(Im)Perfect Children | Faithful Father

Introduction

In a world that likes to view things in the color gray instead of black and white, there are some situations that are still very much black and white. One example of this is when there is a rule before you - do you obey the rule, do you work around the rule, or do you straight up ignore the rule? It seems like many people these days don’t like to follow rules. Many say that rules are subjective, outdated, irrelevant, and not fun. They are not worth obeying. Others believe that rules have a purpose and a function, and within reason, should be followed. A few weeks ago, Lindsey and I flew to Indianapolis for the SBC meeting and whenever you fly you have to go through TSA - everyone’s favorite, right!? TSA has some rules. There are things that you are allowed to bring with you, and a lot of things you cannot bring with you. There are some things you have to put in a container to be scanned, and some things you are able to keep on yourself as you walk through the metal detector. TSA has rules… and some people don’t like playing by their rules. There was one person who was told what he could keep on and what had to be taken off, and he walked through the metal detector… beep. He forgot his belt and walked back through… beep. He forgot the change in his pocket and walked back through… beep. He had forgotten something else and at this point he was getting frustrated at the rules… when in actuality, he was the one at fault.

TSA is stressful but those rules are there for a reason - Why do some people obey these rules? Some people do it based on principle: It’s just the right thing to do. Others do it based on fear: I don’t want to get in trouble. Others do it based on reward: The sooner I get through TSA, the sooner I can get a Chick-fil-a chicken sandwich! Many obey these rules, but for a variety of reasons… In life we all encounter all types of rules, and as hard as we try, we all are guilty of breaking them. The Bible shares that this is the universal condition for us as humans - we all have broken God’s law. We could say that we are imperfect children. How do we solve this problem? There are 2 camps: Those who try to be their own savior and those who look for outside help. Many in our world try to be their own savior in life. For every rule they break, they try to make sure that there are at least 2 that they keep so that their good outweighs their bad. Sadly, this mentality creeps into the church as well as many are convinced that they can save themselves. This morning as we conclude Luke 15, we’re going to find the captain of this camp - the ultimate Legalist of all legalists - the prodigal son’s older brother. Maybe as you look at your life, you find more similarities with yourself and this brother rather than the first brother. As we read from God’s Word this morning, beware of the danger of thinking that your hard work and your rule-following earn you any more favor and merit in the eyes of your Father. We all, younger brothers and older brothers, are in desperate need of God’s amazing grace and must run to His open arms in faith.

Luke 15:25–32 CSB

25 “Now his older son was in the field; as he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he summoned one of the servants, questioning what these things meant. 27 ‘Your brother is here,’ he told him, ‘and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 28 “Then he became angry and didn’t want to go in. So his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 But he replied to his father, ‘Look, I have been slaving many years for you, and I have never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me a goat so that I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’ 31 “ ‘Son,’ he said to him, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”

Last week we saw how the rebellious younger brother repented of his sins and was restored to his Father. This morning we see the opposite side. We see the older brother who never left home still truly never came home. He was near the truth, but didn’t know the truth. We could say that he knew about God but didn’t truly know God. Friend, regardless of your past as either a rebel or a rule follower, understand that you must repent and be restored with your heavenly Father! We must place our faith in our faithful Father. Let’s pray

Remember back in verse 1 of this chapter we see the context behind this parable. There are tax collectors, sinners, pharisees, and scribes. The younger brothers of the group are the tax collectors and the sinners. Those who were once far off. Rebels. Those living as enemies of God. Those who typically flocked to Jesus who taught them and spent time with them. Then you have the older brothers. The pharisees and the scribes. Those who were the rule followers. Those who thought they had it all figured out. Those who also are living as enemies of God and rebels of God. The chief problem of the younger son was greed… the chief problem of the older son is jealousy. Both of them had problems - one repented of his sin, one doubled down on his. Let’s see the Father’s love for his oldest son starting with the son’s response to his brother’s return in verse 25

Response (25-28a)

Notice where the older son was at this time - he was working in the field. He was working for the family. Doing his responsibility. He was busy, and likely very surprised to find out when he returned home that there was a party taking place. In today’s language, he probably would have checked his phone calendar to make sure that he didn’t miss a memo or a birthday or anniversary. Nothing was on the calendar! And no one came out to tell him what had taken place, either. Consider that for just a moment. The Father ran out to his younger son. He embraced him. He clothed him. He restored him. He threw a party… and the party is fully underway in our passage and no one thought to go and tell the older son. That’s kind of hard to imagine, isn’t it? It’s as though he was there, but he wasn’t really there. He never left home like his younger brother did, but even then, he still absent from what was going on at home. We could say that he was there, but he was still lost - on the outside looking in. The older brother never ran away, but he was still in rebellion.

What response should we have whenever someone lost is saved by grace through faith in Christ? Every blood bought, born-again believer should rejoice at this news! This is what we see throughout Luke 15 - something is lost, something is found, a party is thrown! But what response does the older brother give? Not only does he not celebrate, he pouts, and he gets mad. Can you imagine getting upset that we have to start our service off with a baptism? That’s about the most absurd thing I can imagine! We rejoice whenever we get the privilege of beginning our service with a celebration of someone being raised from death to life and being saved by Jesus Christ. How much more should this man, whose younger brother returned home, rejoice? Yet he doesn’t. What could Jesus’ point be here in this parable with the older brother’s response? Who are those listening to this parable? Tax Collectors, Sinners, and Pharisees and Scribes.

The younger brother was obviously in rebellion with the father. He ran away. He broke the law. He sinned. The tax collectors and sinners in part are represented by the younger brother in the story. But what about the older brother? The pharisees and scribes. He is the perfect symbol of those who have the right outward appearance, the right looks, the right church clothes (we could say), but who also were just as lost. Look at what has happened - the younger brother was the outsider and the older brother was the insider. But now it has flipped! The younger brother is inside this celebratory service while the older brother is now the outsider, confused, and trying to figure out what to make of things. He has cut himself off from the celebration. He refuses to welcome his brother back. Who does this sound like? The Pharisees in Jesus’ day! Jesus had much to say about these Pharisees - look at a parable that Jesus gives shortly after this one

Luke 18:9–13 CSB

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee was standing and praying like this about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I’m not like other people—greedy, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even raise his eyes to heaven but kept striking his chest and saying, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’

What is the problem here? The outside looks one way, but the heart looks completely different! See, the older son’s heart was out of sync with the father. He was angry at this news that should have left him overjoyed. Why would he be this way? It’s easy to point out the flaws in this older brother from our padded pews… but isn’t there a temptation inside of each of us to subconsciously be the older brother? To place our salvation and standing based on our works and our status instead of only on the basis of the work of the Father. The older brother is lethal and eternally so as people can get so caught up in what they’ve done and especially what they’ve never done, that they forget what the Father HAS done - church, may we never forget the wonder of the cross and the costliness of our sin! The minute that we minimize our sin and maximize the sins of others, the moment we become the older brother and we put on our church clothes and care more about our outward appearance than the condition of our heart.

When I was in Junior High, at FBC Ozark we had a big ministry called Judgment House and the title one year was “Are You Just Playing the Game?” The plot was just as the title sounds. There was a high schooler who seemed to have it all together. He was a good student. A good athlete. A good Christian kid who came to church. Or so it seemed. Internally it was all a show. He was really good at wearing different masks depending on the situation. This is the situation the older brother finds him or herself in. A temptation to play the church game. To put on a mask. To pretend that we have it all together and to respond poorly whenever God dispenses grace to someone we deem unworthy. The cure to legalism is to remember your ever-present need for God’s grace! Why is the Gospel preached in this pulpit every single week? Because we’re prone to wonder and tempted to forget. We must remember that we are in just as much need of the blood of Jesus as that other person across the tracks who didn’t grow up the way you did. We must remember that we all have a past and that the only way for rule-followers and rebels alike to be saved is not by working harder but by being made righteous by Jesus Christ.

Rejection (28b-30)

Sadly, the older brother doesn’t get it. He is mad. He refuses to celebrate. He’s kind of like Jonah whenever he arrived in Nineveh and preached to the people and called on them to repent. What happened? For a period, the people actually repented and turned away from their wickedness. We know that God’s Word never returns to Him void, but Jonah got to see up close and personal that people responded to his message. As a pastor, that’s something to celebrate! People responding in faith… but what does Jonah do? He goes and sits on the hillside and pouts because he wanted to see a firework show. He wanted to see these people suffer for their sins.

Jonah 4:4 CSB

4 The Lord asked, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

Jonah was a man used by God in mighty ways, but he had this temptation inside of him to be angry that God gave mercy instead of judgment to these people… don’t you think that we’ll have to fight this occasionally as well? Maybe it’s not over salvation, but it’s often over God’s provision. “Did you see that the Smith’s got this new thing?” “Did you see that God healed this person who has been sick?” “Did you hear that God really blessed this family and answered their prayers?” Whenever things don’t go the way that we expect, there is a temptation for us to get upset. This is what happens to the older brother. He is upset. In fact, so upset that he makes his father leave the party and come outside! Whenever you’re in charge of something, especially planning something as detailed and joyous as this type of celebration, you have a lot of things on your mind. The father wants this party to be grand - that’s why the fattened calf is being slaughtered, after all! He wants everyone to have a good time celebrating that his son has returned. But in the midst of this, his other son forces him to leave the party that he himself is in charge of. Just as the younger son dishonored his father by asking for his inheritance early, the older brother dishonors his father by not honoring and respecting him at during this special celebration. Again, he is the perfect symbol of the pharisees who look good on the outside but have the wrong motive on the inside. He refuses to rejoice in his younger brother’s return because he has rejected him as his brother. Look in the text at verses 29 and 30, he calls his own brother “this son of yours.” He refuses to identify with his own brother because he is so outraged with him over what he had done.

Before we get too upset at the older brother, we need to take a step back and realize what had just happened. At this point in time, the oldest son received a double portion of the inheritance. What took place when the father’s youngest son left? He took with him his inheritance! Meaning that the father had 100%. He was going to give his oldest son a double portion and the youngest son a single portion. 2 + 1 = 3, so there are 3 parts of the inheritance and the younger son took his 1/3, or 33% with him. What did he do with it? Verse 30 - he devoured it. He wasted it. He spent it recklessly. It is completely gone! So there is just 67% of the father’s assets remaining, and all of it should be going to the older son. What is the problem? The father welcomed his youngest son back, not as a servant, but as a son. Meaning that he was once again in line for an inheritance. The older brother will once again get a double portion, but the younger brother will also receive a single portion. If you look at the amount of assets that the younger brother ends up getting in this scenario, it totals 55% of the father’s wealth, while the older brother, who deserved 66% only ends up with 45%. Did you know that some people care a little bit too much about money? It’s been said that nothing tears a family apart after the death of a loved one more than finances. People fly in demanding that they are entitled to certain things and it destroys relationships more often than not - it’s heartbreaking! The oldest son was entitled to 66% and he knew that now he would only get 45% and he was upset. We can sympathize with the older brother a little bit, can’t we? That might not seem fair. That might not be the way that it was supposed to be. He was working hard for years for his father. He never left the house to go on a vacation. He was responsible the whole time. He never was given a small celebration (goat would usually feed 10-15 people), much less this extravagant feast of the fattened calf which was often only for a marriage ceremony.

What is the problem with the older brother? Doing the right things for the wrong reasons. Looking good on the outside but being rotten to the core on the inside. The pharisees felt the same way - they did all the right things on the outside. They knew the law and they kept the law… but they believed that their works made them deserving of God’s favor. Tim Keller once shared, “Elder brothers believe that if they live a good life, they should get a good life. That God owes them a smooth road if they try hard.” The legalist believes that God helps those who help themselves - have you heard that expression before? Help yourself, live a good life, do good things, be a good person, and after you do all that you can do, then God will do the rest, He will help you. He will save you, if you just try really hard first. That’s what the Mormons believe in 2 Nephi as the book of Mormon says, “We are saved after all that we can do.” Friend, hear me crystal clearly this morning - God doesn’t owe us His grace and He certainly doesn’t owe us salvation. If we’re being honest with one another what we deserve is to be separated from God because of our sins! We don’t just need God to help us a little bit or 50/50 or even 90/10 - we’re hopelessly lost because of our own sin and we are wholly dependent on God’s mercy and salvation. This is what Ephesians 2 reminds us of and verses 8-9 tell us that we are saved by grace through faith, not as a result of our works.

The legalist cares more about his status than he does about his brother’s salvation.

What has Jesus repeated over and over in this chapter? That whenever salvation takes place, people rejoice! What is the point that Jesus is making with this older brother? Why would he not rejoice? Why does he care so much about his status and accomplishments? Are you ready? Because the older brother is lost. Why has the father not thrown him a party? Because he hasn’t come home. Understand this, you can leave the Father without ever leaving the Farm. He believed wrongly that because he had never left the farm that he was the good boy and his rebellious brother was the bad one. Little did he realize that they were both lost… and only his brother to this point had repented of his sin and been restored.

If you grew up in church like me, you’ve seen older brothers your whole life. You’ve seen the people who come every single week. Who say the right words. Who do the right things. Who play the church game really well… and then what happens? They get upset about something. They pout about something. They leave, and in many cases, they don’t come back - not just to your church, but to any church. The minute that change hits, the minute that someone who doesn’t think like them comes in and gets saved and wants to serve, there are problems. Church, we have to guard ourselves against this! This legalism is lethal. Maybe that sounds too harsh, let’s ask ourselves this question: What would our response be if God chose to send revival to a Bible believing, Jesus preaching church down the road? The older brother would pout. God commands us to rejoice! Don’t be like the older brother and reject the Father because a younger brother with a past comes home… remember that you have a past too. You are just as in need of the Father’s grace and mercy as the brother who did leave the farm.

Reminder (31-32)

This is heavy… and I know that my toes sure were stepped on this week as I was praying and preparing. Do you know what stopped me in my tracks as I read this text over and over? Look at verse 31. After the older son disrespected his father, threw his fit, revealed his sinful heart… the father responded with compassion. The older brother wasn’t willing to call his brother “brother” but the father calls him “son.” Not child. Not servant. Not failure… Son. Church, in a world full of division, like the Father, we can be full of grace and truth and serve as a bridge builder rather than a relationship ruiner or grotesque gossiper. This is our God - He responds to prodigals and legalists with compassion. The problem that the legalist has is a misunderstanding of God’s grace. They believe that the more good things you do, the more deserving you are of God’s grace. By obeying and doing good things, your standing increases and your merit moves upward. This makes sense in a legal or corporate sense - the better you work, the more good you do, the more your compensation will be! This is the definition of many works based religions, do this and you’ll get that. Do. Do. Do… but this isn’t the Gospel! The Gospel isn’t defined by “Do” it is defined as “DONE”

Jared Wilson shares that “We do not obey in order to be accepted by God. We obey because we have been accepted by God through faith in Jesus.” We do not work to earn our standing and victory, we work because of our standing and we work from a position of victory. We are not saved because of our last name, church attendance, monthly giving contributions, or the number of mission trips we’ve been on. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ and we are saved in order to do good works

Ephesians 2:10 CSB

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

Works are not the root… works are the fruit. This is the fundamental misunderstanding for older brothers. It was the pharisees in Jesus’ day and it remains so today. Look at their complaint to Jesus at the beginning of this chapter

Luke 15:2 CSB

2 And the Pharisees and scribes were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Not only did Jesus Christ welcome and eat with sinners… Romans 5:8 tells us that He died for them. And this is good news for who? Sinners. Friends, we have to remember who we are and who we are not. We are not perfect. We are people in need of a sinless Savior. We also have to realize that Jesus doesn’t leave us as we were. Yes, sinners and tax collectors came to Jesus… but Jesus didn’t leave them in their sin. He called them to repent. To be changed from the inside out. Jesus routinely met with outcasts, drunkards, tax collectors, and even prostitutes… but when He left them, they weren’t those things anymore - their sin no longer defined them because Jesus had transformed them - and Jesus is still in the business of transforming hearts and saving lives today.

2 Corinthians 5:17 CSB

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!

Come to Jesus as you are - but don’t leave Him as you were. Jesus changes those whom Jesus saves. Ask yourself this question: How has Jesus changed my life? The younger son was changed by the Father. He was in rebellion, he repented of his sin, he was restored! This must be our story as those walking in darkness today. We must come to our senses and repent of our sin. Repent from any inkling of self-righteousness inside of yourself that says that you can save yourself by doing good things or being a good person or by thinking that you don’t need Jesus because you’ve never done anything really bad. This story is open-ended and that is intentional as Jesus is calling these pharisees home and waiting for their response. Think of the ultimate pharisee of pharisees, Paul. Who came to his senses on the Damascus Road and entered the feast of the Father. Friend, it doesn’t matter your past, legalist or prodigal, if God could save me, if God could save Paul, if God could save a tax collector like Zacchaeus, he can certainly save you as well.

Repent of sin and come to your heavenly Father. He is compassionate. He is merciful. He is gracious. As the Getty’s shared a few years ago, He is strong and kind.

Ephesians 2:4–5 CSB

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!

Is this your story? If it is then you and I have a responsibility today. What was the responsibility of the true older brother? The one who stayed at home for the right reasons, unlike the pharisees in Jesus’ day? To pursue the younger brother who was living in rebellion. Friend if you are saved, you have a responsibility to go out into the fields, subdivisions, cities, and suburbs and find lost brothers and sisters. Not to sit and stay where it’s comfortable, but to pursue that which is lost. This is what Jesus does - and this is what He calls on us to do as well. To go therefore and make disciples. To be His witnesses to our neighbors and the nations.

How Must Lost Children Respond to The Father?

Repent of Sin and Come Home

Understand what the Bible says about your situation. We all are guilty of treason before God because of our sin. We must repent of our sin. We must turn away from it. We must come home to our Father!

Remember we are Saved by Grace, not by Works

As those who are saved by the finished work of Jesus Christ, we must remove any part of ourselves that desires to boast in ourselves and our works. As those who are saved, we must continue to remind ourselves of the Gospel because we are still in need of the Gospel as it reminds us of our desperate need for Jesus!

Resolve to Forgive Others

The pharisees in Jesus’ day wanted God’s mercy for themselves but they refused to give mercy to others. Jesus taught His followers to forgive. In fact, Ephesians 4:32 says that we are to forgive one another just as God also forgave us in Christ. If you have been forgiven, you are called to forgive.

Rejoice at God’s Gift of Salvation

A miserable Christian is an oxymoron. We’re so blessed at this church to see God at work as we’ve seen the lost be found and those dead in sin be raised to walk in newness of life. What must our response be, FBC? We must rejoice! We must continue to make a dent in Dent County for God’s glory, one life at a time. We’ve seen many lives saved. We’ve seen many lives changed. Let’s continue to rejoice at God’s work and God’s gift. Let’s get busy with our Lord’s business. Let’s remind people that we all need Jesus, and let’s call imperfect children to come home to their faithful Father!