Luke 15:11-32 And he said, A certain man had two sons:… I. THE PRODIGAL'S RETURN HOME. "He arose and came to his father." He did not spend his remaining strength either in useless regrets, or in mere resolutions. "He arose and came." In coming to Christ we must not allow difficulties to discourage us. We may expect them; for, if we have lived in sin, we have lived at a great distance from Him; and the king of the "far country" does not like to lose a subject. There is cause for all this steadfastness of purpose. If you, who have been awakened, advance no farther, sin will quickly overtake you, and will bind the chains of habit still more closely around your soul. There is no safety but in going forward boldly and confessing Christ. Haste! The cause of so many failures with those who attempt to walk in the "narrow path," is, that they attempt in their own strength. This brings us to — II. THE PRODIGAL'S RECEPTION. "When he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." That prince of story-tellers, Dr. Guthrie, tells of a young sailor's widow, who had parted with her husband after a few brief bright days of wedded bliss. He went to sea and never came back, his ship, probably foundering with all her crew, was never heard of again. When the time had arrived for her return, and she came not, this woman repaired to some bold headland and watched the white sails as they appeared on the blue waves, and at length as she saw vessels making for the harbour, hoped that one of them at least would bring her long-lost one home. At night on her lone bed she used to lie awake fancying she recognized his footstep, as some late traveller or midnight reveller wended his way home, but only to sink back on her pillow and weep away her disappointment as the footstep passed her door. And long after hope had died away in others' breasts, would she on her lonely bed, or on the headland close by, watch for the coming of him who never came home again. Love like this may have prompted the father of the prodigal to daily watch, with eager eye, the distant hill over which he saw his son go on that sad morning of his leaving home. When the prodigal was a great way off his father ran to meet him. The son walked; the father ran. (W. G. Pascoe.) Parallel Verses KJV: And he said, A certain man had two sons: |
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