Untitled Sermon (64)

Do you remember the Karate Kid. No, not the newer version with Will Smith’s kid…the old one…with all the glory of the 1980’s.

Daniel LaRusso the teenager who moved from New Jersey to California, who gets bullied and is desperate to learn karate for self-defense.

When Mr. Miyagi agrees to teach him, Daniel is thrilled. But his excitement quickly turns to frustration. Instead of learning cool karate moves, Mr. Miyagi has him doing mundane chores - waxing cars, painting fences, and sanding floors. "Wax on, wax off," Mr. Miyagi instructs, demonstrating a circular motion. Daniel obeys, but he's confused and annoyed.

He thought he was going to learn karate, not be Miyagi's unpaid laborer. In his mind, these repetitive tasks are holding him back from the freedom to defend himself.

He’s going to quit. What the master is asking him to do just seems dumb, senseless. The rules seems restrictive. He wants to be taught karate—he wants to know how to throw punches and do some sweet kicks—this is just unhelpful.

I wonder if you’d admit ever thinking this way about God? That his rules are restrictive, not giving you the freedom you really need.

For some they hear what God says about sexual ethics and are like, “Nah, that’s just outdated. Dumb. Not helpful. I’m gonna quit. I wanted to live the good life…I thought God was about happiness and joy and stuff…why is he restricting this??”

Some of y’all can’t really relate to that. That’s not your bag. That’s not the temptation for you. But let me ask you this…what do you do with what God’s word says about gossip or anger or slander or how whispering separates friends.

Do you think God’s counsel is a little restrictive? He doesn’t understand! That guy just cut me off in traffic.

Or are your politics shaped by the gospel? Or does it just not apply. You can’t turn the other cheek when it comes to battling it out with these guys…that’s not going to give us the freedom that we’re looking for...

And so what happens when we think God is too restrictive, not giving freedom, etc. We do what Daniel-son was going to do…we get up and leave. I don’t need this!

And that’s what we see in our story here today. It’s the story of the prodigal son. For the next 5 weeks we’re going to camp out on Luke 15:11-32. Today we’re only going to verse 24. But it’s one of the most famous stories of Jesus...

Today we look at the prodigal son. The younger brother…the one who gets up and walks away.

Luke 15:11–24 ESV

And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

Now let me tell you the main point of what Jesus is doing here. It’s not actually about the prodigal son. This whole passage is really about the heart of the Father and it’s target is the older brother…this whole thing comes from Luke 15:1-2

Luke 15:1–2 ESV

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

Jesus then goes into several parables about something that is lost—when it is found our heart should be that of celebration and not begrudging. We shouldn’t be upset about grace.

And so in order to do that he needs a foil. To really drive his point home he needs to tell the story of this younger brother that is an absolute scoundrel. We’re not supposed to identify with him…we’re really supposed to hate him. Well the first time we hear the story or the first time we read it…but when we go back over it…well, then we begin to see ourselves there.

And seeing that THIS is your story…or really that what we’ve got here are TWO lost brothers…well, that is where transformation starts to happen. Today we’re going to deep dive on that younger brother.

Now the first thing you need to know is that this story would have immediately set a Middle Eastern audience on edge...

It was supposed to be father, older brother, younger brother speaking in that order. That’s how we’re supposed to hear them. “Who are you kid? That’s disrespectful!”

The younger brother breaks protocol and talks first. Strike one. Then comes his request. He wants his inheritance now. Which means that they’d have to liquidate property. They didn’t just have cash laying around…it was tied up in the family farm.

This request is like saying, “I wish you were already dead, pops.” Just give me my stuff now…let me live my life. He’s breaking away from the family. Why?

Well…we don’t know for sure…but the fact that he went and “squandered his property in reckless living” tells us a little something. He thought that joy was found elsewhere. It wasn’t to be found in the home. Dad was too restrictive.

And so he cuts all ties with his family. In our culture this is pretty frowned upon. But in that culture…it’s a hundred times worse.

Maybe it’d be like selling the family home while the parent is still living in it. Or emptying their bank account and then disappearing. But then using that money to shame the parents.

So maybe let’s think of it like a kid of faithful Christian parents, tried to raise their kids right, taught them about the Bible, all that good stuff....they empty out mom and dad’s back account and move to LA to do adult films…and then post about their journey on social media---hashtag “free at last”.

We’re supposed to hate this kid at first reading. No sympathy. The story progresses and here he is spent everything—then a severe famine arose and he’s in real trouble now. So he sells himself out to a citizen of the land...

This is Jesus’ way of putting him on skid row…he’s in the bad part of town…he’s paying the consequences for his sin and rebellion. It gets so bad that he ends up in a pig pen…unclean animals…longing for their food.

Now at this point we aren’t supposed to pity him. We’re supposed to say, “Good. This is exactly what he deserves. This is the consequence of sin. This is teaching him a lesson. This is justice served. This is the Bible—all the Proverbs—coming true in his life.”

Play stupid games, you get stupid prizes kid.

You probably think I’m going to turn the story here…but I’m not. I really want us to chew on this for a second. Sin really doesn’t pay off. Rebelling from the Father ISN’T a good move.

Sin does take you further than you wanted to go. That kid didn’t think he’d end up in a pig pen, defiled, pig dung all over him, still starving. He doesn’t have an ounce of freedom there.

That is what sin is and does. We sin when we believe another promise than the one God has made. We sin when we believe that God’s ways are not best and we go our own way. It’s trying to find comfort, joy, peace, security, whatever in something other than God. It’s a self-centered thing. And it’s foolishness. It never ends well.

I was doing research a few months ago and I came upon a Reddit thread where people shared their “rock bottom story”. I started to notice a thread. For one, most of them are a downward spiral. It never starts at the bottom.

But so many of the stories sounded like this one:

“Despite having a job, I even began to sell whatever was in my home, regardless if it had any emotional or sentimental attachment to me. The things that were important to me in my life no longer had any value except for the fact that selling them became a gateway to buy more drugs.”

And we can look at this again from the eyes of someone in that family and say, “Bro, how did you sell grandpa’s watch? How’d you sell off that family property that had been in our family for years? How could you do this to us…you good for nothing low-life.”

That’s how we’re supposed to respond to this story. Jesus turns the story in verse 17. This is the moment in Karate Kid when Daniel is about to leave, Mr. Miyagi throws a punch and Daniel blocks it. Cue the orchestra. Grab the Kleenex. It dawns on him....oh my goodness, this wasn’t restrictive…this was freedom! He’s a good teacher. This hasn’t been for nothing…He WAS training me for something bigger.

The prodigal comes to his senses and says, I’ll just be a servant in my father’s house. I’m going to see if dad will forgive me. I have no expectation of being a son again…I’ve blown that…but maybe I can be one of the servants. Dad treated them better than this guy is treating me here in this pig slop.

So he gets up to go to the father. Now at this point in the story Jesus knows the response....it’s not going to be one of sympathy. If there is going to be grace…and they probably are expecting at least this much given his other stories about the lost being found…it’s going to be that the Father accepts him back into the household as a servant. A lowly servant.

Can we turn this around for just a second? For one, maybe you’re more like the younger brother this morning and you know it. You’ve done things you regret and you aren’t sure how to get back. Sin took you further than you intended to go.

You’re here this morning (though maybe you’re watching online…not sure if you could even come back into a church building)…but I’m assuming that because of that you aren’t a recognizable younger brother exactly. You don’t exactly have pig feces on you…you’ve cleaned yourself up a bit.

But you still know what you did. And I wonder if you’re thinking like the prodigal. Maybe you’re trying to hide it…clean yourself up a bit…but you don’t believe for one second that God could actually accept you again.

Or maybe you’re thinking this morning, “That’s not me. I’ve never gone off the rails like that. I’ve never emptied a bank account or wound up in a pigpen.”

But let me ask this: How far from the Father do you have to walk before it counts?

Like… what if you’re not the kid who broke every rule… but you quietly ignore the ones that inconvenience you?

— What about the bitterness you carry and refuse to release? — What about the gossip that feels like “just venting”? — What about the way you nurse resentment and call it discernment? — What about that little superiority complex you feel when other people mess up and you haven’t?

---What about sitting in judgment on others and their walk with the Lord?

Maybe your story doesn’t include rebellion in the streets. But what about rebellion in your thoughts? In your attitude? In the way you talk about people when they aren’t around?

See, some of us would never move to a distant country—but we’ve wandered just as far in our hearts.

The truth is, sin wears two costumes. One is reckless and loud and obvious. The other is subtle and socially acceptable. But both costumes cover the same thing: a heart that doesn’t trust the Father.

Sin always takes you further than you want to go…maybe it’s not to a brothel…maybe it’s to just stone cold and bitter....maybe it’s where you’re just hollowed out and don’t have an ounce of joy in your walk with the Lord....

No matter which kind of sinner you are…we do have something to learn from this younger brother. He returned. He came to his senses and said…I’m going back home. I’m not going to stay in the pig pen. Whether that pig sty is porn or pride. Partying or passive aggression. Pig pens or perfectionism. Repentance is the only fitting response.

Now let’s say for a moment that you’re tracking…and you’re convicted…and you’ve got that secret, that thing you did, or that sin you keep holding onto, or you realize the coldness and bitterness and judgmentalism in your heart, and the Spirit of God has given you just a spark there...

What is the speech you are rehearsing?

The prodigal has his…you can envision this…he’s rehearsing it on this way back home…smelling like pig…unclean…shame all over his body…shuffling along…probably turned around a couple times…back and forth...

“While he was still a long way off....”

That means he hasn’t exactly come home yet. He’s maybe even still doing a little of the shuffle. Jesus wants you to know that the younger brother hasn’t gotten to the property yet.

But the father sees him. He feels compassion. And he runs to him. Embraces him. Kisses him.

And the boy says, “Father, I’ve sinned against heaven and before you, I’m no longer worthy to be called your son...” This IS repentance…this is a sinner repenting…But he doesn’t get his full speech out…he gets out the repentance but not the plan...

There is no restoration plan here. No plan for remediation. No plan for fixing all that he broke. No plan for just really making sure that he’s serious about being home. No trial period. No time of testing…No anger even…no I told you so…No…well, we’ll see...

No....he’s welcomed with a party! A party! Bring out the fattened calf…my son was dead, now he’s alive. He was lost, now he is found. This is a moment for celebration.

Here is what you need to know about God’s grace...

It is true that sin takes you further than you’ll ever want to go. Don’t be the younger brother. BUT you need to also know…God’s grace goes even further than our sin takes us. God’s grace is deeper.

Maybe this morning, you're still a long way off. You’ve rehearsed your speech. You've thought through your cleanup plan. You're not sure if God would welcome you back—or if He’d just let you be one of the servants.

I imagine there were a few younger brothers in the audience that day. Jesus isn’t just talking to the religious leaders—the older brothers—he’s got something to say to the younger brothers as well. esus wants you to know exactly what kind of Father you're coming home to. He’s not waiting on the porch with folded arms. He’s not checking receipts. He’s not holding a clipboard with a list of what you owe.

He's running. Running toward you. Not because you’ve got a good speech. Not because you’ve cleaned up well. But because you’re His.

You may have gone far, but grace goes further. You may feel like a mess, but grace throws a robe around your shoulders and says, “Welcome home.”

So whether you’re sitting in pig slop or sitting in a pew with bitterness in your heart—don’t stay far off.

Come home.

But I wonder if there is another category here. Another person.

You’ve come back. You’re here. You’ve said the prayer, maybe rededicated your life, you’ve tried to clean yourself up.

But you’re still wearing the clothes of a servant. You still think you’ve got to earn your place back at the table. You think, “Sure, God forgives me, but I’m not really worthy to be called His child anymore.”

So you stay quiet. You don’t pray bold prayers. You don’t step into the things God is calling you to do. You disqualify yourself from joy.

And the Father is standing there—robe in one hand, ring in the other—saying, “Why are you acting like a hired hand when I’ve already called you a son?”

That’s the scandal of grace. Not just that God takes us back—but that He puts the robe on us. He covers our shame before we can explain ourselves.

And some of you are back in the house, but still refusing the robe.

But friend—grace doesn’t halfway restore. It doesn’t do probation, that’s us. Grace throws a party.

So don’t just come back. Let Him restore you.

Jesus in this parable is really wanting the other brothers to see this party…to hear the celebration and for them to notice the coldness in their heart. He wants them to feel that bitter turn when the band starts playing in his story.

Maybe that’s you today as well.

Maybe the thing God wants to deal with in you today… isn’t what you’ve done wrong— but that hard edge in your spirit that thinks everyone else is doing it wrong.

Can I ask gently… Why are you so angry?

Why do you carry so much suspicion? Why do you look down your nose at others who don’t follow Jesus exactly like you do?

That’s not discernment. That’s not maturity. That’s not holiness.

That’s a heart that hasn’t been softened by grace. That’s someone who may be in the Father’s house…but isn’t enjoying the feast.

You know what’s just as exhausting as running away in rebellion? Living with clenched fists and crossed arms in the name of being right.

You were meant for joy. You were meant for freedom. You were meant for the party.

Grace welcomes sinners and cynics. But only the humble come inside. We know that you’re a sinner of some kind....which kind? Will you come home?