Sermon - Luke 15:11-24 - Robe, Ring, and Sandals - August 27, 2017

Not too long-ago Pastor Don preached on the Parable of the Lost Son. As we read through the Parable something jumped out at me that I thought would be a good follow up to his message.

Most of us have read these verses many times and been taught the meaning behind them many times, so you will be familiar with them as we read.

Luke 15:11-24

“¹¹ He also said: “A man had two sons. ¹² The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.’ So he distributed the assets to them. ¹³ Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living. ¹⁴ After he had spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he had nothing. ¹⁵ Then he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He longed to eat his fill from the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one would give him anything. ¹⁷ When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger! ¹⁸ I’ll get up, go to my father, and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. ¹⁹ I’m no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired workers.”’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. ²¹ The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.’ ²² “But the father told his servants, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Then bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let’s celebrate with a feast, ²⁴ because this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate.”

The younger of the sons went off and lived a wild lifestyle. He was not a good steward of what he had been given. Depending on the version of Bible you are reading you may see that the son was living wildly, foolishly, or wasted what he had. He was given an amazing gift that was more than enough to start his life with and he blew it.

We would have to make some assumptions but chances are that this wild life included excessive drinking, parties with the ladies, gambling, and a lot of other things we would hopefully avoiding in our own lives. The young son blew through all he had and eventually hit rock bottom.

Today we might compare him to those enslaved alcohol, drugs, gambling, pornography, greed, and sadly the list goes on.

After hitting rock bottom, the son realized how wrong he was and how low he had sunk. He returned to his father, confessed he was wrong, and he was forgiven.

Romans 10:9

“If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord.” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Same thing happens for all who return to their Creator and confess their sins. They are forgiven. It does not matter what the sin is, it does not matter how long they have lived in it, and it does not matter how far they have fallen.

Return to God and ALL sins are forgiven and you will be accepted into the family of God.

I want to focus on what happens after the son pleads for forgiveness.

Luke 15:22

“²² “But the father told his servants, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.”

After the son was forgiven he was given three things, the best robe, a ring on his finger, and sandals for his feet.

The first thing he was given was the best robe the father had to give.

I bet this young son was a sight… and not a good one. He would have been filthy from his life style, torn clothes from working with the pigs, and beyond worn out after traveling from a distant country.

The torn clothes, the dirt that covered his body, and the scars from the hard life would be instantly covered up the moment the robe was placed over his shoulders. Just like that, in an instant, the past is gone and he is restored to his rightful place.

Isaiah 61:10

“I rejoice greatly in the Lord, I exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a groom wears a turban and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

The robe or garments represent being wrapped in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Sins are forgiven, restoration happens, and a new life begins.

In many ways the symbolism of the robe is like that of baptism. Being baptized represents the old self dying and the new self being born through the gift of grace given to us by our Lord Jesus. The robe covers up or wipes away the sins of the past and a new person is standing where the old one once was.

The father gave his wayward son a robe wiping away the past as a symbol that all is forgiven and a new life has begun. Through Jesus each of us can receive the exact same thing, sins forgiven and a new life in Him all we have to do is believe He is Lord and confess our sins.

The next thing the father gave his wayward son was ‘a ring on his finger.’

In Genesis 41 we find Joseph in jail having been betrayed by his brothers and then accused of something he did not do. One day he is called on to help Pharaoh understand the dreams that have been plaguing him. God used Joseph to interpret the dreams and then Joseph was put in charge.

Genesis 41:37-44

“³⁷ The proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants, ³⁸ and he said to them, “Can we find anyone like this, a man who has God’s spirit in him?” ³⁹ So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you are. ⁴⁰ You will be over my house, and all my people will obey your commands. Only I, as king, will be greater than you.” ⁴¹ Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “See, I am placing you over all the land of Egypt.” ⁴² Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, clothed him with fine linen garments, and placed a gold chain around his neck. ⁴³ He had Joseph ride in his second chariot, and servants called out before him, “Make way!” So he placed him over all the land of Egypt. ⁴⁴ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh and no one will be able to raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt without your permission.”

The signet ring Pharaoh gave Joseph was a sign of authority.

A father giving his son a ring in Biblical times was a sign of the son no longer being a child. The ring represented the fact that the son now had authority to speak for the family. No longer a little child but an heir to the father.

Romans 8:15-17

“¹⁵ You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, ¹⁷ and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.”

When you accept Jesus as Lord and Savoir and receive the Holy Spirit within you, you are a coheir with Jesus on all that God is giving Him.

Ephesians 1:13-14

“¹³ In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. ¹⁴ The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.”

Through faith in Jesus you have part in His inheritance, which is an eternity in Glory with the Father and the Son.

The ring the father gave his wayward son was a sign that He was no longer some stranger, no longer lost, he was an heir once again. He was a son, a person with authority. His position was completely restored.

We will receive the same thing through our faith in Jesus. We become a coheir with Christ, we have authority to call out to the Lord, we are completely restored to our rightful place in fellowship with God.

The third thing the father gave his restored son was ‘sandals on his feet.’

The robe represents cleansing, the ring represents being returned to our rightful place in the family of God, the sandals remind us that we are no longer of this world.

Back then the roads were filthy. Animals did their ‘business’ wherever they were, people dumped their chamber pots into the streets, it was a mess and if you had to walk barefoot in it your feet would be nasty. Sandals were the only thing keeping your feet out of the worst of it.

Ezekiel 36:26-27

“²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ I will place my Spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances.”

Romans 12:1-2

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. ² Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”

The sandals are to remind us that we need to do our part. We cannot continue to walk in the garbage. We cannot live in our sins and pretend to be ok. We need to turn from our old ways and embrace the future that God has for us.

We are a new creation in Christ and we need to live accordingly. Which starts with turning away from our sins but also means we need to walk the path that God has laid before us.

Ephesians 5:1-2

“Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, ² and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.”

Live your life for God. Imitate Jesus in every way possible. Spread His love by serving others. Love God and Love Others.

As a child of God you have been given the Best Robe that shows that you are a new creation. You have a Ring that shows you are a coheir with Christ and will spend an eternity with God and the Sandals that remind you to no longer walk in the ways of your sinful life but to embrace the path that God has laid before you.

The Father gave his wayward son everything to show him that he was forgiven of his sins and restored to his rightful place. All the son had to do was to walk the walk… step away from the sin and walk the path of righteousness.

Are you ready to turn from your sins? Are you ready to be cleansed once and for all? Are you ready to be restored to your rightful place as a child of God? Are you ready to live the life God has for you and not the sinful one you have been living?

If you answered yes to any of these, I encourage you to come forward during our closing song and I would love to pray with you.

Thanks for reading!

Blessings,

Robert