Join Pastor Jack Hibbs as he wraps up his insightful series on The Parables of Jesus with the much-renowned tale of the Prodigal. Journey through this profound narrative to understand the lavish love of God despite human folly, and discover the profound lessons surrounding authority and repentance. Whether new to the story or revisiting its wisdom, this episode promises to challenge your faith and inspire a deeper reflection on your spiritual journey.
Listen, the outcome in your life, in my life, based upon what we’ve been doing, what we’ve been sowing in our lives, the outcome is arriving. It’s like a train pulling into a station. Jeremiah the prophet warns that we have sown to the wind and now it’s time that we reap the whirlwind. It matters how you live. It matters how you think.
SPEAKER 01 :
This is Real Life. Welcome to Real Life Radio with Pastor Jack Hibbs. I’m David Jay, thanking you for joining us today as we listen, learn, and are challenged by God’s Word, the Bible. Did you know there’s an easy way to stay informed on the latest biblical events shaping our world today? Check out the Happening Now section at jackhibbs.com. Now, these live events feature Pastor Jack Hibbs alongside special guests diving into current events, cultural shifts, and how they align with biblical prophecy. It’s a unique blend of Bible teaching and real-time analysis that helps you make sense of today’s headlines through the lens of Scripture. Happening now is not just about information. It’s about equipping you with the truth and encouraging you to stand firm in your faith, no matter what’s happening around you. Now, these discussions are eye-opening, they’re thought-provoking, and they’re a great way to stay spiritually grounded in a rapidly changing world. Whether you watch live or catch up on past events, Happening Now will help keep you connected to God’s Word and what’s going on in the world today. Visit jackhibbs.com and click on Happening Now. Don’t just watch the news. Understand it from a biblical perspective. On today’s edition of Real Life Radio, Pastor Jack continues now with his series called The Parables of Jesus and a message titled Parable of the Prodigal, and this is part three. Now, whenever Jesus spoke to crowds, he often spoke using some very relatable stories with common everyday themes. The Bible calls them parables. So, in this parable, Jesus is teaching about radical love, restoration, and forgiveness. You see, as we learned in parts 1 and 2, this parable is not only about the Son, but about the brother, the father, and about God as well. The rejection of authority and wrong decisions that lead to an outcome we never want. But when we repent, God is there to love us and restore us. So today, Pastor Jack teaches that in our youth, we think that life would be better on our own. But when we come to our senses, the Father, who’s held back His rescue, can now rejoice. God will use difficulty to correct us and lead us toward repentance. Now, with his message called Parable of the Prodigal, Part 3, here’s pastor and Bible teacher, Jack Hibbs.
SPEAKER 02 :
There’s nothing that we want done tonight in our own power. Right now as we are here, there are so many people on this campus and I just think of the diapers that are being changed tonight in the nursery and those servants that are loving and praying on those little ones to our youth ministries going on. God, may none of this be done in our own strength whatsoever, but may your Holy Spirit be happy to be present among us Lord, be our teacher, we ask now in Jesus’ name, and all God’s people said, amen. Grab your Bibles tonight and turn, if you would, if you remember anyway, to Luke chapter 15. Luke chapter 15, and we are gonna be ending now with part three of our parable teachings of the prodigal. And remember, church, in our two previous studies, we deliberately left out the parable of the prodigal son. Good. Because this parable is more than the prodigal son. We could say, as we’ll learn more tonight, it’s the parable of the prodigal sons. We could also say it’s the parable of the prodigal father. The father is interesting in this parable. He breaks all the cultural rules. He’s extravagant in his conduct. And then ultimately, I pray that the argument comes across tonight that it is actually based upon the definition of the word prodigal that it’s describing to us none other than our awesome God. Because the word means extravagant. Some translations say the word wasteful, but that’s in the negative form. The word actually means that the man went out, the young man went out and lived in a foreign land with prodigal living. He lived with extravagant living. He lavished upon himself great wealth and great expenditure to try to bring about some sort of meaning or happiness, and yet the entire parable, if you remember, the audience is set. Jesus is speaking to his disciples, to the followers, but the Pharisees very specifically. And there’s no one in the crowd who that would miss the ministry of Jesus in this profound parable. But look, we’ve gone into it at length in previous studies. We’ll read it tonight and finish it off tonight. But if you’ve missed it, then you can check it out online or find out more from the bookstore. But Luke chapter 15, verse 11 down to 32 for context. Then he, Jesus, said a certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me. Remember what that meant, church? Father, let’s pretend you just dropped dead and I get the inheritance now. Can we fast forward that? He’s actually insulting his father, literally, in that culture, and saying, hey, Dad, let’s pretend you just kicked the bucket. I want all the money that’s coming to me. It’s remarkable. So the man, he, the father, divided to them, them plural, his livelihood, all that he had. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and journeyed into a far country. And there he wasted his possessions on prodigal living. But when he had spent all, There arose a severe famine in the land, and he began to be in want. He was in need. And then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, no doubt a Gentile in this parable, because why watch? And he sent him into the fields to feed pigs. This is not a Jewish farmer. And he went, or he would have gladly had filled his stomach with the pods of That the swine ate, which by the way are unable for a human to digest. This is how bad off the kid is now. And no one gave him anything, verse 17, but when he came to himself, please circle those words right there, but when he came to himself. He said, how many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough to spare? And I perish with hunger. I will arise and go to my father. And I will say to him, now here’s his confession. This is awesome. And maybe you’re here tonight and you’re going to want to say the same thing to God. Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me one of your hired servants. And he arose and came to his father, but when he was still a great way off, I have that marked in my Bible, thank God, this sinning young man, this now empty, broke, worthless man, still while he’s a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran to him and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, Father, I’ve sinned against heaven. Now he goes into his recital. And in your sight, I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Verse 22 is so dear to us all. Look, but the father said to his servant. So the father just flat out interrupts the boy’s confession. And says, bring out my best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf, the dedicated calf, the trophy calf. Here and kill it and let us eat and be merry. Verse 24, for this my son was dead and is alive again. And he was lost and is found. And they began to make merry. And now his older son, son number two, was in the field. And as he came, he drew near to the house and he heard the music and dancing. And so he called to one of the servants asking what these things meant. And he said to him, your brother has come. And because he has received him, that is the father has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf. Look at the response of the second son, the one that you would think is loyal and faithful to the father. He was angry and he would not go in. So he’s pouting to a great degree. Therefore his father came out. Listen to this. The tenderness of the moment. The father came out and pleaded with him. And so he answered and said to his father, look. By the way, that’s a strong word. He’s actually rebuking his father. These many years I have served you. I’ve never transgressed your commandment at any time. And yet you never gave me a young goat that I make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours, it almost sounds like he’s cursing. Right? No doubt he is in his heart. Who has devoured your livelihood with harlots. You killed the fatted calf for him. And he said to him, son, you are always with me and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make Mary and be glad for your brother was dead and is alive again. He was lost. Listen, last time together, we need to pick up where we left off. It was this regarding the prodigal son. It’s in verses 11 to 19, and we just read that. It’s awesome. We saw four things about that. The prodigal son, to us at first reading, it is obvious. It’s this little brat, right? who says, hey, Dad, I got a great idea. You’re getting old. You’re getting up there in years. You’re not able to move around, and we’re starting to see signs of you slowing down. You got a lot of wealth. You’ve acquired a lot of things, and I’ve been thinking, who’s going to get all this stuff and kind of know a little bit about our culture? It’s gonna go to the guys, to the boys. Now, a portion’s gonna go to the oldest son, and then I’m gonna get something. Hey, let’s pretend, let’s play a game. Let’s play a you kick the bucket game. And you drop dead, and so can you give me what’s coming to me? I actually had a friend who asked his father, who’s a very wealthy man, Dad, what’s going to happen? I mean, I know there’s me and there’s my sister, and you’re not going to live forever. So I was thinking, he actually asked his dad in advance for his inheritance. And his dad said no. And I always wonder, because he’s a Christian brother. He was ignorant of this parable. And I’m wondering, whatever happened to him when he came reading this parable, how he must have just felt like crawling under a rock. But this is the game they’re playing or the game he’s playing in his head. Dad is dead and what’s in it for me? And we saw last time in verses 11 to 12 that this young man rejects the authority of not only his father but of others. He’s thinking only of himself. He rejects authority. Mark that down. Be leery of people who reject authority. Listen, church, listen right now. In fact, if you’re under 40 years of age, listen right now. Okay, listen, where’s the camera? You here, you there, where are you guys? Even if you’re outside the sanctuary right now, if you’re 40 years of age or under, you’ve been brought up in a culture that not only rejects or pushes authority back, but has been taught to reject authority. Listen, and it goes with this little statement that has been ill-received. Question authority. That’s not a bad thing. But the modern or the current culture is there is no authority. That’s why you should question it. And that is the birthplace of anarchy. God has ordained authority. Just because there’s bad authorities or authoritative figures doesn’t mean that authority is bad. There’s a God-given authority. By the way, if somebody has to march around and establish their authority, they’re doing it wrong. Right? Okay, what you want to do as a Christian, as a mom, as a dad, as a leader, as a business owner, as an employee, as a servant of the most high God, this is what you should, you get your pen ready, that’s going to be free. It’s not in my notes. Notice, I’m not looking down. This is free. Ask God, Lord, whatever authority you want to establish in my life, You do it, not me. Because if you try to establish authority, you’ll have to maintain it. And when you try to maintain authority, it quickly becomes a dictatorship. There are those who flaunt and abuse authority. I’m not naming names. I’m not talking about what’s in the news. I’m not talking the current polls. But when you don’t have authority, you will push and push and push and push. versus, for example, someone who’s called of God and has a God-given authority. This is very important. This young man rejects the authority of his father, and he assumes everything to himself, and how does he wind up in time? He winds up broke. He winds up broken. He winds up starving. He winds up nibbling on these things called pods that pigs can eat, but it’s absolutely impossible for a human to digest. That’s how low he is, all because he had it his way. And it’s almost as though I’m speaking foreign language in saying such things to him. Oh, you’re an old guy. Just know this. The Bible says there’s going to be a day, we’re living in it, where there is an absolute rejection of authority, and yet God blesses a culture, blesses a family, blesses a business or a church or a nation with God-ordained authority. Remember King Saul in the Bible? Yes. Self-infused, demanding authority. And the guy was an absolute pathetic leader. Horrific.
SPEAKER 01 :
You’re listening to Real Life with Pastor Jack Hibbs. You know, to hear more episodes and maybe catch up in the series, just go to jackhibbs.com. That’s jackhibbs.com. And for now, let’s get back to our teaching. Once again, here’s Pastor Jack.
SPEAKER 02 :
The second thing we saw was that this young man makes one wrong decision after another in verses 13 to 14. He just messes up. Why? Because he’s doing it his way. It’s got to be his show. He’s far from God. In verses 15 to 16, we see that eventually the consequences have got to be faced by this man. The outcome is going to eventually arrive. Listen, the outcome in your life, in my life, based upon what we’ve been doing, what we’ve been sowing in our lives, the outcome is arriving. It’s like a train pulling into a station. Jeremiah the prophet warns that we have sown to the wind and now it’s time that we reap the whirlwind. It matters how you live. It matters how you think. And what you develop by your pattern of thinking will develop a history of decision making, and eventually you’ll carve out a life. It’s true about all of us. And the decisions you make will set the course of your life. And this man did it, and it’s not going well. But not all is lost. Verses 17 to 19, he repents of his deeds. He begins to see, now granted it cost him greatly, right? But he repents of his deeds. He changes his mind. And remember that word prodigal. He is known as the prodigal son. The word ultimately means this. Unlimited extravagance. Prodigal. Unlimited lavishness. Unlimited zeal. Unlimited abandonment. Reckless. But we’ll see tonight how that’s negative with two sons and positive with one. The father figure. Church, before we get further into this, it’s important that we stress this. And that is regarding the teaching of our children. And I hope this goes over well. Can you guys all hear me? We make sure that we teach our kids to have a Christ-centered self-worth. Can I say that again? We need to teach our kids to have a Christ-centered self-worth. Meaning this, if your children are being brought up with a Christ-centered self-worth, meaning they know who they are in Jesus, they know how much God loves them. I don’t wanna name names around here, but I just caught, in fact, I looked the opposite way. I just saw a face of a guy who, when I first met him, his life was just not doing so good. And he’s been following Jesus. And he’s decided to get involved over the course of these last several years. And I see him growing. And he’s here tonight. And I’m looking at you from time to time. And I’m thinking about how a man who had the wrong decisions going on in his life, listened to Jesus, changed his course of decision making. And every time I see him go through the foyer on Sundays, I ask him how he’s doing. He says, my life’s blessed. Why? Because listen, he found his self-worth in Jesus Christ, meaning that he read the Bible and he found out what God thinks about him. And listen, when you have that, I don’t care if you’re in Siberia or you’re in Sedona, it doesn’t matter, no matter what happens, earthquake or fire, storm or whatever, no one can take that from you. You can be imprisoned for the rest of your life. Nobody can take that from you because it’s a Christ-centered self-worth. Be careful. This young man tried to develop his own self-worth based upon his potential success. He spent the money, he had the fun, and he did all that he did, and it came crashing down. It will always come crashing down. And when it was over, he had no self-worth. Why? Because his self-evaluation was in what he could acquire, what he could feel, what he could do. Listen, our culture is cursed with this. In fact, listen, as I say it, shout out the conclusion. If it feels good, that is a hedonistic, humanistic culture of godlessness. Amen. An interview, we all are related to people who’ve done that. They’ve lived their lives and they’ve come to their course and asked them now. Well, clearly it felt good while you were doing it and you’ve been doing it all your life and where are you now? These are serious life questions and life issues. And so this is very powerful. Remember this, the Bible says in Proverbs 15 verse five in the New Living Translation, it’s just a translation. But it’s clear. Only a fool despises a parent’s discipline. Whoever learns from correction is wise. You understand that? That’s good stuff.
SPEAKER 1 :
Wow.
SPEAKER 02 :
Jeremiah 31.3. We all know this verse. I try to quote it as often as possible. The Lord has appeared to me of old, says Jeremiah. Yes, I have loved you, says God. Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Isn’t that awesome? Self-worth in Christ. Therefore, with loving kindness have I drawn you. God would speak to you tonight and say, I have loved you with an everlasting love. You, you tonight. Who’s the biggest sinner in here tonight? Let him stand on the stage. Let him, raise both hands. No, it’s me, not you, it’s me. And if Paul the Apostle was here, he would say, no, no, Jack, it’s not you, it’s not them, it’s me, Paul would say. The amazing thing is this, God says, hey, you, I’ve loved you with an everlasting love. The picture of this father’s love for his boys is awesome. But like human nature is, rejects and pushes against what we need, the very thing we need. Isn’t it funny how we gravitate toward a bag of potato chips instead of broccoli? What is that? We’re prone to self-destruction, man. Luke 15, verse seven says, I say to you, Jesus is speaking that likewise, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 just persons who need no repentance. And what’s interesting is, yes, the angels rejoice. This is my, look, what I’m about to say, I think I could prove biblically, but this is my opinion. I believe because the Bible says the angels rejoice in heaven when one person turns towards Christ. But this is what I add. I think the reason why the angels rejoice in heaven when a person comes to Christ is because the angels witness God rejoicing. Why? Because the parable here has the father rejoicing when the sinners or the son comes back.
SPEAKER 01 :
pastor and Bible teacher, Jack Hibbs, here on Real Life Radio with his message called Parable of the Prodigal Part Three. Thanks for joining us today. You know, this message is part of Pastor Jack’s series called The Parables of Jesus. It’s a series that highlights the teachings of Jesus while he was ministering right here on this earth. And we’ll continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio. So Pastor Jack, this month’s featured resources, they’re both aimed at kids, right? So we put down the device, pick up the book. One of the books is focused on American history. The other is on spiritual growth. So what made you want to spotlight these two books together?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, first of all, obviously being summertime, we’re trying to get people in our lives away from the devices and to actually create, even if it’s for a few moments, maybe 30 minutes, where parents can sit down with their kids or grandkids. And so we’ve got these two resources. They’re fantastic. Prayers and Promises for Kids. It’s a book that walks kids through how to take the promises of God and pray them into their lives. And I got to tell you, you might read this to your little one or read it together with them. But listen, doesn’t matter what age you are, you’re going to get a lot out of these two featured items. And then, of course, the second one, Davey, you well know, is that the Redcoats are coming. This is written for kids. It’s set back in 1775. And it’s a thrilling, wonderful read for children regarding our nation’s founding.
SPEAKER 01 :
So you’re a grandfather. I’m a grandfather. You’ve got my grandson standing right there in the studio with you. I do. He wanted to come see what we do. As a pastor, though, what are some practical ways that parents and grandparents can use these two books to disciple the next generation?
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, great question. To bring the Word of God alive. Now, don’t get me wrong. The Word of God is alive. It stands alone. It’s living. Right. But for us to bring it to our children, this is a great, great set of resources that can help your child cause their prayer life and their understanding of God to really become very, very clear, very simple. And I think that’s the way the Lord wants it. And so it helps us be very intentional about teaching our kids not only these historical truths, but these biblical truths.
SPEAKER 01 :
So when a family picks up the resource of the month, two books this month, of course, what is your hope for what happens around the dinner table, the bedtime routine, you know, family devotion time? Do you have any hopes for that?
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah. Isn’t this something you might say, well, Jack, you need to raise your level of hope. My hope is this. Just to get moms and dads, grandpas and grandpas to sit down with their young one in their life. Can you imagine? Just to sit down with no TV on, with nothing streaming, no devices, and just like the old school, they open up a book and they read it together. That is my hope. If that began to happen, you know what? It could be a great, great awakening to the discovery of books. I mean, that could really be something.
SPEAKER 01 :
That’s The Redcoats Are Coming and Prayers and Promises for Kids. A couple of great books. Available as a bundle for a gift of any amount at jackhibbs.com. That’s jackhibbs.com. This program is made possible by the generous contributions of you, our listeners. Visit us at jackhibbs.com. That’s jackhibbs.com. Until next time, Pastor Jack Hibbs and all of us here at Real Life Radio wish for you solid and steady growth in Christ and in His Word. We’ll see you next time here on Real Life Radio.
