Bitter Brother Luke 15:25-32

-We miss out on the Father’s joy when we despise the Father’s mercy.

Several years ago Dr. Kevin Leman wrote The Birth Order Book. You may be familiar with that book because Dr. Leman is a well-known Christian psychologist and has been on Dr. Dobson’s radio program a number of times. The thesis of The Birth Order Book is very simple: When you are dealing with your children, it is important to understand that their personality, their temperament and their outlook on life is greatly shaped by where they appear in the birth order.

For example, first-born children tend to be leaders. He points out that a disproportionate number of presidents have been first-borns. The same is true for most of the great leaders of the military and for many of the leaders of American industry. They usually have a strong sense of personal responsibility. First-borns tend also to be rule-keepers, obsessed with concepts like fairness and justice. They normally have a strong sense of rightness and wrongness and are often very black and white in their thinking. They also are usually the keepers of the family traditions. Many of them are perfectionists, highly demanding—both of themselves and of those around them. Very often first-borns accomplish a great deal in life because their parents have put so much pressure on them to excel.

The Older Brother...

I. Receives Good News vv. 25-27

The story of the Prodigal continues with a shift of scene to his older brother

This brother’s life is marked by faithfulness; he has never left his father and is working in the field when his brother returns

He finds himself in the same position that a lot of us are pretty familiar with. He’s a good guy who has done what was expected of him, while his younger brother seemingly wasted his life, broke his dad’s heart, and left big brother to deal with it.

Now, on his way home, he hears all of the sounds of a party:

This party is unannounced: It’s a complete surprise

When he arrives, he will find that it is not a celebration of him or his faithfulness. It’s all about his prodigal brother!

Let’s be honest with ourselves. I think I know how most of us would feel in his shoes.

The news is Good News. His brother has been rescued and restored.

The question is this: How will his older brother respond? The answer reveals his heart towards both his brother and his Father

What about you? How do you respond when you see God pour out His amazing grace in the life of someone who has run far from Him?

We see a pretty powerful example of this principle in the prophet Jonah:

Jonah 3:10-4:3

[10] When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

[1] But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. [2] And he prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. [3] Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” (ESV)

TANTRUM The generosity of God displeased Jonah exceedingly and he slashed with angry prayer at the graciousness of the Almighty. “I told You so,” he screamed. “I knew what You would do, You dirty Forgiver. You bless Your enemies and show kindness to those who despitefully use You. I would rather die than live in a world with a God like You. And don’t try to forgive me either.”

-Thomas John Carlisle, You! Jonah!

II. Rejects His Father vv. 28-30

As we consider the older brother, we are going to find out that he is not really that much different than the prodigal:

The Prodigal refused to stay in their Father’s house

The Elder refused to return to their Father’s house. He preferred to sit outside and pout about it

Please don’t miss this: the righteous brother is as cut off from his Father’s presence as his brother was.

The elder brother is forgetful:

He forgets his own disobedience, claiming to have never disobeyed one of his Father’s commands

He forgets his Father’s grace, claiming that he never received so much as a young goat to celebrate with his friends

The elder brother is also mindful:

He is happy to remember and name his brother’s sin

He takes his brother’s sin very personally

The sin was primarily against his father, but the elder brother acts as though this is a personal affront

It is so bad that he cannot even identify the prodigal as his brother, but only calls him, “this son of yours”

Something important happens here:

The same Father who pursued the prodigal persuaded his brother

The reckless rebel needed his Father’s embrace; the righteous rebel needed his correction.

If, like the elder brother, you believe that God ought to bless you and help you because you have worked so hard to obey him and be a good person, then Jesus may be your helper, your example, even your inspiration, but he is not your Savior. You are serving as your own Savior.

-Timothy Keller Prodigal God

III. Risks Missing Out vv. 31-32

The elder brother must learn the same lesson that the prodigal learned: his Father is not the man that he thinks he is at all

The brother had convinced himself that his Father must love him because of his own goodness

Instead, it turns out the Father loves him because it is his nature to love; He is love

There are three invitations set before the elder brother:

The Father’s presence: he has the opportunity to be with his Father

The Father’s inheritance: he has the opportunity to receive his Father’s blessings

The Father’s joy: he can join the Father’s celebration

Everything that is given to the Prodigal is available to the elder brother and for the exact same reason: because of the Father’s love.

Will you receive the Father’s grace?

Will you share the Father’s grace?

Or will you continue in a self-righteous bitterness, separated from the Father?

COMING AROUND And Jonah stalked to his shaded seat and waited for God to come around to his way of thinking.

And God is still waiting for a host of Jonahs in their comfortable houses to come around to His way of loving.

-Thomas John Carlisle You! Jonah!