A Different Kind of Lost: Respectable and Lost – Eyeing The Older Brother. Luke 15: 25-32

Luke 15:25-32 New American Standard Bible 1995

²⁵ “Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. 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 became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him. ²⁹ But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never ^[a]neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; ³⁰ but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your ^[b] wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ ³¹ And he said to him, ‘Son, you ^[c]have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Overlooked No More – Eyeing A Different Kind of Lost

Romans 3:21-26 The Message

God Has Set Things Right

^21-24 But in our time something new has been added. What Moses and the prophets witnessed to all those years has happened. The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.

^25-26 God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin. Having faith in him sets us in the clear. God decided on this course of action in full view of the public—to set the world in the clear with himself through the sacrifice of Jesus, finally taking care of the sins he had so patiently endured. This is not only clear, but it’s now—this is current history! God sets things right. He also makes it possible for us to live in his rightness.

Let’s take time today to think about the older son in this parable.

This “GOOD OBEDIENT” son never leaves the family farm or breaks any rules, but he here breaks the father’s heart. While the father celebrates the restoration of his younger son, the older son’s heart simmers with anger and bitterness.

The father leaves the celebration for the return of the Prodigal Son and goes out to his older son and tries to reason with him – to join the party – but he refuses.

Ask yourself if our view of sin can be too limited!

We always label the younger son as the sinner while the older son strikes us as a obedient deserving saint, the kind of hardworking person God would be pleased with and would want us to be like – but why else might Dr. Luke mention him?

What lesson or lessons does Dr. Luke have on his spirit that we should observe?

That was Jesus’ second main point in this story.

Everyone thought that God wanted people to be like the teachers of the law and Pharisees—“good,” “obedient” “lawful” “conscientious” hardworking people.

But grace is unearned favor.

The Pharisees lived often graceless lives, so focused on obeying the rules and minding the traditions of man they no longer experienced the Father’s love.

They kept all kinds of rules, preached about all kinds of rules, lived and walked by all kinds of rules, but too broke God’s heart in their judgmentalism of others.

Do we observe the older son is just as much a sinner as the younger, and the prodigal Father offers him the same grace? Jesus died for all kinds of sinners?

If you are obediently slaving away for God’s favor, cone inside, accept the gift of Christ, party and celebrate grace. There’s plenty of room at God’s banquet table!

Shifting our “Obedient” Gaze – Respectable and Lost

Luke 15:28-32 The Message

^28-30 “The older brother stomped off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t listen. The son said, ‘Look how many years I’ve stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!’

^31-32 “His father said, ‘Son, you don’t understand. You’re with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we just had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he’s alive! He was lost, and now he’s found!’”

Can we say the older brother is being a wee bit selfish, obstinate and stubborn?

We all know this type of attitude … we have all seen this type of attitude … we have lived with someone with this type of attitude and sometimes he/she is us!

Well, now, regardless of your intellects, philosophies, ideologies and theologies we are each confronted by the events and outcomes of our General Conference.

If your ideologies and theologies are more left leaning, in your spirit perhaps you’re the one’s being wildly celebrated by the Father with the “fattened calf.”

“God has finally welcomed you home and is celebrating the events of Charlotte.

Those of us whose ideologies and theologies are more right leaning are being seen, if not accused as the obstinate stubborn perhaps sulking older brother.

Refusing to acknowledge the works, wonders of God, the Father because the events of Charlotte did not meet your expectations, did not reward you with what you felt you deserved for your always being obedient and being loyal.

We all can identify with the rebellious son who went into the far country.

In all likelihood, we were once that zealous, rebellious son God celebrated.

But now some, if not most of us find ourselves standing and walking in the shoes of this obstinate sulking elder brother – outside of God’s celebration.

There is not one among us who has at sometime, including exactly right now not felt what this brother felt when he found himself gripped by jealous rage.

Perhaps it would help to analyze this a bit, to more clearly recognize the symptoms of this reaction.

Three characteristics are always present when this attitude is expressed.

The first one is a sense of being treated unfairly, of being ignored, forgotten or disregarded.

This feeling of unfair treatment is always the initial mark of a self-centered attitude.

It is the sign of crushed pride — a wounded ego — revealing the centrality of self.

The second mark is that of an over-inflated view of self.

Notice how the older brother distinctly describes his own moral superiorities.

Self-righteousness is always full of self-praise: 

“Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you.“

There is no recognition whatsoever of what he has learned through these many years, or exactly how much he has profited by the relationship with his father.

In his view it is all one way. 

“And I never disobeyed your orders.” 

Certainly that is not true.

No one has ever or will ever live up to that kind of a standard. Romans 3:23-24,

1 John 1:8-9 New American Standard Bible 1995

⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

It is remarkable how conveniently he forgets the many times the father has forgiven him. Yet his view of himself is that of being completely and wholly and obediently and loyally in the right. That is always a mark of self-righteousness.

The third mark is his blame of and contempt for others. 

“This son of yours…”  

Can you hear and feel the deep cutting edge of contempt in that?

He does not call him his brother, and there is no gladness at his return.

He views him as someone vile and contemptible.

Also there is no love or respect for his father.

Oddly enough, the father ends up with all the blame. 

“You never gave me a goat, that I might make merry with my friends; but you killed the fatted calf for this son of yours, …”

Do we right now just want to jump into the face of this contemptible wretch!

How many times have we heard that reaction expressed?

How many times have we taken no small amount of offense at that reaction?

These are the three marks of self-righteousness — the world’s most deadly sin.

Our Lord spoke of this more frequently and dealt with it more severely than of any other sin.

He could be tender and gracious toward those who were involved in adultery or drunkenness, but when he faced those self-righteous Pharisees in their smug complacency, his face reddened, his eyes widened, his words burn and scorch.

This sin is so insidious, so deadly because it is so easily disguised as justifiable.

It reveals that this older son is actually far more lost than the other was.

He, too, is in a far country — a far country of the spirit — far far removed from the father’s heart. He has never learned to share the same spirit his Father has.

As we mull over and stew over and gloat over, lament over General Conference,

Have I seen in my “older brother” self this feeling of being treated unfairly?

Of an overly obedient and loyal inflated view of myself? Of contempt for others?

Can I find even one reason, however tiny, and however insignificant, however dangerous to self, to join my Father and my brothers and sisters in celebration?

Isaiah 55:1-7 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Free Offer of Mercy

55 “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;
And you who have no ^[a]money come, buy and eat.
Come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without cost.
² “Why do you ^[b]spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And delight yourself in abundance.
³ “Incline your ear and come to Me.
Listen, that ^[c]you may live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
According to the faithful mercies ^[d]shown to David.
⁴ “Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
A leader and commander for the peoples.
⁵ “Behold, you will call a nation you do not know,
And a nation which knows you not will run to you,
Because of the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel;
For He has glorified you.”

⁶ Seek the Lord while He may be found;
Call upon Him while He is near.
⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
And let him return to the Lord,
And He will have compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.

God’s invitation to celebrate Him as much as He celebrates us is always open!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Forgive us, Lord, when we, like the older brother, turn religion into rules instead of a relationship with you. Search us, Fill us with your forgiveness and love for everyone.

Psalm 25 New Living Translation

Psalm 25^[a]

A psalm of David.

¹ O Lord, I give my life to you.
²     I trust in you, my God!
Do not let me be disgraced,
    or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.
³ No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced,
    but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.

⁴ Show me the right path, O Lord;
    point out the road for me to follow.
⁵ Lead me by your truth and teach me,
    for you are the God who saves me.
    All day long I put my hope in you.
⁶ Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love,
    which you have shown from long ages past.
⁷ Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
    Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,
    for you are merciful, O Lord.

⁸ The Lord is good and does what is right;
    he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
⁹ He leads the humble in doing right,
    teaching them his way.
¹⁰ The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
    all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.

¹¹ For the honor of your name, O Lord,
    forgive my many, many sins.
¹² Who are those who fear the Lord?
    He will show them the path they should choose.
¹³ They will live in prosperity,
    and their children will inherit the land.
¹⁴ The Lord is a friend to those who fear him.
    He teaches them his covenant.
¹⁵ My eyes are always on the Lord,
    for he rescues me from the traps of my enemies.

¹⁶ Turn to me and have mercy,
    for I am alone and in deep distress.
¹⁷ My problems go from bad to worse.
    Oh, save me from them all!
¹⁸ Feel my pain and see my trouble.
    Forgive all my sins.
¹⁹ See how many enemies I have
    and how viciously they hate me!
²⁰ Protect me! Rescue my life from them!
    Do not let me be disgraced, for in you I take refuge.
²¹ May integrity and honesty protect me,
    for I put my hope in you.

²² O God, ransom Israel
    from all its troubles.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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