Master for a thousand tyrants

11. The Father Unthreatened Vs.12 “The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.’ So he distributed the assets to them.” Trench: “When [God’s] service no longer appears a perfect freedom, and man promises himself something far better elsewhere, [God] allows him to make the trial …”

12. The Father’s Generosity Vs. 17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger!”

13. The Father Running Vs. 20 “But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him.”

14. The Father Restoring Vs. 21-22 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father told his slaves, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ‘”

15. The Father Rejoicing Vs. 23-24 “Then bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let’s celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate.”

16. The Father Misunderstood Vs. 25-28 “Now his older son was in the field; as he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he summoned one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 ‘Your brother is here,’ he told him, ‘and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 28 “Then he became angry and didn’t want to go in.

17. The Father Reasoning Vs. 31-32 “‘Son,’ he said to him, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”

19. Translations That May Have Been Used: Abbreviations & Copyright Info AMP or Amplified: © Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation ESV: The Holy Bible, English Standard Version © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. HCSB: Holman Christian Standard Bible © 2001, Broadman & Holman Publishers, LifeWay Christian Resources 127 Ninth Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37234 JPS: The Holy Scriptures (Old Testament) By the Jewish Publication Society All rights reserved MSG or Message: The Message © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson NAS: Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NAS) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE. Copyright 1960, 1988, by The Lockman Foundation, California. All rights reserved. NAS95: Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NAS95) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE. Copyright 1960, 1995, by The Lockman Foundation, California. All rights reserved. NET: The NET Bible, New English Translation (NET) Copyright © 1996, 1997, 1998 By Biblical Studies Press, LLC. All Rights Reserved The Holy Bible: The NET Bible(r) Copyright © 1998 By Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved www.netbible.orgwww.netbible.org NIV: Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by The International Bible Society. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. Scripture quoted by permission. NJKV: Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NKJV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW KING JAMES VERSION. Copyright (c) 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved. NLT: Quotations designated (NLT) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW LIVING TRANSLATION Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois, 60189. All rights reserved. New Living, NLT, and the New Living Translation logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. NRSV: Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NRSV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION. Copyrighted 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, and are used by permission. All rights reserved. Phillips: J.B.Phillips, "The New Testament in Modern English", 1962 edition, published by HarperCollins, is presented here with the kind permission of Mrs Vera Phillips and the J.B.Phillips estate http://www.ccel.org/bible/phillips/JBPNT.htmhttp://www.ccel.org/bible/phillips/JBPNT.htm RSV: Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (RSV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: REVISED STANDARD VERSION. Copyright 1946, 1952, 1973 by National Council of Churches of Christ. All rights reserved. Weymouth: WEYMOUTH NEW TESTAMENT: NEW TESTAMENT IN MODERN SPEECH by Richard F. Weymouth 3rd Edition (1912)--Revised & edited E. Hampden-Cooke YLT: Young's Literal Translation of the Holy Bible by J.N. Young, 1862, 1898 (Author of the Young's Analytical Concordance)