The Love of God

Good morning!

Luke 15:11-32

Prayer

Show of hands, how many:

Older siblings?

Younger siblings?

Middle siblings?

Only children? 

You’re kind of a historical anomaly (Only about 11% of people in the US grew up like this, number has basically doubled for kids today, different sermon for a different day)

This parable lands on you differently depending on how you grew up

Some of you always wonder why your younger brother can’t seem to get it together and some of you can’t figure out why your big sister is always such a stick in the mud

And the middle children are tired of nobody thinking about them (Amen?)

Jesus loved to teach in parables (stories) 

And the reason he did this is to those whom Jesus has revealed himself (both then and today) parables convey truths in a simple and memorable way

They help us to understand the heart of Jesus and the mission of Jesus

This particular parable is incredibly relatable to us b/c not everybody is a sheep farmer and not everybody sows crops and I’ve never even seen mustard tree with my own eyes and the only figs I know about are newtons,

but nearly everybody has a brother or sister

Pastor Tim Keller: if the teachings of Jesus were likened to a lake, this parable would be one of the clearest spots where we can see all the way to the bottom.

If our goal is to understand the nature of God passages like this are incredibly illuminating

What is God’s attitude to those who are far off?

And what are his feelings to those we might otherwise think are near to him?(Jesus loved to teach in parables) But what we see in scripture, is not everybody gets the message

v.1-2

Jesus hung out with the “others”

And in this time to share a meal with someone was an intimate thing

The Pharisees (religious elite; people who loved the Law of God so much they made up more laws looking for extra credit) thought that hanging out with folks from the other side of the tracks would make them unclean

If you think your good works are your ticket to eternal life, then these parables are going to confuse you and your heart is likely to be hardened

But Jesus hung out with the others

The others knew Jesus had more to offer than what they were going get on their own, they recognized that he had answers to their questions and there was hope in him

Listen: Jesus is going to meet you where you are but he is not going to leave you there

While the Pharisees and scribes are grumbling Jesus tells three parables to all who are gathered around him

He begins with the parable of the lost sheep (more joy over one sinner who repents than 99 righteous persons who don’t need it)

He follows it up with the parable of the lost coin (joy before the angels of God over one lost sinner who is found)

And then he tells this parable

If your bible has paragraph headings I can almost guarantee it calls this section of scripture The Parable of the Prodigal Son

If you grew up in church you’ve probably heard it called that a thousand times

That’s not what Jesus calls it

Prodigal does not mean “wayward” or “lost”; it means “recklessly spendthrift”

There’s a son who fits that definition but there’s someone who fits that definition even better (by the end of the message today I pray you know him)

(Jesus begins this parable with a simple statement:) v.11

Older and younger

v.12

In this society the older brother would be entitled to 2/3 of his father’s inheritance, the younger would get the remaining 1/3

When do you get your inheritance?  Usually it’s not while your father is still alive

This is not a guy asking to borrow a few thousand dollars for a weekend in Vegas

What the young man is saying in this situation is “Dad, you’re dead to me, give me what’s mine.”

And b/c the dad is good and honorable he strikes the son down in a righteous fury doesn’t he? No

He divides his property between them

Don’t misunderstand, not giving both of them some cash (pulling out his wallet)

This involves sale of property, land, livestock

A whole ordeal

v.13

This is an excellent definition of “sin”

B/c sin is not just disobeying a command that God has given us (even though that is correct)

(the father gave him the money didn’t he? There was no lecture, there was no withholding)

(Paul writes in) Romans 1:24-25 – Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 

The younger son exchanged the truth for a lie, he exchanged the goodness of his father for a life contrary to the one his father would have for him

And the father gave him over to it; “if this is what you want, if you want to be away from me then you’ve got your wish”

And he doesn’t send him away empty-handed (loads of cash)

You can live a “good” life apart from God

There are plenty of people who are wealthy, nice cars, nice houses, seemingly happy families, and they worship anything and everything but the God who made them (it’s a “good” life)

If you live apart from God, then this life is as close to him as you’ll ever be

It may be fine but there are things that money can’t fix, big houses can feel mighty empty and nice cars can’t keep you warm at night; and nothing is going to fill that void in your soul that you know is there

You throw everything up to and including the kitchen sink at it but it’s not enough

Jesus doesn’t promise us a good life, he promises us an abundant life in him

Without Jesus, the best you can have here is the best you’re ever going to have, it’s a close to heaven as you’ll ever be

With Jesus, it’s the opposite; with Jesus, this is as close to hell as you’ll ever come

But the younger son exchanged the truth for a lie, lived a prodigal “recklessly spendthrift” lifestyle

And now lives apart from his father and the goodness of his father’s housev.14-15 (pigs)

At this point all the Pharisees in the audience are looking at each other saying “pigs?!?”  Pigs were the dirtiest, the most unclean, they would never dream of such

They would rather die than be caught in a situation like this

And while they’re grumbling and rolling their eyes the “others” are thinking “you know, Dad never wanted me to be a tax collector”, “if he only knew where I was at right now….what I’d been up to…who I’ve been hanging out with”

V.16

Everybody has a rock bottom

Not all rock bottoms look the same on the outside 

(I hope my kids have boring testimonies and their rock bottom is when they realize that mom and dad aren’t trying to poison them when mashed potatoes are on their plate)

Some of us, though, it takes a little more convincing; the bottom of that canyon is a little further down

But what is clear from scripture is that EVERYONE has a rock bottom and no matter how far the distance looks to us (you’re here, I’m there) from the throne of a holy God that distance is a whole lot less significant

That fall to the bottom is death; we have all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God;

our exchange of the truth of God for a self-serving lie has separated us from our heavenly father, the one who breathed his breath into our lungs and gave us life

You’re going to hit rock bottom but you don’t have to stay there

VIII.V.17-19

Sin is exchanging the truth for a lie

This is repentance: turning away from the lie and back to the truth

He now realizes the goodness of his father’s house and longs to return to it

Even just a chance to serve there (not seeking restoration as a son, but to be treated as a servant)

Anything that his father’s house has to offer is better than what he has now

How does he know that?  How does he know about the goodness of his father’s house?

That’s where he grew up

What about the people who didn’t grow up there?

You’ve gotta tell them

They need to hear it with words and see it written on your face

That you have a great dad, a dad in whose house you can find protection, and a banquet feast, a dad who gives great gifts, a dad whose justice and mercy and grace exceed all others

That in your father’s house is life

Not talking about the building, either

Our eternal souls are not longing for 501 Maple St

We want the very presence of God our father, the home he has prepared for us

B/c being with our father is better than anything and everything else

(And so) v.20 

Notice that the father does not wait for an apology from his lost son

The young man who no doubt caused him a great amount of heartache, stress, pain, drained at least a 1/3 of his wealth

He sees him while he’s still a long ways off (he’s looking for him, waiting for his return), 

and when he see him he picks up and runs to him

Wealthy landowners in this day & age did not run

Opening himself up to ridicule and a loss of reputation from anyone who sees this taking place

Why?

B/c that’s his boy!

v.20-21

This is true; if you were ever looking for a way to burn a bridge with your parents then wishing death upon them is a pretty solid place to start

(Look at the father’s response) v.22-24

The father is lavishing his love upon his lost son

He runs and embraces him, he clothes him with his own coat of honor and glory, he puts his signet ring back on his hand and reestablishes him into the family, and a feast is prepared b/c why?

B/c his son was dead and is alive again!

It’s a cause for celebration!

B/c a shepherd will leave his 99 sheep to go find the one that’s lost

B/c a lost coin that was found is enough cause for rejoicing

And when a sinner comes to repentance and returns to his father’s house we throw a party

And the calf is already fattened

If you’ve ever raised cattle you know it takes a long time and significant investment of resources to get them to market weight

The calf is ready b/c we’re expecting cause for celebration

God’s attitude toward you is not one of…..“I told you so,” 

he’s not belittling you with “Well, did you learn your lesson?”

You belong with your heavenly father, you were made to be with him

And when you come home it’s a celebrationHow do we reach the younger brothers? How do we reach those who are a long way from our heavenly father?

I’m glad you asked

on march 16 many churches across the state are participating in an event called 3:16 on 3/16 (John 3:16 on March 16 )

We take for granted that everybody knows who Jesus is b/c everybody’s grandma went to church and our mom’s made us dress up on easter and we all drive pickup trucks and listen to country music so we’re good

In the coming weeks we’re going to have some specific things that each us can do 

But in the meantime this is the plan:

Praying for a mighty work that only God can do (salvation, revival)

Focal point in your prayer time

Specifically here, Princeton & Caldwell Co

The people who sit on the other side of the cubicle wall

Our friends, our families, our neighbors

XIII.the younger brother has been brought back into the house of his father….

But the man had two sons….

v.25

Why wasn’t he around?

Well he was off working, he was doing what he was supposed to be doing….

Remember who’s in the audience: not just the tax collectors and sinners but the Pharisees, the scribes, the hyper-religious, the people who love the law

The older brother is out doing but he is not with his father

So the party, the celebration, is a surprise to him

XIV.V.26-27

Excellent news, right?

Not in his eyes

v.28 (angry and refused to go in)

So what does the father do?

v.28 (came out)

Left the celebration for one son to bring the other into the fold

XVI.v.29-30

He refuses to even acknowledge his brother (“this son of yours”)

And he acts like life in his father’s house is equivalent to a lifetime of servitude with no celebration

Does he love his dad? Does he love him, or what he does for him?

Sounds an awful lot like the good works of the son put the father in his debt

Do what I want, I earned it

XVII.And now I’m guessing he’s looking right at the Pharisees and says:

v.31-32

You had my word, the promise that God would through your people, the children of Abraham, deliver all mankind from their sins 

and here I am, the deliverer, the Messiah, the Christ, standing right in front of you and you’re gonna miss it

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (including the rule keepers, including good church folks)

You can know all the rules but if you don’t know the one who gave them, you’re lost

This man had not one but two lost sons

one left and lived a sinful, reckless, prodigal lifestyle 

and one who walked the straight and narrow but hated who his father was

But the man was a prodigal father

a man who cared so little about his reputation that he would run to his lost son

A man who would leave the feast and personally beg his son to come in

We serve a prodigal God

From our vantage point his love looks reckless

But our perspective is skewed, and his “reckless” love is in line with exactly who he is

A God who loves his image bearers but hates the sins they commit

A God who would stand from his heavenly throne and walk into his creation in the form of a baby, born into the family of a carpenter not a king

Live the life that we should have lived and died the death that we deserved

He bore the penalty for our sins so that we might be brought back into relationship with our father

Restored not as servants in our father’s house but as children, heirs 

We all have strayed, we all have sinned

But Jesus is the older brother we needed, by his blood our sins are covered and we are judged by his righteousness not ours (not merit/not earning)

XVIII.And they all lived happily ever after, right?

The parable ends we know the younger brother has returned to his father’s house, reestablished as a son 

but there’s no mention of the older brother (warned in scripture not to forget..

(lostness comes in different forms) Life is too short & eternity is too long 

Let today be the day you give your life to Jesus Christ (invite)

XIX.Prayer

Invitation