Theological term
Godly Sorrow
2 sermons · All terms
Hitting Rock Bottom: A Story of Redemption and Hope
The parable of the prodigal son illustrates the depth of human sin and the sovereign grace that brings a sinner to repentance. The younger son's descent into destitution — feeding pigs in a far country, longing to eat their food — pictures the miserable estate of every soul apart from God. Godly sorrow, distinguished from mere regret, drives the son to confess sin against both his father and against heaven. The sermon presses the listener to consider whether they have yet come to themselves, recognizing their own ruin and the mercy that awaits in the Father's house.
The Prodigal Son
Luke 15:11–32, the parable of the prodigal son, confronts two kinds of lostness: the deliberate rebellion of a son who demands his inheritance while his father still lives, and the self-righteous resentment of an elder son who cannot rejoice at his brother's return. The sermon traces the younger son's descent, his coming to himself in godly sorrow and repentance, and the father's extravagant, undeserved welcome as a picture of God's readiness to receive returning sinners. The older son's unresolved anger is pressed upon those whose confidence rests in their own moral performance rather than in grace. The sermon closes by pointing to Christ as the true older brother who, unlike his counterpart in the parable, laid down his life to make repentant sinners co-heirs with himself.