Sermon Tone Analysis

Tale of Two Sons (3)

REVIEW V. 11-28

Chapter 15:1 “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.”

It was the outcast; it was the scum, the low lives who listened, believingly, upon what Jesus had to say.

Two categories: Tax Collectors & Sinners

Verse 2 says, “And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

When they saw Jesus associating with sinners, they drew one single conclusion: He is satanic because He hangs around Satan’s people.

He explains what He’s doing in three stories.

· Vs. 3-7 “Parable of Lost Sheep” ~

· Vs. 8-10 “Parable of Lost Coin”~

Point~ Pharisee’s are so far from God; they don’t get it.

God’s joy is found in the salvation of one sinner.

(Point of chapter 15)

PRODIGAL SON

Read verses 11-21

Verse 17, he says, “I’m going to die of hunger.”

This is desperation.

This is the sinner: poor, destitute, hungry, hopeless, , and dying; this is desperation.

And the question is: How is the father going to deal with somebody who is this bad?

“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.”

Still a long way off~ The father was looking; He was watching for his son to return.

We could assume that this was a regular thing for him to look for that son.

The father was the seeker, felt compassion, and those Pharisees are saying, “How weak is this man?

Can’t he ever respond in a righteous, honorable way?”

Give him dignity; give him authority; give him responsibility.

This is full son ship.

GRACE TRIPMPHS OVER SIN.

25 “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.

26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.

27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’

28 But he was angry and refused to go in.

His father came out and entreated him

“His father came out and began pleading with him.”

This is just unbelievable.

The father comes down again, leaves the party, and leaves the celebration where he’s the guest of honor.

“Excuse me, folks, I have to go.”

And he goes and pleads, begs, the older brother to join the celebration.

Here we see God the initiator again; Here we see God in Christ the seeker,

As in the case of the younger son, the father came down out of his house and ran right down to the middle of town for all to see, bearing the scorn and the shame of the embarrassment of violating public common conventional behavior.

And he did it to embrace the sinner and protect him from the shame.

Here the father leaves the festival, goes out and does what you would never expect God to do, beg a sinner, beg a hypocrite.

But He is the one who seeks to save the lost.

This image reminds me of

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

He left Heaven, He left the party, and came to this planet taking the scorn and the shame that you and I deserve.

It is in fact exactly what is being referred to herein the passage of the prodigal son.

Illustration: ROAD KILL

But the response, verse 29, “He answered and said to his father, ‘Look’, for so many years I’ve been serving you.”

That’s how it is with legalists.

They do it; it’s a duty; it’s a grind; it’s bitter.

I’m the one that’s always been here, I have always been doing the work, and I have always been serving you.

I wonder if that is how you feel about your ‘service.’

Look at all this stuff I have been doing for so many years.

And it gets to the point that it is not about what the father has done, but it’s all about what I have done.

It isn’t that he enjoys serving the father, but it is something he does to earn position and prestige.

It is a task and a duty that he performs.

It is a ritual or a tradition in his life.

It’s like a Job to receive a paycheck.

Only the Job is a moral life of works and the pay-check is heaven.

Think about this for a moment, and answer this question: Why do you do the things that you do?

What is your motivation for your service?

Do you not think that God know you ulterior motives?

· Why do you teach that class?

· Why do you drive that bus?

· Why do you attend church tonight?

· Why do you sing in the choir?

Listen if the answer is anything other than to Glorify God, then you are a prime example of the older brother in our passage.

I think it is safe to say that the Scriptures make it clear that God is concerned with your heart a whole lot more than he is concerned with your actions.

“This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”

Notice the “Six Antitheses” of the“Sermon on the Mount” in you notice that Jesus doesn’t fixate on what you do.

But His focus is on who you really are.

· Anger “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’

22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

· Lust “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’

28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

And it goes on and on talking about Oaths, Divorce, Retaliation, and Loving your Enemies.

It’s exactly what Jesus is talking about in when you read about the “Seven Woes” to the Scribes and Pharisees.

But be careful about following them.

They talk a good line, but they don’t live it.

They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior.

It’s all spit-and-polish veneer…4-7 “Instead of giving you God’s Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals.

They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn’t think of lifting a finger to help.

Their lives are perpetual fashion shows,… 13 “I’ve had it with you!

You’re hopeless, you religion scholars, you Pharisees!

Frauds!

Your lives are roadblocks to God’s kingdom.

You refuse to enter, and won’t let anyone else in either… You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God’s Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it… You burnish the surface of your cups and bowls so they sparkle in the sun, while the insides are maggoty with your greed and gluttony.

Stupid Pharisee!

clean the insides, and then the gleaming surface will mean something.

You’re like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it’s all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh.

People look at you and think you’re saints, but beneath the skin you’re total frauds.

This is what he is talking about.

You do all you work and you activities, but your heart is so far from me.

Self-Righteous: No one here would admit it, but deep inside it is the feeling that if anyone deserves heaven I surely deserve it, not only do I deserve it; but I have earned it.

It is my paycheck for the life that I have lived.

ENTITLED

We see that greatest Entitlement problem that has ever existed.