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THE GREATEST STORIES EVER TOLD - "The Prodigal Sons" - February 8, 2015 - Pastor Scott Christenson

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St. Paul's Lutheran Church Orange, CA

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tonight I want to talk with you about the parable of the prodigal sons and yes I did mean to say Sons plural not just the Prodigal Son singular like it's often called a because we need to understand you're really are two lost sons in this parable  see that's the problem that we have with this Parable it's it's so overly for tell your to Ocean if I were to ask almost anyone to tell me the story of this Parable most people would probably say something like this they'd say well there was a son who took his father's money and went off and wasted it on all kinds of foolish things and when he finally got so desperate yet other choice but to go back home to his father whom he would expect it it who me expected would treat him fairly harshly but to his great surprise father ran to him and hugged him and welcome him back as his son  if I were to further ask almost anyone to explain what does Parable means for us today almost everyone would say something like this that we're all like that younger son we all run away from guy club and we do foolish things to but no matter where we go or what we do or how we feel God is always like that loving father always ready to forgive us and welcome us back not true  that's how most people would recover this Parable and that's how most people would explain the meaning of this parable but I want to tell you tonight that while all of that is certain true God really is like that  that really isn't what this Parable is about at all if we think that that's what this Parable means we're really missing the point  and here's why I say that because this is how introduces this Parable this is Luke 15 verses 1 and 2 it says now the tax collectors and so-called Sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus but the Pharisees and teachers of the law muttered this man welcomed Sinners and eats with them then Jesus told them this Parable there was a man who had two sons see if you see the parable in that context you we realize that the focal point of the parable is really not the younger brother at all this Parable is really a the elder brother  Jesus is telling this Parable against the actions of the Pharisees and teachers of the law who were at not like the disobedient younger brother but just like the judgmental elder brother so really this is Parable not a gospel parable its primary intention is really not to comfort us if we've wandered far God and now we feel bad about it it's primary intention is to wake up elder brother types who don't even realize how far from God they are the truth is there are two lost sons in this parable  one who has been very very bad one who has been very very good but both of them have been equally estranged from their father  this year is one of my favorite Christian books of all time it's called The Prodigal God by Tim calories a pastor in New York City and I highly recommend this book to you if you've never read it before it's filled with just wonderful insights about this terrible and here's one of them he says the Elder Brothers of this world desperately need to see themselves in this mirror the younger brother knew he was alienated from the father but the elder brother did not that's why Elder lost this is so dangerous Elder Brothers don't go to God and beg for healing from their condition they see nothing wrong with their condition and that can be fatal if you know you are sick you may go to a doctor if you don't know you are sick you won't you'll just die  says when we see the attitude of the elder brother in the story we begin to realize what are the reasons the younger brother wanted to leave in the first place  there are many people today who have abandoned any time of religious Faith because they see clearly that the major religions are simply full of Elder Brothers they have come put inclusion that religion is one of the greatest sources of misery and strife in the world and guess what Jesus says through this parable they're right  your sometime ago I heard this story and it's a true story about a woman who had been in church her whole life and she was feeling a little isolated from people outside the church and so when she you finally decided to get a degree in impound saline and psychology she thought that it might be a good experience for her to attend a secular University  in one of her classes the students were given this assignment by the professor to go I'm hang out with the people that you are most afraid of  that was their assignment you know as a counselor she was going to work with all kinds of different kinds of people not just the kind of people she naturally connected with so this a very helpful assignment go and hang out the people you are most afraid of  know if you were given that assignment what kind of people would you choose you decided for her that her answer was people who are gay she said this was a group that that made her feel very anxious and uncomfortable and she realize I can't love and serve people if I'm afraid of them and so I need to go and spend time with folks who are gay now here's the most striking part of the story though for me  when the assignment was all done and everyone came back to class and reported back do you know what the number one choice was  the number one answer to that question the a degree that most people in the class said they were afraid to be around was Christians  40 percent of the students in that class when they were asked who are you most afraid to hang around with said people who are Christian now why would that be what is precisely because of this because many many people have encountered far more elder brother types in the church  then they have ever experienced The Amazing Love of the father  author John ortberg says this is one of the biggest challenges we all in our Christian development I love this quote he says one of the hardest things in the world is to stop being The Prodigal Son without turning into older brother  what we find out is it's not only hard to keep it from happening the real problem according to G Parable is that it's very hard to even see it when it is happening to you younger brother type Stacy your sins and failure is very obvious what they've done wrong but elder brother types never do they think they're just fine but they're not  the frankly that's a scary thing is this  so how can you know if this is happening to you cuz it could very well be happening to you and you might not have any clue how can you tell if you're becoming more like the elder brother than the loving father well thankfully the parable does offer us some hints and clues along the way but they're very subtle and their subtle Clues because remember elder brother types are good people they're not the kind of people who take the father's money can run off and waste it doing all kinds of obviously bad things so if you want to know if you're becoming an elder brother play you can't just look at what you do  you have to look at how you feel  you have to skip what's going on in your heart  because it's in the heart that elder brother types are revealed what was going on in the Elder brother's heart in the parable will many things many bad things do you see anger first 28 says the elder brother became angry and refused to go in and ask yourself why was he so angry  and the answer is I think because all their brothers tend to have a vending machine view of God how's the vending machine work I put in my money and the Machine gives me what I want  that's exactly how elder brother types view their relationship with the father I put in my hard work my good deeds and you Sudan in return you give me what I want a good life Earthly blessings fix my problems Etc is that how you view your relationship with God  if it is I want to tell you tonight that really that's more Buddhist than it is Christian that's karma that's not Christianity God never promised us it would work that way and when doesn't work like that you see elder brother types become very very angry that's one clue there's a second clue in verse 29 elder brother types are not just angry people we see they're also very rude people  first mine says but he answered his father look I'm going to tell you this week what I told you last week if that doesn't look all that rude to you it's only because you live America  again we are so accustomed to rudeness and disrespect and our day that a phrase like this doesn't even phase us put in the time and culture in which Jesus lived son's never spoke to their fathers like that rudeness and disrespect is one of the key symptoms of elder brother this what if we were to look at the way you've been speaking lately  would we see any rude or disrespectful words fat  there's a third clue as first 29 continues look he says all these years I've been saving for you  the third characteristic of Elder Brothers is bitterness  Elder Brothers do all the things but with all the wrong motives and attitudes yes they serve the father they do what he wants them to do but they don't do it joyfully serving the father is a burden it feels like slavery does that sound familiar verse 29 gives another clue all these years slaving for you and never disobeyed he says  and I think there's actually two characteristics of elder brother types here you see this feelings of superiority and feelings of entitlement when they own the brother says I've never disobeyed what he's really saying is I'm a little bit other than my younger brother who has disobeyed  that's the superiority  but I think there's also a sense of title meant if if I never disobeyed well then the father kind of owes me. Don't I deserve better than this  and you know this can creep in so quickly to our own lives I mean look at me we think I I bring my family to church every Sunday my kids go to a Christian School I give I serve I try my best to live a moral life course all of that is good until we start to look down where was this at the people who don't  then we start to think okay God I've done my part and I you better do yours again fix my problems make my life work keep things easy for me that's the deal right. there's another clue about Elder Brothers in the next sentence I've never disobeyed yet you never even gave me a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends  and why is he going to party I never got a party  and I think what's really going on there's no just bit but what you're really seen in the Elder brother's heart is insecurity  he's not secure in the Father's Love for him  that's very obvious to all of us on the outside looking in that this father does love him very much in spite of all of his older brother shortcomings but it's not obvious to him  so even though he has absolutely no reason for feeling insecure he's constantly looking for signs that maybe the father doesn't really love him as much as the other one secure are you  in the Father's Love For You are you constantly seeing signs that make you wonder I could be a clue one more clue in verse 30 when he exclaims you kill the fat cast for him  Swan of the biggest clues of all Elder brothers are offended by grace elder brother types think of generosity and forgiveness as something to be earned by their good behavior and so when they see it being given to pee earned it deeply offends them  how do you feel when you witness extravagant Grace and generosity and forgiveness being offered to people who clearly don't deserve it at all if that irritates you a little bit you might very well be an elder brother yourself so there you have it you want to know if you're becoming more like the elder brother than the father don't look at what you're doing look at what you're feeling what's going on in your heart do you see anger or rudeness or bitterness or feelings of superiority and entitlement are you insecure in Father's Love For You are you offended by grace and generosity and forgiveness boo boo scary looking at a list like that isn't it  it's scary because the truth is if we're honest there's a fair amount of your brother in all of us  so how do we fix that what's what's the antidote for the poison of elder brother Ernest  but you know what I'm going to say write the antidote is the gospel despite all the awful things that the elder brother is thinking and feeling you notice the father doesn't speak words of judgement or turn the nation toward him not at all  he deserves it  but he doesn't get it  father loves his Elder son just as much as he loves his younger son  and so when he speaks it's nothing but good use my son the father said you're always with me and everything I have is yours not a bit of judgment if you're an elder brother type yourself that's the message you desperately need that's the message that our father in Heaven is proclaiming to you tonight  and it's only message that can truly change you  and here's why that is on the back of your bullets and tonight you'll see another riffle quote from Tim Keller that will help you understand why the Gospel of Jesus Christ and only the Gospel of Jesus Christ can rest do you from Elder Brotherhood in so I have an assignment for all of you this week I want to encourage you to take this little quote and put it up somewhere where you can see it and skip every day this week put on your fridge or on your computer monitor or something like that this is just gold Keller says my own personal grass for the gospel was very weak myself you swung wildly between two poles when I was performing up to my standards in academic work professional achievement or relationships I felt confident humble  I like the older brother  I was likely to be proud and unsympathetic to failing people when I was not living up to standards I felt horrible but not confident of failure sounds kind of like the younger brother I discovered however that the gospel contained the resources to build a unique identity  in Christ no I was accepted by Grace not only despite my flaws but because I was willing to admit them the Christian Gospel is that I am so flawed  the Jesus had to die for me  yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me  this leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time and undermines both swaggering and sniveling  I cannot like the elder brother feel Superior to anyone  and yet like the younger brother I have nothing to prove to anyone  I love this last line I do not think more of myself nor less of myself instead I think of myself less

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