The well known parable of the Prodigal or the Lost Son teaches us some very important lessons in regard to our relationship with God and with fellow sinners such as us. Let us highlight some of them this morning.

God has a specific way in which he wants us to live.
I'm sure the father in the parable had his household rules and regulations and that as long as his children lived in his house (or tent), they were bound by the law to obey them as the older son would later note. 
· God has specific laws for us to follow. They are called the Ten Commandments. As redeemed children of God we are to live our lives for Jesus and not gratify the desires of the sinful human nature.

God gives us the freedom to follow him or to squander his love.
Even though God has very specific rules for us, he does not force obedience from us. When the younger son asked for his inheritance and his freedom, the father gave it to him. 
· God allows us a certain amount of independence. He tells us how to live, but he does not force us to obey his rules.

God gives to us many blessings that we can enjoy or waste.
The father granted the request for the share of inheritance. I'm sure he gave it with the desire that his son would put it to good use, instead he chose to waste it. 
· We have been richly blessed in many ways. If we compare the amount of money we have to spend and the things we can spend it on compared to a generation ago, we must see the amount of wealth that God has provided us with. Who of us cannot afford a home to live in, personal transportation, the freedom to entertain ourselves, vacations, etc. We can either use this wealth to pay taxes, support our families, support the church, help the needy, enjoy some recreation, or we can waste it on gambling, frivolous items, luxuries, etec. In addition to these physical blessings, God gives us every spiritual blessing in Christ. Will we use them by exploring the Word of God and receiving the assurance of forgiveness in the Lord's Supper or will we pass by them in disdain the way a child turns up his nose at the nutritious food that his mother has prepared for him.

If we waste his blessings, we can expect severe consequences.
Unfortunately, the younger son wasted his inheritance. He spent it on himself in over indulgence including the degrading practice of hiring prostitutes. As a result he was left destitute. He did not know the addage "Waste not, want not" but that is exactly the opposite of what happened in his life. He wasted his inheritance and therefore he wanted the basic necessities. 
· If we waste the blessings that God has given to us, we will find ourselves wanting. 

God wants us to repent of our sins and to return to him.
The younger son came to his senses. He realize how foolish he had been and sought to return to his father seeking forgiveness. 

· As we heard last week, Jesus commands us to repent or perish. The Bible cannot repeat often enough how important it is for us to turn from our wicked ways and our abuse of God's rich gifts.
We do not deserve to remain children of God.
The younger son admitted that he was not worthy to be called a son. 
· We must also confess that none of us is worthy of God's love or mercy. We deserve only his temporal and eternal punishment. We don't even deserve the last breath of clean air that we just inhaled let alone forgiveness for our sins.

God loves us anyway and forgives all who come to him in repentance.
The father was looking for his son to return. When he saw him, he rushed out and restored him to the family. 
· God is looking for each of us to return to him. When we do, he assures us in the loving tones of the gospel of how much he loves us. How he has forgiven all of our sins for Jesus' sake and that we are indeed his children and that his our loving, heavenly Father.

God restores the lost sinner into his family.
"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus."

The self-righteous do not understand the grace of God.
The father was happy, the son was comforted, the people invited to the party were having a good time. But the older son was ticked off. He couldn't see the wisdom in his father's actions. All he could see was all the effort and all the energy he had put into being a good son and it seemed to be wasted. 
· (At this point people may believe that being righteous is a waste of time. That is not true and that is not the point. Regardless of how others may act or how often we may slip, it is our solemn duty and our loving response to Jesus to make every effort to obey God all the time and to use his gifts in his way for his glory.) The problem with the older son was that he saw obedience as a cause for reward instead of a result of love. Therefore, he could not understand how gracious the father had been. There are many Christians today who refuse to rejoice over the sinner who does repent and who refuse to welcome them back to the fellowship of believers with open arms just as many family members refuse to welcome back the "black sheep" of the family when they have repented.

God will continue to be gracious even if man doesn't agree.
The father did not agree with his son. God does not agree with those who accuse him of being too loving.

We are to rejoice when the lost return to God.
31 "'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'"
Who are you? Are you the good son who doesn't abuse the love of God. Then love the sinner who repents.
Are you the younger son who is wasting God's gifts, then repent.
Are you returning to God in true repentance, then accept his forgiveness and live a new life for him.