Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Every individual must write his or her own ending to this story!
Luke 15:28-32
28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
The petition he heard from his father.
1. It was a petition of pleading
- The father went out and “entreated” this boy to come in to the feast.
- The word “entreat” means “to come alongside of another to offer aid and comfort, to beg, to console, to comfort, to encourage".
- It is the same word that is translated “Comforter” in John 16:13 and is one of the names of the Holy Spirit. This father loved him.
2. It was a petition of promise
- The father praised him for his efforts, and reminded him that everything was already his! In effect, this father was saying, “I value you and our relationship together more than I value your works".
- This boy could have enjoyed fellowship with the father anytime he wanted, but apparently, he was too wrapped up within his own legalism and narrow-mindedness to realise it.
- This boy wanted what the father had, but he did not want the father, and he did not want anyone else to have the father either.
- What a tragedy!
3. It was a petition of priorities
- The father tells this boy that is was “meet” that they should have this celebration. The word “meet” means “necessary”. To the father, the return of the lost son was a cause for celebration.
- A lost one had been found.
- One considered dead was now alive again.
You see, instead of pouting, this boy could have been partying!
- Look at this chapter: everyone is happy but this boy.
- The shepherd is happy. The woman is happy.
- The father is happy. The lost son is happy.
- The servants are happy. The only person in misery is this elder brother.
And, he is miserable because he refuses to be happy. The feast is there, all he has to do is go in and enjoy himself. But, he is standing out there pouting, because he didn’t get his way and because he is not the center of attention!
Have you ever noticed that this is an open-ended story?
Did the elder brother ever come into the feast? We don’t know.
I think Jesus left it this way for a reason.
And here is that reason: Every individual must write his or her own ending to this story!
That's my five minutes!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
What's the Older Brother's problem?
Luke 15:30 tells us what the older brothers problem was. “But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf”. Who told him this boy had spent his money on harlots? Did someone SMS him? Did he check his brothers Facebook? Certainly not….
He hasn’t even talked to the boy or to the father. Do you know what’s wrong with him? He’s jealous! He may be at home in his body, but he is in the far country in his heart!
He is as far away from the father as was the other son when he went away. All he wants to do is live it up like the other boy did! But, He can’t, so he gets mad that one who did the very things he wants to do in his heart has been received by the father.
This is what was wrong with the Pharisees. They kept the letter of the Law outwardly, but in their hearts, they longed for sin!
You don’t have to be a drunk to be out of God’s will! You don’t have to be an adulterer to be in the far country spiritually. You can serve your church, sing in the choir, preach the Word, or anything else you want to name and still be out of God’s will!
You can sit in church (the house) mad and resentful over things that may have happened in the past or even in the church. You can look pious and righteous today, but have a heart full of malice because of what someone said or did to you. That puts you in the far country.
When you listen to this boy talk to the father, you quickly realize that he is proud, disrespectful, arrogant, defensive and angry. There is obviously something wrong with the way he is looking at what is happening here. He should be overjoyed that his brother has returned safely from the far country. He should be rejoicing that the father has received a lost son home again. But all he can do is whine, pout and complain.
Notice how this young man handled his anger. He attacked, he criticized and he blamed! This lets you know that his heart is not right!
Why? Because your outward attitudes and actions are a mirror into your heart. OUT OF THE ABUNDANCE OF THE HEART – THE MOUTH SPEAKS! (Matthew 12:34)
To be continued…..
He hasn’t even talked to the boy or to the father. Do you know what’s wrong with him? He’s jealous! He may be at home in his body, but he is in the far country in his heart!
He is as far away from the father as was the other son when he went away. All he wants to do is live it up like the other boy did! But, He can’t, so he gets mad that one who did the very things he wants to do in his heart has been received by the father.
This is what was wrong with the Pharisees. They kept the letter of the Law outwardly, but in their hearts, they longed for sin!
You don’t have to be a drunk to be out of God’s will! You don’t have to be an adulterer to be in the far country spiritually. You can serve your church, sing in the choir, preach the Word, or anything else you want to name and still be out of God’s will!
You can sit in church (the house) mad and resentful over things that may have happened in the past or even in the church. You can look pious and righteous today, but have a heart full of malice because of what someone said or did to you. That puts you in the far country.
When you listen to this boy talk to the father, you quickly realize that he is proud, disrespectful, arrogant, defensive and angry. There is obviously something wrong with the way he is looking at what is happening here. He should be overjoyed that his brother has returned safely from the far country. He should be rejoicing that the father has received a lost son home again. But all he can do is whine, pout and complain.
Notice how this young man handled his anger. He attacked, he criticized and he blamed! This lets you know that his heart is not right!
Why? Because your outward attitudes and actions are a mirror into your heart. OUT OF THE ABUNDANCE OF THE HEART – THE MOUTH SPEAKS! (Matthew 12:34)
To be continued…..
Monday, August 10, 2009
The Older Brother.....lost in the House!
Luke 15:25-30[25] …and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. [26] And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. [27] And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. [28] And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. [29] And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: [30] But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
We often forget the older brother in this story. Very often the focus is always on the prodigal son. But the older brother was also lost…..He was lost in the house! In reading the this story, we find that the older brother had a problem with his motives. When he hears that there is a celebration, he is angry and he refuses to go in to the party. His father comes out and gently pleads with him to come in with the others. His reply to his father is very telling of this boy’s heart.
In verse 29, he reminds the father of his faithful service and complains that he has never been given a feast for what he has done.
It is amazing how many books on church growth point out this problem. It is very common when a church begins to grow and focus on the lost that some people feel like they are missing out and become disgruntled. Those “in the house” want it to be all about them….just like the older brother.
The bottom line here is this:
1. The older brother did not care that his lost brother had come home.
2. The older brother did not care about that which pleased the father.
3. The older brother did not care about the glory of the father, he wanted the glory for what he had been doing.
4. The older brother did not even care about the father, he did what he did for what he could get out of it.
5. The older brother even saw his service to the father as “slavery”.
Watch out for the Spirit of the “older brother”. He didn’t serve his father out of love for the father, but out of a desire to help himself.
What are your motives for what we do? Paul tells us there is but one valid motive.
1 Corinthians 10:31 “…whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
To be continued……
Sunday, August 9, 2009
The Sons Return
It was a happy reunion.
Luke 15:20-24 “And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.”
He found a father filled with love, compassion and grace who received him and loved him back into fellowship!
Now the son is back and he’s standing there in the rags of his sins. He doesn’t look like a child of this father. But, the father orders the best of his robes to be brought and to be put on the son. This robe would cover all the stains and dirt of the pig pen and make him look like the father! What a beautiful picture of Jesus our saviour….when a sinner comes home, they also receive a robe from the heavenly Father. The ring represents the priviledges, and the shoes his position (only slaves went barefoot, sons wore shoes). There was much rejoicing….the son had come home. The fatted calf was the Father's way of sharing His joy with all around.
But the elder brother just couldn’t seem to see the positive side of his younger brothers return. Sadly, this elder brother is a picture of one who is involved in the things of God, but who, sadly, has no real relationship with the father. He might be in the father’s house, but he is still lost. He is still in the “far country” in his heart!
The father loves the elder brother as well!
The elder brother held a position of privilege. As the elder brother he is entitled to two-thirds of His father’s possessions (Deut. 21:17). Since his younger brother has already received his part of the inheritance, (v. 12), everything remaining belongs to the elder brother.
The elder brother was still being productive. The text says that the elder brother was “in the fields”….he’s busy doing the father’s business while his brother is off “living it up”.
The elder brother is a picture of the Pharisees. These people were also in a place of privilege. The looked good to the people around then, but there was a problem within their hearts. The elder brother was lost!
We must be careful that even though we may consider ourselves “mature Christians” and have been serving God for many years….we can still be lost in the house! Your are a good moral person. You come to church. You don’t drink, steal or cheat. You have been baptized and are a church member. From all outward appearances, you are as good as anybody around you. But, just as Jesus could look into the heart of the Pharisee and see his lost condition, He can look within your heart and see that you are lost too.
You can be good, moral and active in the church and still be lost.
To be continued…….
Luke 15:20-24 “And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.”
He found a father filled with love, compassion and grace who received him and loved him back into fellowship!
Now the son is back and he’s standing there in the rags of his sins. He doesn’t look like a child of this father. But, the father orders the best of his robes to be brought and to be put on the son. This robe would cover all the stains and dirt of the pig pen and make him look like the father! What a beautiful picture of Jesus our saviour….when a sinner comes home, they also receive a robe from the heavenly Father. The ring represents the priviledges, and the shoes his position (only slaves went barefoot, sons wore shoes). There was much rejoicing….the son had come home. The fatted calf was the Father's way of sharing His joy with all around.
But the elder brother just couldn’t seem to see the positive side of his younger brothers return. Sadly, this elder brother is a picture of one who is involved in the things of God, but who, sadly, has no real relationship with the father. He might be in the father’s house, but he is still lost. He is still in the “far country” in his heart!
The father loves the elder brother as well!
The elder brother held a position of privilege. As the elder brother he is entitled to two-thirds of His father’s possessions (Deut. 21:17). Since his younger brother has already received his part of the inheritance, (v. 12), everything remaining belongs to the elder brother.
The elder brother was still being productive. The text says that the elder brother was “in the fields”….he’s busy doing the father’s business while his brother is off “living it up”.
The elder brother is a picture of the Pharisees. These people were also in a place of privilege. The looked good to the people around then, but there was a problem within their hearts. The elder brother was lost!
We must be careful that even though we may consider ourselves “mature Christians” and have been serving God for many years….we can still be lost in the house! Your are a good moral person. You come to church. You don’t drink, steal or cheat. You have been baptized and are a church member. From all outward appearances, you are as good as anybody around you. But, just as Jesus could look into the heart of the Pharisee and see his lost condition, He can look within your heart and see that you are lost too.
You can be good, moral and active in the church and still be lost.
To be continued…….
Friday, August 7, 2009
The Lost Son
He left home saying “Give me!”. He returns home saying “Make me!”
Luke 15 has been called God’s Lost and Found Department. In Luke 15, Jesus used four illustrations dealing with the lost and with His’ desire to see them saved and restored to fellowship with Him. He talks about the lost sheep (1 sheep out of 100, 1%), the lost coin (1 coin out of 10, 10%), and then Jesus talked about the lost son (1 son from 2, 50%).
We hear so much about the story of the prodigal son, but it is the older brother that I want to reflect on in this post.
Luke 15:11-12 “A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living”. The request of this younger son was for his share of the inheritance.
In our culture it is the ultimate in “rudeness” to ask for your inheritance! In effect, the son was saying to his father “Dad, I wish you were dead and had no more say in my life! I am tired of you and I want to be free from you and your control in my life”. For the father, it was a shocking and selfish request. The son was seriously self-centred. Even the words “Give me” in verse 12 make me cringe! His life is all wrapped up within himself and he cares for no one else, especially not the father.
The father could have refused and kicked the son out, but he doesn’t. The Bible says, “And he divided unto them his living”. The younger son wanted what the father could give him, but he did not want the father!
It was before too long that the son met a harsh reality.
Luke 15:13-16 “And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him”. He crash and burned…..big time!
The son gets just what he wants, but soon finds out that “all that glitters is not gold”!
He blew the inheritance on “riotous living”, a life totally given over to sinfulness and wickedness. When the son left home, he also left behind all his moral restraints. Did he have a good time? Oh yes! There is Pleasure in Sin for a Season! (Hebrews 11:25)
Eventually his money ran out and along with the money, he also lost the friends who had helped him spend it (isn’t that always the way?). The far country, a land of “wine, women and song” had become a land of “weeping, worry and sorrow”.
We hear so much about the story of the prodigal son, but it is the older brother that I want to reflect on in this post.
Luke 15:11-12 “A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living”. The request of this younger son was for his share of the inheritance.
In our culture it is the ultimate in “rudeness” to ask for your inheritance! In effect, the son was saying to his father “Dad, I wish you were dead and had no more say in my life! I am tired of you and I want to be free from you and your control in my life”. For the father, it was a shocking and selfish request. The son was seriously self-centred. Even the words “Give me” in verse 12 make me cringe! His life is all wrapped up within himself and he cares for no one else, especially not the father.
The father could have refused and kicked the son out, but he doesn’t. The Bible says, “And he divided unto them his living”. The younger son wanted what the father could give him, but he did not want the father!
It was before too long that the son met a harsh reality.
Luke 15:13-16 “And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him”. He crash and burned…..big time!
The son gets just what he wants, but soon finds out that “all that glitters is not gold”!
He blew the inheritance on “riotous living”, a life totally given over to sinfulness and wickedness. When the son left home, he also left behind all his moral restraints. Did he have a good time? Oh yes! There is Pleasure in Sin for a Season! (Hebrews 11:25)
Eventually his money ran out and along with the money, he also lost the friends who had helped him spend it (isn’t that always the way?). The far country, a land of “wine, women and song” had become a land of “weeping, worry and sorrow”.
This portion of scripture shows us the consequences of sin. Sin brings separation (he left the father and the provision of the family), sin brings sorrow (he wanted), sin brings shame (eating with the pigs), sin brings suffering (no home, no help and no hope), sin brings sadness (he is alone and lonely).
Luke 15:17-20 “And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”
“When he came to himself” This boy’s time in the far country had been a time of insanity. He hadn’t been thinking clearly!
He makes up his mind to go home! He is tired of life in the far country. He longs for fellowship with the father. He wants to go where he can be loved, fed and cared for.
He left home saying “Give me!”.
He returns home saying “Make me!”
To be continued……
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