Steps of Repentance: Lessons from the Prodigal Son

1. The Prodigal Son Steps of repentance in the life of the prodigal son

2. The Prodigal Son Leaving His Father • The P.S. left his father and chose to go away to spend all his money, likewise, we leave God when we choose to sin. • The P.S returned back to his father, likewise, we go back to God when we repent from our sins. • The P.S. passed through 4 steps of repentance before he came back to his father, likewise, we have to go through those 4 steps when we repent from our sins.

3. The First Step • He began to feel in need to go back to his father. • Being in need of fatherhood is the first step towards repentance. • We should feel that we are missing our father Jesus when we sin and we need Him to comfort us • The devil deceived P.S. to make him rush towards sin but he found no comfort, “Nobody gave him”

4. The Second Step • He came to himself. He regretted what he did. • “How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger. I will arise and go to my father as I have confidence in his fatherhood and his love whatever my sins are” • God wants us to always be happy. But there is something called blessed grief.

5. What is Blessed Grief? • It is the grief for the sake of God. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4) • It is grief accompanied by tears but through it we have hope and confidence in our Father’s forgiveness. • The devil encourages us to sin and fall and when we fall, the devil seeks to drive us into despair. • But we should struggle before we sin, and if we sin, we should hurry to repent saying: “Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise” (Micah 7:8).

6. The Third Step • He took a decision. “He rose and came to his father”. • To take this decision we need to: • Have Complete confidence in the promises of God and His love that He will never reject us. • Deep hatred of sin.

7. The Fourth Step • He confessed to his father: “ Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight”

8. Confession • Confession is the last step of repentance, not the first! • It is declaring our repentance to the priest to whom we entrust our secrets and confessions. • The priest is given the power of loosening and binding according to the apostolic power received by the apostles from the Lord Himself. • In the early church, confession was made in public in front of the whole church. • But after the spread of Christianity, the church preferred that confession would be in secret before one priest.

9. What are the 4 steps of repentance? • Feel the need to go back to God. • Have a blessed grief about sin and regret doing it. • Take the decision to go back to Jesus and never sin again. • Confess.

10. Conclusion • There is no place better than the Father’s house where He cares for us • There is no rest and comfort for us away from our Father’s house. • We should always pray that we may never leave His house.

11. Verse “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight” (Luke 15:21)