S.J. Hill

At times Jesus used extreme illustrations to enforce the truth that was burning in His heart. Other than the story of the Crucifixion, the greatest New Testament illustration of God’s passionate affections for human beings is seen in the parable of the prodigal son. It contains one of the most comprehensive descriptions of God’s emotional makeup in Scripture.

Jesus recounts the story in Luke 15:11-24.

This story is really all about the father’s heart and his passionate affections. The younger son wasted his inheritance and became immoral; yet as he cried out for forgiveness, wanting to recall all the wrongs he had done, the father welcomed him with open arms. Yes, the prodigal had hit rock bottom. Yes, he was desperate. But he could have stayed where he was. Many prodigals do.

What gave the prodigal the courage to return home? I believe that during his childhood the prodigal saw something in his father that let him know he would not be rejected if he returned home. Although he knew he had made a tragic mistake, he had a realistic understanding of who his father was. It empowered him to return home and be restored.

For you to fully enjoy the Father, you need to have a deep understanding of His personality and passions for you. If you are continually afraid of being rejected by Him and feel that He’s perpetually angry with you because of things you’ve done, how can you open your heart to Him? How can you freely give yourself to Him and obey Him?

Are you struggling with addictions or shame?

Like the prodigal son, some of you may be struggling with addictions or temptations, and the shame you carry may be overwhelming. You may have made numerous New Year’s resolutions and tried different self-imposed disciplines. You may have even spent countless hours in counseling. Yet you’re still wrestling with the power of certain temptations.

One of the strongest and most gripping of these is sexual temptation. If this is you, what you need to realize is that a lot of the energy that fuels sexual impurity comes from rejection and not rebellion. It may be rejection you experienced when you were growing up, or it may even be the misguided rejection you feel from God. Whatever the reason may be, you need to understand that immorality is a counterfeit intimacy. It’s nothing more than subtle form of escapism. It brings with it a false sense of fulfillment, and it tempts you to cover up your hopelessness and pain with something that will only bring you temporary pleasure at best.

The only thing that will break the power of prodigal living and lust in your life is a revelation of the Father’s love. Like the prodigal son, you need to experience the running, embracing, kissing heart of God. The sweet fragrance of the Father’s affections is the one thing that will deliver you from the seductive scent of sexual sin.

Years ago I read a story that parallels the parable of the prodigal son. It was about a young man by the name of Sawat:

[He] had disgraced his family and dishonored his father’s name. He had come to Bangkok to escape the dullness of village life. He had found excitement, and while he prospered in his sordid lifestyle he had found popularity as well.

When he first arrived, he had visited a hotel unlike any he had ever seen. Every room had a window facing into the hallway, and in every room sat a girl. The older ones smiled and laughed. Others, just 12 or 13 years old or younger, looked nervous, even frightened.

That visit began Sawat’s venture into Bangkok’s world of prostitution. It began innocently enough, but he was quickly caught like a small piece of wood in a raging river. Its force was too powerful and swift for him, the current too strong.

Soon he was selling opium to customers and propositioning tourist in the hotels. He even went so low as to actually help buy and sell young girls, some of them only nine and ten years old. It was a nasty business, and he was one of the most important of the young “businessmen.”

Then the bottom dropped out of his world: He hit a string of bad luck. He was robbed, and while trying to climb back to the top, he was arrested. The word went out in the underworld that he was a police spy. He finally ended up living in a shanty by the city trash pile.

Sitting in his little shack, he thought about his family, especially his father, a simple Christian man from a small southern village near the Malaysian border. He remembered his dad’s parting words: “I am waiting for you.” He wondered whether his father would still be waiting for him after all that he had done to dishonour the family name. Would he be welcome in his home? Word of Sawat’s lifestyle had long ago filtered back to the village. Finally, he devised a plan.

“Dear Father,” he wrote, “I want to come home, but I don’t know if you will receive me after all that I have done. I have sinned greatly, father. Please forgive me. On Saturday night I will be on the train that goes through our village. If you are still waiting for me, will you tie a piece of cloth on the po tree in front of our house? (Signed) Sawat.

On the train ride he reflected on his life over the past few months and knew that his father had every right to deny him. As the train finally neared the village, he churned with anxiety. What would he do if there was no white cloth on the po tree?

Sitting opposite him was a kind stranger who noticed how nervous his fellow passenger had become. Finally Sawat could stand the pressure no longer. He blurted out his story in a torrent of words. As they entered the village, Sawat said, “Oh, sir, I cannot bear to look. Can you watch for me? What if my father will not receive me back?”

Sawat buried his face between his knees. “Do you see it, sir? It’s the only house with a po tree.”

“Young man, your father did not hang just one piece of cloth. Look! He has covered the whole tree with cloth!” Sadat could hardly believe his eyes. The branches were laden with tiny white squares. In the front yard his old father jumped up and down, joyously waving a piece of white cloth, then ran in halting steps beside the train. When it stopped at the little station he threw his arms around his son, embracing him with tears of joy. “I’ve been waiting for you!” he exclaimed. *

This post is taken from S. J.’s book, ENJOYING GOD, Experiencing the Love of Your Heavenly Father.

*Floyd McClung, The Father Heart of God

During the Korean War, a pastor in a small rural village awoke one morning to find that his young son, his only child, had been killed. Apparently some soldiers had slipped in during the night and randomly executed a number of villagers in a brutal act of terrorism.

            The pastor was beside himself with grief. He had looked forward to his son someday following in his footsteps and becoming a pastor. Now his friends feared for his emotional stability, so severe was the grief he experienced over the boy’s senseless death. It seemed so cruel, so unjust. His son was not in the army; he posed no threat to anyone. Why should he have been singled out like this?

            Finally the Korean pastor decided what he must do in return for this act of violence. He announced that he would hunt down the men who had killed his son and would not give up until he had found them. No obstacle would stand in his way, no hardship would deter him. This grief-stricken father resolved to do whatever it took.

            Amazingly, he was able to learn the identities of the two terrorists, slip behind enemy lines, and find out where they lived. Early one morning he stole into their house and confronted them. The pastor told them who he was and that he knew they had murdered his son. “You owe me a debt,” he said to them. “I have come to collect it.”

            The two men were obviously expecting to be killed in retaliation. But the pastor’s next words astonished them. “You have taken my son,” he said, “and now I want you to become my sons in his place.”

The pastor stayed with them for several days, until he was able to persuade them to come with him. In time he adopted them as his legal sons. He loved them and cared for them. They became Christians, went to seminary, and were ordained. Today, those two men are pastors in Korea—all because of a father who was willing to do whatever it took to win them, whose love was utterly unstoppable.

            This is not only an amazing story, but it’s also a portrait of God’s extravagant love. It expresses His ultimate intention for you. The Father isn’t passive in His thoughts toward you or His dealings with you. He has not only forgiven you of your sins and chosen to love you unconditionally, but He has also adopted you into His family as one of His children.

Romans 8:14-16 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” .

Do you grasp the meaning of these verses? God has redeemed you so you can be a part of His family forever. When you gave your heart to Jesus, you received the spirit of adoption so you could cry out with confidence, “Abba! Father!” The word abbais equivalent to the word papa and carries with it the idea of intimacy, dependency, and vulnerability. The concept of God as abbawas a revolutionary one at the time Paul wrote this.

            Drawing on his experience with Greco-Roman law, Paul used the analogy of adoption to describe the Christian’s relationship and position with God. The legal status of a son in early Roman times was not much better than that of a slave. A son was the property of his father. A father was entitled to his son’s wages. A father could transfer ownership of his son at will and, under certain circumstances, even have him put to death.

            In contrast, the legal status of an adopted son actually put him in a more secure place than that of a son born into the family. He was no longer legally bound to old debts, and if he was a slave, he was set free the moment he was adopted. He had complete access to the father of the family and was guaranteed a position in the family as well.

            When we first come to Christ, we are given a new heart with new affections. Also, through the Father’s plan of adoption, we are given a new status as His sons and daughters. We are guaranteed all the rights and privileges associated with the Father’s family.

            Commenting on the experiential nature of Paul’s statement in Romans 8:15, Martyn Lloyd-Jones said: “What the Apostle is emphasizing here is that not only must we believe this doctrine, and accept it with our minds, but we must also be conscious of it, and feel it; there must be the Spirit of Adoption in us as a result of this work of the Holy Spirit.” Lloyd-Jones went on to say, “Paul is really telling us that we are to feel—and I am emphasizing feeling—in this sense, what our Lord Himself felt.”²

In other words, we can experience the same intimacy with the Father that Jesus did. In John 17:26 Jesus reinforced this truth for us when He prayed, “I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and I myself may be in them.” What a prayer! Yet it was more than that. It was a profound expression of adoption, affirmation, and acceptance all rolled into one.

            Think about it. You can call God “Abba” just as Jesus did. Like a child, you can crawl up into “Abba’s lap” and experience the warmth and security of His loving embrace. You can know the pleasure of His heart as you allow your emotions to be bathed in the revelation of His extravagant love for you. 

This article was written by S. J. Hill who is the author of several books including What’s God Really Like?; Enjoying God; and A Love for the Ages.  S. J.  is a gifted Bible teacher with more than 40 years of ministry experience, at Brownsville Revival School of Ministry and Mike Bickle’s School of Ministry. His passion is to invite people to enjoy God out of an understanding of His enjoyment of them.