Today we declare two great messages to the world. Both of them are what the world desperately needs. The first is that God loves man. This is a most wonderful fact. But that is not all. The other great message is that God in His righteousness has forgiven man's sins. Now man can come to God with all boldness and full faith, reminding Him that He has forgiven his sins.

At the end I would like to ask you a question. Why is the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15? It seems that there is something lacking in this parable of the prodigal. After the prodigal squandered his estate and came home, the father should indeed love him, but he should have said at least a few words of reprimand to the son, perhaps something like this: "You have taken all your estate and have spent everything; even your stomach is empty now." But the father did not say a word like this. No wonder the older son had to say something. Even we have to say something. Is it not unrighteousness when there is sin and it is not dealt with? If Luke 15 had only the parable of the prodigal, we would have to conclude that God is not righteous, that God has not judged sin, but has glossed over it. In the parable of the prodigal son there is not so much as one word of rebuke. But thank and praise the Lord that there are three parables in Luke 15. The first is the parable of the shepherd saving the sheep. The second is the parable of the woman seeking the lost coin. The third is the parable of the father receiving the prodigal son. Immediately in the first parable we have the good shepherd forsaking his life for the sheep. The Lord Jesus has already come and died. The sin of the prodigal was already judged in the first parable. Because of what happened in the first parable, there is the second parable, in which a woman lights a lamp to seek for the lost coin. Since the Lord Jesus has accomplished salvation, the Holy Spirit can come to enlighten with His light. After this the Father does not see the problem of sin anymore. The problem of sin has been cleared up in the parable of the shepherd giving his life for the sheep. In addition, the inward feeling has been enlightened in the parable of the woman lighting the lamp. The wrongs have been realized already. By the time the Father comes, all He needs to do is to welcome the prodigal. The Lord Jesus has forgiven our sins. The Holy Spirit has enlightened us and has caused us to be convicted concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment. Hence, by the time the Father comes, the matter of sin need not be mentioned anymore; He only has to do the work of welcoming us. In the previous two parables, God's righteousness as well as His love were already manifested.

Suppose a person has not yet come to God, but he sees that he is a sinner and realizes that the Lord Jesus has judged his sins. The Good Shepherd has borne his sins away and the Holy Spirit has enlightened him concerning his sins. When such a one returns home, he has to realize that the matter of sin is forever gone; it has been dealt with on the cross. Remember that the Father's house is not the place to talk about sin. It is not the place to talk about our squandering. The cross is the place to talk about sin; it is the place to talk about our squandering. If you are at home, God can most righteously choose not to talk about your sins. We can eat and drink to our heart's delight. We can live, wear the costly garments, rest, and make merry to our heart's delight. God has said that once we were lost, but now we have been found, that once we were dead, but now we have come to life. There is no problem here any longer. Hallelujah! God's grace is sufficient for us. In this way, we realize that God's grace is a faithful and righteous grace.