The Good Brother?
Lk 15:11-32
INTRO: A. Prodigal’s Steps of Self-destruction
1. Self - Will 2. Selfishness
3. Separation
a. Rather be with others than be with the Father
4. Sensuality - Sin
5. Spiritual Destitution **Bad to worse Down on luck
*Raffle Hat tag A group of well-intentioned people met to discuss ways and means of helping a friend who had been down on his luck recently. Knowing him to be an extremely proud person, who would not accept money, they decided to arrange a bogus raffle. They told him that they would all draw numbered slips of paper from a hat, and the person who drew the number four would win $200. They didn’t tell him that the number “four" was on every slip.
After the drawing, each of the conspirators glanced at their slips and crumbled them up in the manner of disappointed losers. Then they waited to hear their friend announce that he had drawn the winning number. But he didn’t say anything. Finally, one member of the group asked him, knowingly,
"What number did you draw?"
He said "Six and seven-eighths," holding up…the hat-size tag.
6. Abasement: Degraded
7. Starvation: Lowest Point
B. The Father’s Love, Watching, Forgiving, Reconciling,
Restoration
1. Because HE’S God
2. Must allow Lost to make 2 decisions
a. Leave b. Return (repent) submit
3. Worked doing for us, placing love & knowledge of God’s
goodness to return to
4. The Father Saw Him coming
a. Only place in the bible see a picture of God Running
*And God Ran *Philips, Craig and Dean
Almighty God
The Great I Am
Immoveable Rock
Omnipotent powerful
Awesome Lord
Victorious Warrior
Mighty Conqueror
Commanding King of Kings
And the only time
the only time I ever saw Him run
Chorus
Was when He ran to me
Took me in His arms, held my head to His chest
And said "My son’s come home again".
Looked in my face, wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice
He said "Son, do you know I still love you?"
It caught me by surprise when God ran
The day I left Home
I knew I’d broken His heart
I wondered if
Things would ever be the same
Then one night
I remembered His love for me
And down that dusty road, ahead I could see
It was the only time,
the only time I ever saw Him run
It caught me by surprise, It dropped me to my knees
When God ran
Holy God, Righteous One
Who turned my way
Now I know, You’ve been waiting
For this day
b. Do you truly see God’s great love for the lost
c. God’s heart aches to see them come to Him
*3 things about the so-called Good Brother He was…
I. He was About His Business v25
A. Assumed he’s Smarter, More Mature, He is the GOOD
Brother, The Good Son
B. Working
1. Doing what is required
a. Probably griped & moaned the whole time, "Woe is me"
1. But still did his part on the place around the house
2. Consumed His Life *Made a Career of being good**
**Giving, Attendance, sing, Church**
C. While others drinking, doping, dancing sinning, killing,
abusing, adultery, Homosexuality, wasting life’s
D. Not as SON or Brother
1. But servant, worker, laborer, employee
a. Didn’t appreciate God’s goodness, blessings,
b. Or own Position, rights, powers, blessings
c. Duty Driven
2. No Compassion or care for Lost
3. Did not look, (watch with or for the father)
4. Didn’t offer to go and seek, (infield) v25
**Bob Pierce World Vision: over 40 years born during the suffering of children in the Korean War. Wrote in His Bible
"Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God."
a. You would think that good son could see his dad’s heart
was broken
1. You’d think that good brother could see what was happening to the
Father
b. If he did see it, he ignored it. That makes his heart worse
than the rebel (the prodigal brother), in my books
Jas 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin.
E. Comes home to a unpleasant surprise
1. After working in the field all day, arrives home to the sound
of a Karaoke from the house
2. Found out what it was all about
E. Not only no concern But his Anger
**A Sunday School teacher who told the story of the Prodigal son. She told about the Prodigal returning and the father hugging the son. The father put a ring on his hand, shoes on his feet and killed the fattened calf. But the older son refused to join the party. After the story it was question time. She asked the students, “Boys and girls, who was not happy because the prodigal son returned?” One little boy answered, “The fattened calf!
1. The older Son wasn’t happy either
II. He was Angry of the Reconciliation (Restoration) v29
Had a chance to be the hero but instead became the villain of the story
a. His anger exposed his character
A. Why? Why was he upset?
1. You killed the fatted calf! And I didn’t even get a goat!!
a. Pouting, whiny selfish self-centered
b. it’s all about him, what about me?
c. Petty, & Pretty Silly
1. Loosing opportunity to celebrate, to party, to enjoy a good thing in
life
2. Fear of loss, Power, Authority, Position Prominence
a. Way some Christians act in church when things change
1. You’d would think they’d been insulted
b. Sometimes long time church members get upset when new
people come in, and start getting more attention
c. I have seen Baptist get mad because people were getting
saved, the church was growing
1. Things were changing too much too fast
2. Loosing POWER, control
3. Fear of loss Inheritance (Rewards, Material)
a. *Wasn’t enjoying it** It was all the work not the blessing
of being the Father’s son
b. Some people are sooo busy doing church work,
1. They forget to enjoy the blessing of being a child of God
a. No Joy, Praise, Grace, love just WORK
2. Instead of seeing an opportunity to share the Goodness of God
a. They see the job and all the work
4. The bitterness eats at his soul
a. Instead of enjoying things, he is miserable
B. Did NOT LOVE the LOST
1. Never considered that man in there who came back from the
dead was his BROTHER
a. There is something about your brother
1. May fuss and fight like cats and dogs, but still a brother
2. May have disagreements but still come when needed
b. Only the coldest, most selfish reject their brother
C. Did NOT LOVE GOD the Father
***Can’t Say you Love God or the Lost & not go tell them of the Love of Jesus*
1. Too often Christians proclaim they love God, go all over the
country to Bible Study groups, Prophecy conferences,
Meetings of every type.
a. But won’t go down the street to invite a neighbor to
church, let alone to Christ
2. If you love somebody you will tell others about them.
a. If you love somebody and know they have an ache, a great
passion for something,
1. Will you not be involved to satisfy that desire?
b. God’s passion, His desire is to see the Lost saved
III. He was Full of Himself v29
Self-Conscience Self-Righteous Self-Centered
A. Look What I’ve Done
1. Pharisee in Synagogue
a. Wrapped up in self & me & mine
2. I’m Ok!, Civic minded, School, church community etc...
a. I am the Good son!
3. The Father probably talked of him of Going!
a. But the Good son probably had many excuses
1. I Can’t, too busy Got to plant the corn months later, I can’t got to
tend the corn, yet later got to harvest the corn
2. I don’t know how, or I don’t know where he is
3. I am scared never done that before, never traveled, can’t talk their
language in that far country, I’m shy
b. What does all those excuses have to do when the Father
desires the life of the lost
c. What does all those excuses have to do with it if we really
love the lost our self
d. If there is love for the Father and love for the lost as we
say. We won’t allow lame excuses to get in the way
B. But to get the heat off of his back, Reminds of Sins of Lost
1. This brat son of yours wasted his life, your wealth he didn’t
deserve,
a. He lived with prostitutes and did know telling what
b. Not our type, people won’t come to church these days,
1. They are into other things, wasted effort
2. Good one: They have the gospel available, its on radio, TV,
publications, they see our church on the hill
a. All they have to do is come in
2. ARE WE LIKE THE ELDER BROTHER?
a. Consider our self as the Good Christian Brother or sister
1. WE Do chores, duties, the good church work. SS, bible study,
meals work with children
b. To Love the Lord, to Love the Lost, is to GO tell!
C. Grace is what restored the Prodigal
1. It is Grace that calls us to serve, go search for the lost and to
accept them in the fold
a. If we do anything for God out of a sense of duty,
responsibility or our own goodness
1. If busy keeping the rules, do the religious requirements
a. You are TOO BUSY!
2. IF you feel put upon cause only you are serving & others are
playing you are missing the party, the Joy of the Lord
2. It is the Amazing Love, Grace of God that is to fill the
hearts of God’s family
3. Two wasted Lives living selfishly
a. One wasted His life living a wild sinful life
b. The other wasted His life living by the rules & not the
relationships
4. It is the Father who lived for His children that had the
abundance of Joy and Love
