The Perfect Father Pt 2
Pastor Erickson preaches on Father's Day from the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15, showing a heavenly father who sees from afar, runs with compassion, and restores his son with the robe, the ring and the shoes. He calls people to come home in repentance, be baptized in Jesus' name and receive the Holy Ghost, trusting the perfect father to make them sons and daughters.
The message in 6 points
The prodigal comes to himself
Pastor Erickson reads Luke 15, where the prodigal son comes to himself and returns, and his father runs to meet him. This is part two of his Wednesday message, for fathers and for anyone whose earthly father did not show them what a father should be.
57:34Every picture of a father
On Father's Day people carry very different images of a father, from nurturing and protective to distant, absent or critical. We cannot view our heavenly father the way we view an earthly one. He honors men who lead their homes, and says no earthly father is perfect, but he has come to preach the perfect father.
1:00:04A split crowd
Jesus told the parable to publicans and sinners on one side and Pharisees and scribes on the other. The sinners felt God was out of reach and the religious saw him as a distant judge, but a father running to his son showed a God of relationship, ready to forgive.
1:06:33Seen, pitied and embraced
The father saw his son a great way off, across the distance sin creates, had compassion, ran without pride and kissed him. He did not see a failure, he saw his son. Fathers cannot let hurt or rejection stand in the way of a child's restoration.
1:09:56The robe, the ring and the shoes
Before the son can finish his apology, the father calls for the best robe to cover his shame, a ring that carries the family's authority, shoes that mark a free son, and the fatted calf for a feast. God takes joy in restoring what was lost and rejoices over his children with singing.
1:16:43The plan of salvation in the parable
He sees the robe as repentance, the ring as baptism in Jesus' name, and the shoes as the infilling of the Holy Ghost, with the feast pointing to the marriage supper of the Lamb. He calls people to come home as servants and let the father make them sons and daughters.
1:23:37
In his words
“I know we're not perfect fathers, but I have come to preach about the perfect father.”
“It didn't matter to the father, because the father, he didn't see a failure. He saw his son.”
“You can't come expecting to be a son. You got to come expecting to be a servant and allow God to transform you into a son.”
Taken word for word from the video, with punctuation added.
Scripture
He reads
Luke 15:17-20
17And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20And he arose, and came to his father. But 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.
King James Version.
Luke 15:1-2
1Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
King James Version.
Isaiah 59:1
1Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
King James Version.
Luke 15:21-23
21And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
King James Version.
Isaiah 61:10
10I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
King James Version.
Luke 15:24
24For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
King James Version.
Joel 2:25
25And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
King James Version.
Zephaniah 3:17
17The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
King James Version.
Galatians 3:27
27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
King James Version.
Psalms 51:12
12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
King James Version.
Revelation 19:9
9And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
King James Version.
1 John 3:1
1Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
King James Version.
Jeremiah 31:3
3The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
King James Version.
He also points to
The Perfect Father series
Message 2 of 2 on this channel.
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