The Heavenly Prodigal
by Peggy Harris W.A.S.H. Board Chair

Inspired by communion comments by Pastor Don Driver 3/29/02

Once upon a time before the mists of this small blue planet were visible in the universe, in the Celestial City a plan was made. A plan so daring that it would astonish all the heavens for eternity. This plan was carefully and thoughtfully put together with the same expert care that the Creator planned new habitats and inhabitants. This was indeed a fail-safe procedure that would ensure the right outcome.

After the rebellion of Lucifer and his following of one third of the heavenly angels in the Celestial City this plan became a reality. When God created this small blue planet, Earth, while in its perfect harmony this plan was there. When Adam and Eve committed the first sin on this planet, Earth, the plan started.

As the evil one, Satan, continued his rebellion on Earth, all the heavenly hosts supported God’s most wonderful plan. As evil abounds and grows more and more bitter towards all those who have the commandments of God in their hearts, the angels of God continue their work in helping earthlings.

The Plan

In the throne room of heaven at just the right time in the history of the planet Earth, the Son of God, our Creator, left the beauty of the perfect Celestial City. This perfect being became a prodigal from His Father to this far away small blue planet. This was the only planet of the created universe that had succumbed to the evil influence of the evil one. When Satan left heaven he was never to be the same again. When Jesus left heaven he would never be the same again either.

This most wonderful God came to Earth to save His lost children. He took on humanity, lived as a human in this world, suffered as we suffer, was tortured, beaten, and finally crucified for us! Here was a God who stooped to humanity! A God who will forever bear the marks of the effects of sin for eternity! A God who will always be human in His divine nature!

This plan was carried out with precise detail, with prophecy forecasting the event centuries before. This plan is remembered by all Christians everywhere in the beautiful communion service and in celebrations of His death and resurrection around this globe.

The Sacrifice

In the fullness of time God left heaven and became a prodigal for us in this far off country. He took on our role and paid for our sins. He lived, worked and associated with sinners during His short life here on planet Earth. He was a perfect being in an imperfect world living a perfect life in the swine pits. For God so loved us! He gave His only Son to redeem us lost sinners! What an awesome event! What grace descended from heaven! He took on all our burdens and set us free to live life eternally when He comes again.

His death on the cross in our place was cruel and as terrible as sin is. He hung there suffering not only the physical pain but also the heartache of carrying the whole world’s sins. He hung there naked before humanity and the entire universe. He was God stripped bare of all His glory and majesty.

This God would stop at nothing to provide earthlings a way of escape from the eternal death of sin. His life here in the pits was for us! Now we don’t have to live in sin and die for eternity. This heavenly prodigal has saved us from living the prodigal life.

No wonder heaven stood silent as they watched the fearful events on Calvary. No wonder that all the universe will never forget that day. No wonder that sin will never enter the new earth when it is re-created.

The Blessing

Only as we see our own sinfulness can we then discern the blessing of our precious Savior. It is He who brings us back home to reunite with the Father. The coverings of His righteousness are put tenderly around our filthy rags. The Father has waited long for our arrival home. Finally our soul is emptying of vanity and pride and all that has held us captive in sin. Now Christ reigns in our heart. This act of love will forever remain an unfathomable mystery. This is an event that can only be experienced by repent sinners. It is only as we see our own sinful nature that we can behold the preciousness of our Savior.

As we experience this profound plan to escape eternal death and see the sympathy that God has for us, a bond of sympathy with each other then unites us. This is what makes us the seasoning for the world. This is the life that builds no walls of separation between us as humans. It brings us each into a new exuberant life in God. We truly come alive and are resurrected from sin.

Because of this plan we no longer are slaves condemned to death, living a careless pleasure-loving wasted life. We leave the broken cisterns for the living water. As new servants of the living God we share this blessing with all around us. We cannot hold this wonderful gift just to ourselves.

We have confidence that in Christ we can live a fully victorious life, pardoned with His grace, clothed with His righteousness. We have this hope, this promise that God does not fail in His plan. We know with certainty that we are His children and have His salvation.

The Greatest Love

Beholding Jesus dying on the cross to save us lost sinners reminds us of John’s words, “See how much the Father has loved us! His love is so great that we are called God’s children – and so, in fact we are.” 1John 3:1 Good News Bible.

God sent His Son to reveal His great love to our world and to draw us to Himself. This is true love. No wonder Satan uses every means to distort and discredit this kind of love. This is no cheap substitute, no alternative life style. This love of God for us is the real thing.

God left the comfort of the courts of heaven, the perfect beauty of the Celestial City to come to this sin darkened wayward planet. Truly this is an exhibition of the greatest kind of love there is. He gave His life for us! His believers here follow His example of this great love and will go to any means to share it with others even to the sacrificing of their own life. In a selfish, world this is a startling change of venue to behold.

Our Part

God makes us partners in this plan. He who paid the ultimate price by giving His life to save us then includes us in His plan. We who believe are commissioned to go everywhere and share this Good News. All the heavenly hosts join us. When we lay self before the cross we then become a blessing and a partner with God is sharing this greatest love with the world.

God’s Party

Most people celebrate a child’s accomplishments such as honor student, graduation, promotion, and marriage. We do not celebrate our failures as parents! When a child goes away and ends up in a jam, loving parents will help their child, even restore the child but celebrate with a party?

God does! This astonishing God is not afraid to throw a big party when His lost children come home. He is not afraid His reputation may be questioned while recovering a failure to Himself. He did not follow His wayward child but gave all that the child asked and let him go. He did not give up hoping, longing, and looking for that child’s return. Then one glorious day as the Father looks over the Universe, He sees the child coming home!

This child left home because he thought his Father was too strict and too stern. He believed in his own twisted concept that he was not loved. Finally he could not bear living in this household anymore and longed for the life he thought was “out there” a long ways from home.

He experienced the “out there” for a time, and finally discovered that everything he had taken with him was gone and he was reduced to begging. Finally he wrangled a job, pitiful though it was and found himself reduced to eating garbage. He had now reached the lowest point of his life, and even wondered if life was worth living. There flickered a small, dim hope that maybe he could go home.

Now, Father did not seem so strict and stern. In fact Father’s home seemed like a good place to be. Still not realizing the great love of his Father he thought to himself that if he went home, asked for a job as a servant maybe, just maybe Father would accept him back on that basis.

So he headed home, not as a son no that could ever be! As he traveled the dusty road, walking, there was no glorious hot rod chariot to bring him home as he had left, just his two weak legs.

Father, who waited daily at the gate looking for His child’s return, just as if there was nothing else to do in the great universe, finally saw a speck in the distance. It was His child, returning home! Running to meet him Father threw His own robe over the garbage-decked rags that barely covered this child.

Then comes the party! Nothing is too good to be spared in celebrating this return. The feast prepared celebrates the reunion of the Heavenly Prodigal and all those who accept God’s gracious invitation to be forever with the Father. Yes, there is a difference in the way God celebrates the return of one lost child. Thank God for that!

Luke 15:11-24, Luke 22:1-14, Revelation 14:5-9
7BC (S.D.A. Bible Commentary) 949.12
DA (The Desire of Ages) 494.4
GW (Gospel Workers) 140.1, 157.1
MB (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing) 8.2
MYP (Messages to Young People) 408.1
SC (Steps to Christ) 52.3
1SM (Selected Messages Book 1) 183.3, 323.2
3T (Testimonies for the Church Volume Three) 99.4, 5T 604, 631.1
TM (Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers) 153.1

This page last updated on Sunday January 29, 2006 11:14 AM

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