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…..