0298. The Home Coming

The Home Coming

"I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants" (Luk_15:18-19).

1. We find in this youth a new determination: "I will arise and go to my father." Once he had said, "I will arise and go to the far country." Then he had refused his father’s warnings, now he realizes the truth of the father’s words. He turns his face back again. That is just what we mean by "conversion." It is turning square around. It is, Halt! Right about face! Forward march!

David said: "I thought on my ways and turned my feet unto His testimonies."

2. The young man says: "I will say, I have sinned." He was awake to the sinfulness of his heart. There was no self-justification; no laying upon others the responsibility of the wasting of his goods; no excusing his career, he simply said: "I have sinned."

When will each of us get down to bed-rock facts and quit blaming our environment, and our associates, and our heredity, and our natural appetites, for our sins. We grant it that they all played their part, but after all, the sinner has no one and nothing to blame but himself. Let him rightly say: "I have sinned."

3. The young man said: "I am not worthy to be called thy son." The pride of the flesh had gone. The prodigal came a suppliant for grace. He claimed no redress, he demanded no favors. He was not worthy. This was just what made it possible to kill the fatted calf and to place the ring upon his hand.

"By grace are ye saved." It is the contrite guilty and the acknowledged unworthy that God delights to robe.

Illustration: Dr. Barnardo told once of an orphan who stood at his door ragged and dirty asking admittance to his orphanage. "And, what have you to recommend you?" said Dr. Barnardo. "If you please, sir," said the lad, as he held up the ragged edges of his coat, "if you please, sir, I thought these here would be all I needed to recommend me." And that is all the prodigal had–"I am not worthy;" and that is all he needed.

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR