THE COMPLAINING BROTHER
A. Luke 15:25-32 (READ)
1. Can you imagine how difficult it must have been for the YOUNGER SON to come HOME!
ILLUSTRATION:
Picture what that first FAMILY MEAL was like back home. The Father sits at the head of the TABLE and the brother sits across from the Prodigal. Some close FRIENDS are invited for dinner. The Father says to the Prodigal, Son, lead us in prayer. Don’t you know that first PRAYER of THANKS at the Father’s TABLE was a hard one to say! And don’t you know that it was difficult sitting there with all those STARING EYES and PUZZLING THOUGHTS.
The next day the Father would take his younger son down town to INTRODUCE him to one of his fine FRIENDS. Do you remember my son? The man SHEEPISHLY would stick out his hand for a HANDSHAKE. It would be difficult for the PRODIGAL to look the man in the eye, because he knew the man would be thinking, Yes, I remember your son, that worthless HOG SLOPPER!
And what if the PRODIGAL wanted to DATE? The Fathers would say, I’m not going to allow him to DATE one of my GIRLS. The mothers would DISCOURAGE their SONS from RUNNING around with him, too. After all, he’s been in the DISTANT COUNTRY, he’s EXPERIENCED, he’s an OLD PRO in SIN!
2. It’s difficult to live in the DISTANT COUNTRY, but it’s not easy to RETURN HOME either not because of what the FATHER might do but because of what BROTHERS and SISTERS do.
B. This morning we will focus on the OLDER BROTHER.
1. The two sons are REPRESENTATIVE of the only two ways of being LOST!
a. One sinned AWAY from home, the other sinned AT home.
b. One was lost in MILES, the other in COLDNESS.
c. One sinned against the FLESH, the other sinned against the SPIRIT.
2. Both were SINNERS. The problem is that one
RECOGNIZED it and the other didn’t!
COMMENT:
It’s easier to find one’s self in the SON who left HOME. One can see the WASTE and WILD LIVING. One can see and smell the PIG PEN. One is THRILLED with his RETURN home. The people who left God and are WALLOWING in SIN, know they are LOST. Many of them will never RETURN, but they do not kid themselves into thinking that they are ALL RIGHT with God.
It’s much more difficult to find one¡¦s self in the OLDER BROTHER. Those of you who are hearing this lesson are not PRODIGALS, you are people at HOME. Our problem is not the DISTANT COUNTRY,but HOME! The LESSON we need to LEARN is that of the OLDER BROTHER, not that of the PRODIGAL.
MESSAGE:
I. THE GOOD IN THE OLDER BROTHER- v. 25
A. While the PRODIGAL was in the DISTANT COUNTRY squandering his inheritance with WILD LIVING, the OLDER BROTHER stayed at HOME.
1. He remained with his Father and is to be COMMENDED for his LOYALTY!
ILLUSTRATION:
If anyone asked the TOWNSPEOPLE about the OLDER BROTHER they would say, He is the GOOD SON. Some would probably add, That wonderful Father has one REPROBATE son who BROKE his heart and an OLDER SON who is a fine, hard working, loyal, and respectable young man. It is to his CREDIT that we find him out in the FIELD working when the YOUNGER SON returns home.
2. As Christians, we need to EMULATE the OLDER BROTHER’S obedience, loyalty, and service.
B. But Jesus, in this parable, gives PRECEDENCE to a PRODIGAL who was "too BAD" over a BROTHER who was "too GOOD"!
1. Jesus not only EXPOSED those who had SINNED and been FOUND out, but He also EXPOSED those who had SINNED and not been found out.
COMMENT:
That’s why the TAX COLLECTORS and PROSTITUTES received Jesus while the TEACHERS of the LAW and the PHARISEES turned upon Him in VENGEANCE. He EXPOSED them for what they really were.
ILLUSTRATION:
The PRODIGAL’S sins were more EVIDENT! He REBELLIOUSLY left the Father for the DISTANT COUNTRY. If we were to CLASSIFY the SINS of the two BROTHERS, we would have to say that the PRODIGAL was the WORST SINNER! After all, the OLDER BROTHER remained LOYAL to his FATHER and stayed home.
The difference between the two is that the PRODIGAL realized his SINFUL CONDITION and REPENTED. The OLDER BROTHER didn’t even realize he had a SIN PROBLEM.
2. The OLDER SON remained FAITHFUL to his Father, but he allowed his FAITHFULNESS to produce an attitude of BITTERNESS against his BROTHER.
COMMENT:
Never should we allow our FAITHFULNESS and OBEDIENCE to cause us to become COLD-HEARTED and SELF-RIGHTEOUS. God despises SIN and REBELLION, but He also hates SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS. The OLDER BROTHER may not have been REBELLIOUS, IMMORAL, or UNGODLY, but his SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS was a SIN just as GREAT.
II. THE SIN OF THE OLDER BROTHER
A. Instead of REJOICING at his brother’s RETURN home, he is ANGRY- v. 28
COMMENT:
The OLDER SON returns home one evening from a HARD DAY in the FIELD. He is TIRED and HUNGRY. As he approaches the house, he hears this CELEBRATION MUSIC PLAYING, people LAUGHING and DANCING. He probably thought, is my Father throwing a party without me?
He summons one of the SERVANTS and asks what is going on at the house. The Servant says, "Your BROTHER is HOME!" The OLDER SON can’t believe what he’s hearing, and he becomes very ANGRY that his Father ACCEPTED him back.
ILLUSTRATION:
Sadly, some Christians are EMBITTERED by those who gladly ACCEPT back an ERRING Christian who comes home REPENTING of SIN. A brother comes forward CONFESSING sin and people gather around him HUGGING his neck, PATTING him on the back, SHAKING his hand. You can see the TEARS streaming down the eyes of the ERRING BROTHER as he realizes how much he is LOVED and FORGIVEN by his brothers and sisters in Christ.
But in the BACK of the church auditorium, stand 4 or 5 of his OLDER brothers and sisters MUMBLING. Can you believe they ACCEPTED him back!Look at them over there HUGGING his neck as if he’s done nothing WRONG! We’re not going to be taken in by those TEARS! Don’t they know that he’s DISGRACED the church? He’ll have to PROVE himself before we FORGIVE him. It’s up to us to keep the church PURE!
COMMENT:
These people are like the OLDER BROTHER. They focus not on one’s REPENTANCE, but on the SIN. Instead of FORGIVING, they CONDEMN. Instead of REJOICING, they POUT.
B. He is unwilling to FORGIVE his BROTHER.
1. He REFUSED to go into the house to even see his brother- v. 28.
ILLUSTRATION:
I can PICTURE the SERVANT going into the house to speak with the Father. The Father would be LAUGHING, SINGING, and EMBRACING his SON that had returned HOME when he glances over to the SERVANT and sees a PECULIAR look on his face. Then the SERVANT would whisper to the Father that the OLDER SON is ANGRY and will not COME IN.
I can picture a SADDENED expression on the Father’s face as he goes out to speak with his SON. Son, your brother’s back home! The Father is so HAPPY and he wants his SON to SHARE in this JOY, so he PLEADS with him to ACCEPT and FORGIVE his brother.
COMMENT:
That’s the kind of Heavenly Father we have. He not only RUNS to meet PRODIGALS, but He also WALKS OUT to talk with HARD-HEADED, COLD-HEARTED brethren who lost sight of FORGIVENESS and LOVE.
2. All that the OLDER SON can think about is how HARD he WORKED for his Father, and in his eyes, FOR NOTHING.
COMMENT:
He is a GRACE KILLER. He hasn’t come to understand the FATHER/SON relationship. He looks at himself as being a SLAVE to his FATHER, and not as a SON- v. 29.
Slaves think that if you work HARD ENOUGH you OBLIGATE the Father you EARN his LOVE and ACCEPTANCE. Yet the Father’s willingness to FORGIVE and RESTORE his son to his original POSITION, shows that you can’t EARN His LOVE it’s given FREELY.
The OLDER BROTHER doesn’t understand GRACE. He doesn’t like GRACE. He thinks his Father’s GRACE is UNFAIR, it’s DISCRIMINATORY, it’s COMPROMISED, it’s UNJUST. He thinks the Father should CONDEMN instead of FORGIVE!
C. He is SELF-RIGHTEOUS.
1. After the Father went out to ENTREAT his OLDER SON, the son said, Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders- v. 29a
COMMENT:
God is thrilled with those Christians who live FAITHFUL, OBEDIENT lives. This should be the OBJECTIVE of every Christian to KEEP God’s COMMANDMENTS, to RESIST TEMPTATION, to never LEAVE the Father.
However, one’s FAITHFULNESS never gives a person a right to be SMUG and feel SPIRITUALLY SUPERIOR to others.
2. The OLDER SON took PRIDE in his FAITHFUL service and, thus, became SELF-RIGHTEOUS.
COMMENT:
When the PRODIGAL SON left for the DISTANT COUNTRY he, too, was PROUD and SELF-CENTERED. But in the PIG PEN he realized his SIN and REPENTED!
The OLDER SON doesn’t even realize that his SELF-RIGHTEOUS, UNFORGIVING ATTITUDE toward his brother makes him a SINNER, also. He can quickly point out the FAULTS in his brother, but he doesn’t see his own. He thinks he is TOO GOOD to be a SINNER like his little BROTHER. That’s why he is so UNFORGIVING.
3. In this PARABLE the OLDER SON represents the PHARISEES who are DISPLEASED with Jesus for WELCOMING sinners and EATING with them- vv. 1-2.
COMMENT:
RELIGIOUSLY, there were no BETTER people in Judea than the Pharisees. They would ADHERE to every RITUAL and outward OBSERVANCE of the LAW to the LETTER.
But regardless of how RELIGIOUS the Pharisees were, Jesus still called them HYPOCRITES, BLIND GUIDES, and SNAKES- Matthew 23. In their METICULOUS observance of LAW, Jesus said they overlooked the most important aspects of it: JUSTICE, MERCY, FAITH, and LOVE- Matthew 23:23 and Luke 11:42.
4. Jesus doesn’t condemn the OLDER SON for his FAITHFUL OBEDIENCE, but for his SELF-RIGHTEOUS attitude and lack of MERCY and LOVE for his PENITENT brother.
D. He is JEALOUS of his BROTHER.
1. After the OLDER SON tells the Father how GOOD of a son he’s been, he then says, Yet, you never gave me even a young goat so I could CELEBRATE with my friends- v. 29.
COMMENT:
He really reveals his TRUE NATURE here. You can just see the RESENTMENT that had GROWN and developed and is now BOILING over. This man didn’t want a BROTHER he wants a GOAT!
He’s been without a BROTHER! His brother has been DEAD and LOST in SIN, but he¡¦s come back. And yet he is saying, Father, if you just gave me a GOAT and threw me a PARTY, I would have been THRILLED to death.
2. As the Father CELEBRATES his YOUNGER SON’S return, the OLDER SON is burning inside with ENVY and JEALOUSY.
COMMENT:
Apparently, he wishes that his BROTHER had remained LOST. Maybe he feels like his BROTHER is COMPETING for his Father’s LOVE. If only he could understand that his Father had PLENTY of LOVE for both of his SONS.
If only we can understand that God LOVES those Christians who are STRONG and MATURE in the FAITH, but not any more than He does those who are WEAK and STRUGGLING in the FAITH.
3. If the OLDER SON truly loved his BROTHER, he would be THRILLED to see him COME BACK.
COMMENT:
The Father comes to his OLDER son and says, "Son, don’t you UNDERSTAND? We HAD to CELEBRATE, because your brother was LOST and now he’s FOUND. He was DEAD, and has come ALIVE again."
If we can’t CELEBRATE the RETURN of our ERRING brothers and sisters, then we are the ones to be PITIED!
CONCLUSION:
A. Do you ever wonder about the OLDER SON?
ILLUSTRATION:
Can’t you just see this POUTING son, a TRAGIC, FRUSTRATED figure, as he walks slowly into the BLACKNESS of the night?
Did he RETURN? Did he learn his LESSON? Did he recognize his own SIN PROBLEM? Perhaps we hold the ANSWER!
COMMENT:
The problem in life is not in being SONS, but being BROTHERS. God has no DIFFICULTY at all in ACCEPTING BACK and FORGIVING PRODIGALS . . . . . BROTHERS do. Our problem as SONS is learning how to be BROTHERS!
